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    Home » Sweets

    Nannyberry Mousse

    Published: Jan 6, 2020 Modified: Jan 25, 2025 Author: Alan Bergo

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    Nannyberry mousse

    Once I made my nanny berry butter, and then used it to start working on a nannyberry pudding, I wanted to figure out different ways to serve it. The cornstarch pudding (see the recipe here) is a hybrid between pastry cream and thick cornstarch pudding resembling Russian kissel.

    After the pudding sets, I cut it into slices and garnished them with a few complimentary flavors that go well with bananas or raisins. As I worked, I wondered if I couldn't use the derivative recipe in another way similar to one of my favorite desserts set with gelatin: the bavarois, or bavarian cream. A bavarian is basically a panna cotta with whipped cream or egg whites folded into it when the mixture is chilled to begin setting.

    Nannyberry butter recipe
    Step 1: nannyberry butter
    Nannyberry-Maple Pudding Recipe
    Step 2: nanny berry pudding
    Nannyberry mousse
    Step 3: nannyberry mousse

    Whipping a little extra cream is extra work, sure, but the lightness of air bubbles pays off in spades as a delicious way to relax and add delicateness to something that would otherwise be a little heavy. As a bonus, the cornstarch and egg combo gives a strong set, which translates to a bulletproof mousse that you don't have to worry about falling and losing volume if it hangs out in the fridge or in some custard dishes for a few days, which means that it's also great to make ahead, up to 2-3 days.

    More Fall Fruit

    • Harvesting and Cooking Nannyberries
    • Nannyberry Bread
    • Nannyberry Butter
    Nannyberry mousse
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Nannyberry Pudding

    A rich mousse made from nannyberry preserves. Serves 6-8
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time30 minutes mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American, French
    Keyword: Chocolate Mousse, nannyberry
    Servings: 6
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • Ramekins or Custard Dishes, Beaters or Stand Mixer

    Ingredients

    Nannyberry Pudding

    • ¾ cup very thick nannyberry butter, sweetened with maple syrup as per my recipe (increase the sugar to ¾ cup here if you didn't sweeten your nannyberry butter). See recipe here
    • 1 cup half and half
    • ¼ cup sugar
    • 4 tablespoons cornstarch + 4 Tablespoons water
    • 2 large egg yolks
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    • ½ teaspoon orange zest to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • Good pinch of salt

    Final Mousse (optional)

    • 1 cup heavy cream

    Instructions

    Nannyberry Pudding

    • Oil a small 3-4 cup souffle mold, or individual custard dishes, then line with cling film.
    • Mix the cornstarch, ¼ cup sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, lemon and water to make a slurry.
    • Heat the nannyberry butter and the half and half, whisking, until hot and steaming, but not boiling.
    • Stir in the cornstarch-egg slurry and whisk constantly, keeping the heat at medium, until the mixture thickens, then turn the heat down to as low as possible and continue whisking for a few minutes more, or until you can tell the cornstarch is completely activated.
    • Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the butter, then transfer the pudding to the prepared mold(s) and refrigerate overnight, or until the pudding is set and able to be unmolded.

    Nannyberry Mousse

    • Whip 1 cup of cream to soft peaks and gently fold into the pudding when it’s completely cooled to room temperature, then refrigerate. Before serving, spoon the mousse into custard cups. Good garnishes could be fruit coulis, orange custard sauce, persimmons, and or toasted nuts, especially black walnuts.

    Notes

    The mousse can be made days ahead of time, packed into a pastry bag as pictured, and piped into whatever vessel you like just before serving. It can also be used as the filling for a crepe cake, or another dessert you could serve chilled.
    A splash of Gran Marnier or Tuaca is nice to add while the pudding is cooking, if you have some. 
    « Nocino, The Black Walnut Liqueur
    Simple Fruit Terrine Made with Preserves »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nicole

      January 20, 2025 at 7:14 am

      Maybe I’m overlooking it somewhere, but the recipe doesn’t tell you how many egg yolks to use.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        February 24, 2025 at 11:57 am

        2

        Reply
    2. Doug

      November 21, 2021 at 8:17 am

      5 stars
      We really enjoyed the pudding - thanks! Next time we might try out the mousse, if we have cream on hand.

      A few remarks:
      - you don't mention when to add the sugar - we added it to the half-and-half after it was warmed up
      - when making the nannyberry puree, we didn't add any maple -- it wasn't clear if your nannyberry butter was sweetened here, but we assumed it wasn't, and didn't adjust the sugar amount here at all; the sweetness of the result was just fine
      - we made many small puddings using a silicone mini muffin pan, which was fun

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        November 21, 2021 at 9:00 am

        Thanks Doug, if you look at the recipe, it reads to add the sugar with the cornstarch, but there was a little discrepancy with the amounts, which I edited for clarity. I also clarified the sweetening of the nannyberry butter, I like it with maple, but it's fine without as it does help you control the sugar when you use it in baking. Glad it worked out for you even with my scatterbrained description.

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote

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