It’s hard to believe that 2012 is just a few days away. I’d like to say I’m ready to dive in head first, but I’m more the type of person to test the water with one toe. For me, easing into the new year means no high pressure resolutions. It’s more fun to make up a few that are easy to keep. For example, this year I resolve to…
- Eat birthday cake without feeling guilty.
- Put sprinkles on everything.
- Sleep late whenever possible.
- Watch movies on rainy days.
- Tell more corny jokes.
Easy.
For this year’s NYE gathering, I whipped up a batch of champagne mousse. In spite of its light texture, it is completely decadent and full of champagne flavor. I decided to mold mine in a fancy pan, but you can use a regular loaf pan or just pipe it into champagne flutes. It’s very versatile. The chocolate ganache was a last minute addition, and I’m including the recipe, but it can be enjoyed with or without.
And of course, it had to be decorated with sugar pearls, shiny dragees… all types of edible baubles.
I wanted to get a good picture of us wishing you a Happy New Year, but the pups weren’t having it. As you can tell, Churro wanted to get off of my lap so badly, he wouldn’t even look up at the camera.
Oh well. Happy New Year anyway!!
Oh, and one last thing.
If you need a more portable New Year’s treat, check out my Sparkling Champagne Cupcakes from last year.
Champagne Mousse
Serves 8-10 [click for printable version]
Note: This can be made ahead and kept in the freezer.
1 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups champagne, prosecco, or your choice sparkling wine
2 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin
3 tbsp water (or champagne)
- In a medium bowl, whip the heavy cream with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Place in refrigerator until ready for use.
- Place a saucepan filled 1/3 with water over medium-high heat until water is simmering.
- Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a stainless steel (or glass) heatproof bowl. Whisk until lightened in color. Add the champagne and whisk until combined. Place bowl over simmering water.
- Whisk mixture constantly. The champagne will cause the mixture to fizz and foam. Keep whisking! Mixture will begin to thicken. When the mixture is ready the mixture will have thickened and gained volume, and it will have lost its foaminess. Remove bowl from the simmering saucepan and continue to whisk for 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
- Place the 3 tbsp water (or champagne) in a small microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle gelatin evenly over the liquid. Let set until absorbed – about 5 minutes. Heat the absorbed gelatin mixture for 10 seconds in the microwave, or heat until the gelatin has completely melted.
- Whisk gelatin into the champagne mixture; fold in the whipped cream with a rubber spatula.
To mold: Lightly grease a loaf pan with white vegetable shortening. Pour champagne mousse into the loaf pan and freeze until solid. To unmold, run a dish towel under hot water and wrap the bottom of the loaf pan with it. Turn mousse out onto a serving plate. If mousse resists unmolding, run the towel under hot water again and wrap around upside down loaf pan. Repeat this step until mousse releases. Bring to room temperature. Slice and serve.
To pipe: Refrigerate mousse for 10-15 minutes, or until stiff enough to pipe. Transfer to a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe into champagne flutes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Note: Make a half-batch of this recipe to cover the champagne mousse, otherwise you’ll have too much ganache left over. Or make the whole batch and use it to make truffles. 🙂
Chocolate ganache *Optional
1/2 cup heavy cream
9 oz. chopped chocolate
Sprinkles, sugar pearls and dragees
- Place heavy cream in a small microwave safe bowl, and place chocolate in another small bowl.
- Heat cream at 30 second increments, until very hot but not boiling.
- Pour cream over chopped chocolate and whisk until well incorporated. Let stand until cooled and slightly thickened, then pour over frozen molded champagne mousse. Decorate with dragees and sugar pearls before chocolate ganache sets.
Easy resolutions! ;-P
That mousse looks amazing and magical! A terrific New Year's Eve dessert.
Best wishes for 2012!
Cheers,
Rosa
P.S. I love your gorgeous pugs!!!
you my dear… are an absolute genius. happy happy new year!! <3
OMG lovely pics, your pup is like my daughter with NOT wanting to take pics. Great idea for New YeARS.
Absolutely beautiful! Of course you know I'm talking about you 🙂 and the mousse is fabulous too!
Woooooow!!!! For sure this is on our NYE Movie Night menu!!!!
fancy fancy! i'm impressed. happy new year to you!
This looks so wonderful…fancy and beautiful and a perfect dessert. Anything using champagne would be 🙂
This looks wonderful, and I love the pearls and dragees they add the perfect festive touch! The pictures with your dogs is so cute 🙂
So classic and fancy! I love this post ! Just started reading your blog and love it ! Your a great photographer !
A Southern Bee Diary
🙂
Hi!
Just found your page and so far – I love it! So now I know how to spend the rest of my evening =)
how pretty!
also the mouse looks like slices of frozen bananas with chocolate on top. mmmmm that would be a swell desert 🙂
cheers to the new year!
Gorgeous. Just. Gorgeous. Happy New Year Heather. All the best to you in 2012! Oh and I want so badly to just squish those adorable pug faces/
Looks gorgeous! Happy New Year Heather! 🙂 xoxo
Fabulous dessert, as usual, Heather! Love the photo with your pups not cooperating! LOL! Dogs are just like kids. 😉 Love your skirt too, very pretty. May the new year bring you much happiness and baking successes — you deserve it!
Best,
Gloria
P.S. Oh, as for your resolutions: I've already been completing for years now all of those that you wish to do this coming year. 🙂
Well, except for using more sprinkles… but, then again, you are the QUEEN of Sprinkles!
i've always wanted to do something like this since I adore champagne so.
you do everything to perfection.
happy new year Heather.
thank you for being a great blogger and friend
l.o.v.e this mousse! heather, can you please let me know which "fancy" pan you used…thanks!
may your new year be filled with joy & fun!
Thanks Linda!
I used a Rehrucken pan. It's used to make an Austrian "saddle of venison" cake. You can get them on Amazon.com or kitchen stores like Sur la Table.
Here's a link:
http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-612044/?affsrcid=Aff0001&mr:trackingCode=5B6CAEDC-D781-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA
fwarrrrrr!
Fabulous! Perfect for a New Years party!
I adore champagne mousse, and this is just gorgeous!
Happy New Year!
Oh I just love when we get a glimpse of you and your adorable pups! Love all the shots you put together for us, you make everything so fun. As usual, gorgeous and exciting. Happy New Year Heather! xoxo ~Lili
Lovely! I'm so in love with champagne in desserts!
Champagne mousse sounds absolutely divine!!!! Chamapagne is always my drink of choice for celebrations so champagne mousse would be amazing and the bling on top looks amazing! I'm bookmarking this!
Best wishes for the New Year.
I never need an excuse to add more champagne into my life, but if I did, this would be it! Love the decadence of this mousse 🙂
Oooo, how lovely! Time to go buy champagne! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to all of you! Your photo is beautiful! Churro is adorable the way he is looking away and saying "Please, no, I just can't face the camera at this time." You were one of the first blogs I discovered and boy was that a lucky day for me! Can't wait to buy your book this year.
Happy New Year!
Such a cool recipe, and so pretty to look at, too. Happy New Year! 🙂
Happy New Year!
Do you bribe your dogs with treats for a pic? My chihuahua never used to look at the camera until I started holding a treat right above it…now she loves to get her pic taken. Food bribery works for my pups 🙂
Thanks for sharing the attempts anyway…very cute!
i love your resolutions….{and your hair!}! 🙂 i hope you and your family have a fabulous New Year!
so elegant…happy new year !
Beautiful as always, love the pups! The 3 hands in the first picture are perplexing! 😀 Who's stealing a bite? Happy New Year!
This is beautiful…what a great idea!
I love the idea of no pressure resolutions. I'll change it from eating b-day cake without guilt to eating this mousse! It looks amazing. Your pugs are adorable. I have two laying next to me as I comment. Happy New Year!
I can't wait to try it! it seems so smooth and delicious, what a great and fancy idea
Yumm! Looks delish! I love your sparkly skirt. If you have trouble with the eating cake resolution, I think I can help you out:) Especially because chocolate ganache is hardly ever optional for me lol! Hope you have a fabulous New Years!
Jessie at Possible Baker
this looks gorgeous! i absolutely adore your champagne cupcakes & this mousse sounds just as delicious! happy 2012 heather! xo
thanks heather…i have never heard of a saddle of venison cake but, having googled… it looks pretty delicious…perhaps one day you can share your version with us.
& thanks for the link to the pan…just ordered it!
This looks so pretty! What a great mousse. Cute puppies, even if they won't look at the camera 🙂
This is beautiful, a perfect dessert for a New Year's Eve celebration. All of your photos are beautiful. You are so pretty and the pugs are too cute. Happy New Year to you and your family Heather, all the best in 2012.
Wow, this sounds like a super-delicious recipe! I will definitely have to find an occassion to suit this very soon (unfortunately, I just discovered it a day too late…).
I really like your resolutions, too. They seem very simple but I tend to feel guilty about sleeping in etc… sometimes so maybe they would work for me.
Awwww, wrinkly pugs! I recently ate a slice of pizza covered in sprinkles. It was…bizarre.
I made your recipe last night for a New Year's Eve party and it was a huge hit! Thanks so much for posting this 🙂 I made the full ganache recipe so now I get to make some truffles today.
so gorgeous!
OMG, this is so elegant. It looks amazing.
Happy new year Heather!! Love the mousse and those photos of you & your pups. I bet it was hard to get them to pose 😉 I am with you on the resolutions…toe dipping is best for me too 🙂 xo
Can't wait for your book!!
Do I have to wait till eggs mixture cool down a little bit?
Made this for NYE dessert (2014) – and it was a huge hit! Thanks for such a great (easy) and delicious recipe!!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I just tried and want to use as a filling for a cake. I cooked the custard almost 15 minutes and the volume increased but it is taking much longer than 15 mins to thicken up to pipe. How long should it be cooked?
1. How long after this come out of the freezer can it be served?
Looks like a fabulous idea for Easter Dinner.
2. Also….is there any recommendation for non-alcoholic liquid to be used instead of the Champaign? Thank you.