Lemon Mousse & Raspberry Parfait

Recipe courtesy of Chef Doreen Fang

Serves 2

1 cup                           Heavy whipping cream

½ cup + 2 Tbsp           Confectioners (powdered) sugar

¾ cup                          Lemon curd (available @ Williams Sonoma or markets)

1 pint                           Raspberries, fresh

2 sprigs                        Mint (garnish)

2                                  Cookies (garnish

In a medium metal mixing bowl add the heavy cream and powdered sugar.  Getting a larger metal bowl, add ice and water and set the medium bowl in the ice bath of the larger bowl.  Using a hand mixer, whip the cream and sugar till it forms stiff peaks.  (If you have a stand mixer, you can make the whipped cream in the mixer with the whip attachment).  Do not over whip, if you do, the whipped cream will look grainy. 

Once you have made your whipped cream, get about 1/3 of the lemon curd on your spatula and gently fold the curd into the whipped cream.  Do not stir the curd into the whipped cream or you will lose all the air that has been incorporated into the cream.  Continue to fold in another 1/3 of the curd till incorporated, finally the last one third until the curd is completely incorporated into the whipped cream.  You can put this in the refrigerator and hold till you are ready to serve.

In a parfait glass or dish, layer it with fresh raspberries, then top off with the lemon mousse.  You can use a piping bag to pipe the mousse into the glass.  If you do not have a piping bag, carefully put the mousse in the center and using the back of a spoon, spread the layer of mousse evenly over the raspberries towards the edges of the glass.  Depending on how tall your glass is, try to create at least two layers of raspberries and two layers of mousse.  So gauge how much mousse you can put in the glass and try to make the layers as even as possible. Continue putting another layer of raspberries on top of the mousse and add another layer of mousse, again spreading it out carefully.  Top off with a few raspberries on the very top, add a sprig of mint and put a cookie on the side and serve.

*Additional suggestions: 

1.  If the raspberries are tart, you can toss them in some sugar.

2.  If you like sauces, serve with a raspberry coulis (sauce).