Studies in Presentation - Gingerbread Pumpkin Mousse Trifle

Happy Thanksgiving - the pagan festival of gluttony followed by an onset of sloth. I love it. It's been a long time since I've put an entry in here...far too long. I need to get myself fired up so I turned to food writing. Today I have a good one, a Gingerbread Pumpkin Mousse Trifle that took first place at the Easton Farmers' Market Pumpkin Bake-Off, co-judged by yours truly. Yet, I was the dissenting opinion out of 5. The trifle is layered pumpkin-spiked, moist, gingerbread, rich pumpkin mousse, and freshly whipped cream. A squash-lover's dessert dream and absoutely delicious. I gave it the highest marks for utilization of pumpkin and overall taste BUT, the woman who made this botched the presentation. I docked her major points and on my scorecard, and a pumpkin pie came out on top. Maybe my expectations were too high for trifles. My Grandma makes a mean one with ladyfingers, vanilla custard, and strawberry preserves. A trifle is a dessert layered in a high-sided glass bowl. Done right, the dessert looks as good as it tastes. However this woman comes in with a simple serving platter filled with one layer of gingerbread, then mousse, then whipped cream. The whipped cream on top was ghastly white, screaming to be topped with pumpkin-friendly items such as cinnamon or toasted walnuts. I was actually angry that it tasted so good, yet looked so bad. Alas, The mousse went on to win because my co-judges were not as particular to presentation as I was. After my anger subsided, I knew I had to get my hands on that recipe so I could do it right for my family on Thanksgiving.

Recipe as follows:
Gingerbread-Pumpkin Mousse Trifle

Gingerbread:

1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 cup molasses
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup boiling water
2 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs, beaten
Combine sugar, salt & spices in a large
bowl. Add oil and molasses and mix until
well combined.
Add baking soda to boiling water then
immediately to sugar/oil/spice mix. Whisk
well to combine.
Add flour in batches, whisking well after
each addition.
Whisk in eggs until combined.
Pour into a greased 13x9 pan and bake at
350 degrees for 40 minutes or until a
knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan then invert onto
cooling rack. Allow to cool completely then
cut into 1/2 inch thick slices, around 3-4 inches long.

Pumpkin Mousse:

2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
2 tbsp sugar (optional in whipped cream)
a few drops vanilla extract
20oz pumpkin puree (a little more than one small can)
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups (1 can) Evaporated Milk
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
(can substitue 1 Tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice for
above spices)

Mix pudding mix and spices in a medium bowl.
Whisk in evaporated milk until mix is well dissolved.
Whisk in pumpkin puree.
Whip heavy cream with sugar (optional) and vanilla extract in a clean bowl
until stiff peaks form. Reserve half of the
whipped cream mixture and set aside.
Fold remaining whipped cream into pumpkin
pudding mixture til just combined being careful not to overmix.

I recommended assembling at least 2 hours before you serve it. It sets nicely in the fridge.
Layering guidelines- Layer as you see fit, just PLEASE make it look nice!!
In a high-sided glass bowl, layer bottom with gingerbread slices. Cover with a layer of mousse. Place some gingerbread slices around the circumference of the bowl, standing upright against the sides, sinking them in the mousse layer slightly. Fill middle with mousse. Top with more gingerbread, lying flat. Top that layer with mousse, then reserved whipped cream. Top whipped cream with cinnamon and toasted walnuts. Refrigerate 2 hours and serve.

First your guests will be in awe at your towering, magnificent tribute to the complementary flavors of pumpkin and spices. Then they'll eat it and shower you with complements on how it tastes even better than it looks (and it looks pretty damn good as a layered dessert.) Mild squash is amplified by the heat of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and gingerbread. Pumpkin pie, move over. Trifle is in town.