Desserts
Key Lime Mousse with graham cracker tuiles
Here’s a fun twist on the classic Key lime pie. And like the pie, Key lime juice is the main ingredient — but now it’s in a mousse lightened with whipped cream.
The graham tuile [TWEEL] is a take-off on the pie’s traditional graham cracker crust. Tuile is French for “tile,” and these thin, crispy cookies are molded while still warm—traditionally into the shape of roof tiles. But they can also be formed into edible bowls! Molding does take practice (we broke several at first), but just keep at it and you’ll be fine. Of course, you don’t have to make the tuiles, since the mousse tastes terrific on its own. But people really go crazy when they see these little bowls!
Ingredients
MELT:
ADD:
BEAT:
WHISK:
STIR IN:
Test Kitchen Tips
To make a double boiler, put a tight-fitting bowl on top of a pot partially filled with water. A double boiler cooks the curd by indirect heat (steam), helping prevent curdling. Just be sure the water in the pan doesn’t touch the bowl, or the curd may scorch
For the graham cracker tuiles, you can purchase ground graham crumbs or, just pulverize graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground.
Instructions
Melt 1 stick of butter for the curd in a double boiler over medium-high heat.
Add yolks (reserve 2 whites for the tuiles), whole eggs, lime juice, and ¾ cup granulated sugar. Cook curd over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 10 minutes. Transfer curd to a bowl, cover, and chill until cold, about 2 hours.
Beat cream and sugar for the mousse until stiff peaks form. Fold cream, cold curd, and zest together in a bowl. Cover and chill mousse until set, at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray baking sheets with nonstick spray.
Whisk egg whites, ¾ cup powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a bowl until blended, about 30 seconds.
Stir in crumbs and flour. Add melted butter and stir until combined.
To form tuiles, drop 1 Tbsp. batter on a baking sheet and spread into a 3–4-inch circle, spacing about 3 inches apart (they spread).(Cover batter between batches — it dries out quickly, making it hard to spread. If the batter does get too dry, add a teaspoon or so of cream to it). Bake tuiles until edges turn light golden brown, 7–9 minutes; remove pan from oven and cool 30 seconds to 1 minute. Lift tuile off pan and drape over a spice jar until cool. Repeat with remaining batter, washing, drying, and greasing pans after each use.
Fill tuiles with mousse and garnish as desired.
Cook the curd in the double boiler until it has thickened and reached 160°.
Press plastic wrap over the surface of the cooked curd to prevent a skin from forming; chill.
Be gentle when folding — you don’t want to deflate the whipped cream.
Spread the batter in a circular motion, making sure the middle of each tuile is as even as the edges. It's important to spread each one to the same thickness, or they’ll cook unevenly.
Use a spatula to loosen the tuiles from the pan. Then peel them off with your fingers. If they’re too hot, they’ll rip when you try to take them off the pan. But if they’ve cooled too long, they won’t have enough flexibility to be molded easily. If this happens, place the tuiles back in the oven for 30 seconds to 1 minute to help loosen them up.
Quickly drape a warm tuile over an inverted spice jar. Mold to create waves and pleats, then remove when cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week, or freeze 1 month.