Pumpkin Ginger Mousse -- #Thanksgiving #recipe by @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  Last fall, a Facebook friend mentioned making Ginger Pumpkin Mousse. Ooh, I said. Recipe? Silver Palate Cookbook, she said. It’s a classic, particularly for caterers and restaurant cooks, and another friend had sent me her extra copy, though I’d never used it. 

Mousse gets an unfair reputation for being difficult. It's really just fancy pudding! This recipe is light and easy and yummy -- perfect for those who want a hint of pumpkin with their Thanksgiving feast but not the heaviness of a slice of pie. 

And of course, leftovers make excellent breakfast. 

Ginger Pumpkin Mousse

adapted from Silver Palate Cookbook, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins

4 eggs

7 tablespoons granulated sugar (½ cup less 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (half a standard envelope)

1-1/2 cups (1 - 15 ounce can) pumpkin puree

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 cup heavy cream

minced crystallized ginger, for garnish

Beat eggs with sugar until lightly colored and thick, about 5-6 minutes. Add gelatin and blend well. 

Mix in pumpkin and spices, and chill until mixture begins to set, 30-60 minutes.

Whip cream into soft peaks, about 5 minutes. Fold into chilled pumpkin mixture. 

Spoon into a serving bowl or 4-6 dessert dishes.

Chill 2-4 hours. Garnish with ginger before serving.

Serves 4 to 6.

Wishing you and yours a lovely holiday. We are grateful for your friendship and readership. 

From the cover of BLIND FAITH, written as Alicia Beckman (Crooked Lane Books, October 11, 2022)  

Long-buried secrets come back with a vengeance in a cold case gone red-hot in Agatha Award-winning author Alicia Beckman’s second novel, perfect for fans of Laura Lippman and Greer Hendricks.

Two women whose paths crossed in Montana years ago discover they share keys to a deadly secret that exposes a killer—and changes everything they thought they knew about themselves. 

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries, continuing in July 2022 with Peppermint Barked. She's the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories. Death al Dente, the first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, won Best First Novel in 2013, following her 2011 win in Best Nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story. As Alicia Beckman, she writes standalone suspense, beginning with Bitterroot Lake (2021) and continuing with Blind Faith (October 2022, Crooked Lane Books).

A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by her website and subscribe to her seasonal newsletter, for a chat about the writing life, what she's working on, and  what she's reading -- and a free short story. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.