Maple Mousse in Sweet Potato Chips with Bacon Crisps

Did I have you at "Maple Mousse"? Or was it "Sweet Potato Chip"? If one of those lip-licking titles got you, then I bet the "bacon" part made your finger hit the "go to" key, right?

Maple Mousse in Sweet Potato Chips

w/ Bacon Crisps
The April 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Evelyne of the blog Cheap Ethnic Eatz. Evelyne chose to challenge everyone to make a maple mousse in an edible container.

I've been having a blast cooking along with the Daring Cooks and the Daring Bakers every month for almost 2 years. This month, for the first time, the two challenges worked together and asked us to create "edible containers." For the Daring Cooks we make savories, and now for the Daring Bakers we're making sweets.

Mousse is a very simple and validating dessert to make for yourself, family or guests. There is just a bit of prep, then you toss the whole thing in the refrigerator for when you need it. Mousse can be served in a glass by itself or garnished, and you can also use it as a filling for chocolates, cakes, cookies, or tarts.
I make a lot of small appetizers or nibbles in my catering life, and Sweet Potato chips are handy and healthy (not to mention delicious) edible containers. Bacon crisps for a garnish seemed like the perfect topper to the combo of maple and sweet potato. I'd love to say that I ate a few of these, but that would be a giant understatement.

RECIPE: Maple Mousse

1 cup (240 ml/ 8 fluid oz.) pure maple syrup (not maple-flavored syrup)
4 large egg yolks
1 package (7g/1 tbsp.) unflavored gelatine
1 1/2 cups (360 ml. g/12 fluid oz) whipping cream

Directions:
1. Bring maple syrup to a boil then remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and pour a little bit of the maple syrup in while whisking (this is to temper your egg yolks so they don’t curdle).
3. Add warmed egg yolks to hot maple syrup until well mixed.
4. Measure 1/4 cup of whipping cream in a bowl and sprinkle it with the gelatine. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Place the bowl in a microwave for 45 seconds (microwave for 10 seconds at a time and check it in between) or place the bowl in a pan of barely simmering water, stir to ensure the gelatine has completely dissolved.
5. Whisk the gelatine/whipping cream mixture into the maple syrup mixture and set aside.
6. Whisk occasionally for approximately an hour or until the mixture has the consistency of an unbeaten raw egg white.
7. Whip the remaining cream. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the maple syrup mixture. Fold in the remaining cream and refrigerate for at least an hour.
8. Remove from the fridge and divide equally among your edible containers.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Chips

1 large Sweet Potato (peeled and thin sliced with a mandoline)
1) Preheat oven to 350F, place slices on parchment lined baking sheet.
2) Bake for 8 minutes, remove slices to a small muffin tin or an egg crate ceramic (as seen above) and continue to bake for about 4-8 more minutes until crisp (they crisp more while cooling.)

(There is also a quick way to make Sweet Potato Chips in the microwave.)

Allow the Sweet Potato Chips to cool, then fill with cooled Mousse (using a pastry bag and star tip), then garnish with crisp bacon pieces.

Thanks for stopping by :D