Oreo biscuits Archives

mint mousse

The latest series of Great British Menu has been hit and miss. Tweaks to the format were needed, but there’s still too much footage of chefs stomping around damp fields saying things like “lovely sheep, that” and then butchering it. Tad repetitive, no? And a further knockout stage (obviously what was missing, though at least there’s something on the line in the superfluous Monday – Thursday shows) just gives the opportunity for an experienced chef to look superior and aloof.

Anyway, Richard Davies, despite not going forward to cook for the judges and seemingly not bothering to even think about what he was going to cook until seconds before firing up the Aga, put up a lovely looking dessert: a mint mousse. Yummy, I thought. I’ll have some of that. However not being a winner his recipe doesn’t hit the BBC website. So off a-Googling I went.

I couldn’t find a blasted mint mousse recipe anywhere. Plenty of choc-mint mousse recipes yes, and not a bad thing as I could happily devour a gallon of the stuff. But no just mint mousses. So I was left to my own devices. I went for a folded cream/egg white mix, which gave a smooth, bubbly texture, and decided to line them with crushed Oreo cookies. They have a mental image when I eat them, the white icing suggesting they will be mint-flavoured even though they are nothing of the sort. Topped with a sweet praline it was one of the nicest desserts I’ve ever made.

Mint mousse (serves 6):

10 Oreo cookies, crushed well

20g melted butter

3 egg whites

10 tablespoons caster sugar

2 teaspoons peppermint essence

400ml double cream

10 mint leaves

1 teaspoon caster sugar

For the pistachio praline:

100g caster sugar

Large handful shelled pistachio nuts

Make the praline first: melt the sugar in a pan with a splash of water. This will take a couple of minutes. Allow the sugar to colour and turn a sticky brown colour. When this happens, stir in the nuts and a pinch of sea salt, and immediately spread out thinly on to a baking tray or flat surface to cool (I recommend a silicone mat if you have one). When cool, blitz to a powder and store until needed.

Combine the Oreos and butter and layer into your serving dishes. Push down to compact the biscuit and leave a level top. Refrigerate.

Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the sugar slowly, continuing to whisk. Eventually you’ll get firm, glossy peaks.

Combine the cream and peppermint and whip the cream until fairly stiff (slowly falls off the whisk when held up). Fold the meringue into this gently. You may want to taste at this point, adjusting the sugar and minty flavours as desired.

Pipe or spoon the egg/cream mixture into your serving dishes, and refrigerate until needed (it’s OK to eat straight away but tastes much better chilled).

To serve, pound the mint leaves and a teaspoon of sugar together to make a vivid green pulp. Lightly drizzle this over the mousses, sprinkle over some praline and garnish with a mint leaf.

hairy bikers’ key lime pie

They get some stick, but apart from the odd over-produced segment the Hairy Bikers collate an awful lot of good recipes. And always make it look dead easy. One series Mums Know Best, an attempt to ensure family recipes stay in the loop, had a great selection of dishes framed with a gaudily awful village fete theme. One recipe really made me sit up though – a Key Lime Pie but with the crucial twist of an Oreo biscuit base.

Watch the video version of this recipe here

Oreos have been a thing in the UK for around 20 years, so we’re just about now getting a generation who have always known them. I a fan so using them as a base instead of borin’ old digestives meant I had to try it out. It breaks down to an Oreo base, a limey sweet filling and a dense baked meringue topping.

I’d read on this blog that the filling could be quite tart, so I took heed and tasted before baking and added a dash of sugar as required. I think even without it wouldn’t be too sour so watch for the strength of the limes you buy. Out of the oven it was delight though: crisp, fluffy meringue; tart, citrussy filling and a moist, rich dark biscuit base. It was a real sweet-tooth’s joy and I’ll certainly bring it out again.

The origin of Key Lime Pie is often debated, but it is generally believed to have originated in the Florida Keys, a chain of islands off the southern coast of Florida. The dessert has been a favourite in the Florida Keys for over 100 years. Some sources attribute the invention of Key Lime Pie to sponge fishermen in the Florida Keys who used the ingredients they had on hand to create a simple yet delicious dessert. Others suggest that the recipe was created by early settlers in the area, or by cooks in the local hotels and restaurants.

Regardless of its origins, Key Lime Pie has become a beloved dessert in Florida and beyond, and has even been designated as the official state pie of Florida.

What makes Key Lime Pie so special? For one, it’s the tangy flavour of fresh key lime juice that sets this dessert apart. Key limes are smaller and more tart than regular limes, which gives the filling of the pie a unique and refreshing flavour. Additionally, the creamy filling and crumbly crust create a perfect balance of textures.

key lime pie

Key lime pie the way the Hairy Bikers cook it.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword afters, baking, pudding

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Cooling time 8

Total Time 8 50

Servings 8

Author Gary @ BigSpud

Ingredients

154 g Oreo biscuits crushed
80 g butter melted
4 medium eggs separated
2 limes
1 tin condensed milk 397g
80 g caster sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cream of tartar or xanthan gum

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
Mix the biscuits and butter together thoroughly and press into a cake tin. Leave in the fridge to harden while you do everything else.
Whisk the egg yolks until light and fluffy, then add the lime zest, the juice and the condensed milk. Whisk a little more to loosen and combine, then pour this on top of the biscuit.
Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then gradually add the sugar, vanilla and cream of tartar. Continue whisking until it reaches firm peaks.
Spoon the egg white on top of the pie and use a spoon or fork to raise ribbons on the surface. Chuck in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool and refrigerate until needed - the flavours are much better cold.

Video

Notes

Arguably better made the day before and eaten cold.