Walnut, Stilton And Honey Mousse
- 1 cup walnut halves and pieces, divided
- 1 1/2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) Stilton blue cheese
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
- 1 3/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
- 2 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces at room temperature
- pinch of kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons macadamia nut honey, divided, plus more for drizzling if desired Use whatever local variety you have that is rich and slightly nutty
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a small baking pan, toast walnuts in a single layer until fragrant and golden. This should take between 8-10 minutes but start checking after 7. Let walnuts cool completely. Chop 1/4 cup of walnuts and transfer into a glass container with a lid.
- Combine remaining 3/4 cup toasted walnuts and Stilton in a mini-prep processor or similar device. Pulse until walnut pieces are thoroughly blitzed, scraping down sides with a small spatula as necessary to keep mixture moving.
- In a small (2 1/2 quart) heavy saucepan, combine 2 cups cream and cheese/walnut mixture. Using a whisk, gently break apart cheese and walnuts, stirring it into the cream. Sprinkle gelatin over cream, and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate remaining 1/2 cup cream in a glass covered with plastic wrap.
- Slowly heat the cream mixture, whisking, until gelatin dissolves completely, 3-5 minutes. Turn heat up slightly, just until mixture begins to steam. Add cream cheese, 1 T honey and pinch of salt, whisking until cream cheese dissolves. Cover pot, remove from heat and allow mixture to steep for 15 minutes.
- Strain cream mixture through a sieve into a medium bowl, pressing down on nut solids. Discard solids.
- In a large metal bowl, whip chilled cream with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 2 T honey and whip until peaks are medium-stiff, for 1-2 minutes more. Fold honey whipped cream into walnut and Stilton mixture until no streaks remain. Portion into small ramekins, about 2-3 ounces per. Cover each with plastic wrap (it saves time to cut these ahead of time) and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Top each portion with reserved toasted walnuts before serving. You can also drizzle a bit of honey on top if desired. Enjoy!
walnut, blue cheese, heavy cream, unflavored gelatin, cream cheese, kosher salt, macadamia nut honey
Taken from food52.com/recipes/28278-walnut-stilton-and-honey-mousse (may not work)