Serve this rich, creamy mousse in lightly chilled glasses, but don’t chill the mousse before serving. Thin slices of Genoese sponge make an excellent accompaniment.
400ml (1¾ cups) whipping cream
150ml (scant ⅔ cup) liquid glucose
200g (1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
50g (3½ tbsp) butter, diced
60g (⅓ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
30g (2 tbsp) liquid glucose
6 egg yolks
3 sheets of leaf gelatine, soaked in cold water
220ml (scant 1 cup) whipping cream
To make the caramel cream, heat the cream and glucose in a saucepan until boiling. Meanwhile, put the sugar in a small heavy-based pan and melt it gently, stirring with a wooden spoon until it turns pale golden. Take the pan off the heat, immediately pour on the cream mixture, then return to a low heat and gently bring back to the boil. Bubble for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and whisk in the butter. Pass the caramel cream through a chinois and leave to cool (to about 24°C/75ºF).
For the pâte à bombe, put 80 ml (⅓ cup) water, the sugar and glucose in a heavy-based pan and dissolve over a low heat, brushing the sugar crystals down the side of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Let the syrup bubble for 2 – 3 minutes until it turns light caramel at the edge. Put the egg yolks in a bowl and pour on the syrup in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Stand the bowl over a pan of boiling water and whisk the mixture for about 5 minutes, until it reaches 70ºC/150ºF. Take the bowl off the pan and carry on whisking until the temperature has reduced to about 24°C/75ºF. Squeeze excess water from the gelatine then dissolve in 2 tbsp hot water and fold into the bombe mixture.
In another bowl, whip the cream to a ribbon consistency. When the caramel cream and the bombe mixture are both about the same temperature, delicately fold them together with the whisk, then fold in the whipped cream. The mousse is now ready to serve.