Recipe: Parmigiano-Reggiano Crisps with Goat Cheese Mousse

Parmigiano-Reggiano Crisps
with Goat Cheese Mousse

Makes 16 Crisps

Parmigiano-Reggiano Crisps Parmesan Crisps
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
(from a moist piece of cheese)

Goat Cheese Mousse
6 ounces fresh goat cheese
(or other soft goat cheese)
4 to 6 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

A clean egg carton

Here, these easy Parmesan crisps form small cups for a creamy goat cheese mousse. It's best to bake only half the crisps at a time, because they may harden while you're working with them.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

For the Parmesan Crisps:
Line a baking sheet with a Silpat (see Sources), or use a nonstick baking sheet.

Place a 2-1/2-inch ring mold (see Sources), in one corner of the Silpat and fill it with 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese. Using your finger, spread the cheese into an even layer. Repeat to make 8 rounds, leaving at least 1 inch between them.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crisps are a rich golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for about 30 seconds to firm the crisps enough so you can remove them with a spatula. One by one, remove the crisps and gently press each one into a hollow in the egg carton to form a tulip shape. After a few minutes, remove the cooled crisps from the carton and make 8 more crisps.

For the Goat Cheese Mousse:
Place the goat cheese in a food processor and process (depending on the cheese used, it may look smooth or crumbly). Pour 1/4 cup of the cream through the feed tube and continue to process until the mixture is smooth but will hold a shape when piped; if necessary, add a little more cream. Add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste and mix just to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The mousse can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days; let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften slightly before piping.

Place the mousse in a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe 2 to 3 teaspoons of mousse into each Parmesan crisp and serve.

Sources

The equipment used most often for these recipes includes: food processor, blender, Kitchenaid or other heavy-duty mixer, large stockpot (over 16 quarts), heavy sheet pans, Silpat (flexible silicon-coated nonstick fabric sold in sizes to fit commercial baking sheets), chinois (fine-meshed conical strainer), tamis (large flat sieve), beat diffuser, juicer, Japanese mandoline (Benriner), plastic bowl scraper, coffee grinder or spice mill, scale, instant-read thermometer, deep-fry thermometer, palette knife and small offset palette knife, graduated round cutters, pastry bag and tips, and small plastic squeeze bottles.

Special equipment used in specific recipes includes: small blowtorch, mini food processor, ice-cream maker, meat grinder attachment for Kitchenaid or other heavy-duty mixer, pasta machine, fluted pastry wheel, scalloped oval melon baller or scoop, parisienne baller, larding needle, sugar shaker, oval ice-cream scoop, gnocchi paddle, juicer, ring molds in assorted sizes, 4-ounce hemisphere molds, cornet molds, egg cutter, and truffle shaver.

Note:
Ring molds can be purchased from a variety of stores listed in this section or they can be made using cans readily available in the grocery store. Remove both the tops and bottoms of appropriately sized cans, making sure that the edges are smooth. Wash the cans well before using.

All sources (NOTE: this list is from 2000) below ship to customers.

J.B. Prince Company, Inc.— tel: 800-473-0577; 212-683-3553

Sur La Table— tel: 800-243-9852

Williams-Sonoma—tel: 800-541-1262

Buy the Book!

The French Laundry Cookbook
By Thomas Keller
With Susie Heller and Michael Ruhlman
Photographs by Deborah Jones
Artisan, November, 1999
Hardcover, $50.00
150 recipes, more than 200 color photographs
ISBN: 1-57965-126-7
Recipe reprinted by permission.