Peanut Butter and Milk-Chocolate Mousse Parfaits

• Recipe by Jerome Chang and Chris Chen

“People’s idea of dessert falls into two extremes: brownies and cookies or high-end, plated dishes,” says Jerome Chang, co-owner of New York’s DessertTruck. “We want to fall somewhere in the middle.” This parfait of fluffy peanut butter and chocolate mousse topped with a sticky caramel sauce and caramel popcorn is a perfect example.

Ingredients

PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE

1. 1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin
2. 2 tablespoons cold water
3. 1 cup heavy cream
4. 2 large egg yolks
5. 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
6. 3 tablespoons salted smooth peanut butter

MILK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

1. 1/2 cup half-and-half
2. 2 large egg yolks
3. 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
4. 3 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
5. 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6. 2/3 cup heavy cream

CARAMEL SAUCE

1. 1 cup sugar
2. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3. Caramel corn, for serving

Directions

1. make the peanut butter mousse: In a bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the water and let stand for 5 minutes. In a saucepan, cook the cream over moderately high heat until it bubbles around the edge. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Gradually whisk the hot cream into the egg yolks. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter, followed by the gelatin. Scrape the peanut butter mixture into the bottom of six 12-ounce jars or parfait glasses and refrigerate for 1 hour, until set.
2. make the milk-chocolate mousse: In a small saucepan, heat the half-and-half until it bubbles around the edge. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Gradually whisk the hot half-and-half into the egg yolks. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Place both chocolates in a medium bowl. Pour the half-and-half mixture over the chocolate and let stand for 1 minute, then whisk until completely melted.
3. In another medium bowl, beat the heavy cream until softly whipped. Stir one-fourth of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture; gently fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour the chocolate mousse over the peanut butter mousse and refrigerate for 1 hour, until set.
4. make the caramel sauce: In a medium saucepan, cook the sugar with 1/4 cup of the water over moderately high heat until the sugar is dissolved, washing down the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Continue cooking, without stirring, until a honey-colored caramel forms, 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water. Let cool for 1 hour.
5. To serve, pour a thick layer of the caramel sauce over the chocolate mousse. Top with the caramel corn and serve.