Passion Fruit Mousse by Sarah

Name: Sarah Bruggeman

Where are you originally from?
Evansville, IN

Your Background
Went to Sullivan University for Baking and Pastry.  Been working as a professional pastry chef for the past 15 years.

Dish/dessert you developed
Passion Fruit Mousse

Ingredients used
Passion Fruit, almonds, cream, white chocolate

How was the dish developed – all the details, original story of how it was created
“During the research and development of the dessert menu, I noticed a lot of fresh fruit and chilled baked custard desserts are very common in Latin American cuisine. I had just taken a class from Cedric Grolet (a French chef known for his fruit pastries) and learned the versatility of mousse in desserts. So I took that Latin American flavor and used a little French technique for this creation.

I applied that knowledge using the passion fruit to make the base mousse component.

To further showcase the passion fruit, I added a tart passion fruit curd to the center of the mousse and set it on a vanilla sponge cake. Then it’s enrobed in a white chocolate glaze, and finished with an almond florentine cookie crumble for a nice crunch.”

Why do you love about this dish/dessert
I loved being able to combine different techniques to make this dessert. The brightness of the passion fruit, the elaborate execution of simple ingredients, and just how pretty this dessert is when plated – it reaffirms how much I love doing this.

This mousse is an elegant way to end your meal. It’s a pleasantly unique addition to our local dessert scene that I am proud to introduce.