RASPBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE 4 lg. egg yolks 1/3 c. sugar 3 tbsp. cornstarch 1 1/2 c. milk 2 tsp. vanilla 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened 9 oz. white chocolate, chopped 1 c. heavy cream White chocolate genoise (recipe follows), cut horizontally into 3 layers 1/4 cup framboise for brushing the cake layers.

FOR THE RASPBERRY MOUSSE: 2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen raspberries in light syrup, thawed & drained, reserving 1/3 of the syrup 1 env. unflavored gelatin 3 tbsp. framboise 1/2 c. heavy cream 2 1/2 c. fresh raspberries

FOR THE GARNISH: Fresh raspberries White chocolate, room temp., shaved into curls Covered & chilled fresh mint sprigs

Make the white chocolate mousse: In a bowl whisk together well the yolks, the sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the cornstarch, sifted and whisk the mixture until it is just combined. Add the milk, scalded, in a stream, whisking transfer the mixture to a heavy saucepan, and boil it whisking, for 1 minute or until it is very thick and smooth. Strain the pastry cream through a fine sieve into a bowl, stir in the vanilla and the butter and chill the pastry cream, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until it is cooled completely. In a metal bowl set over barely simmering water, melt the white chocolate, stirring occasionally, and let it cool to lukewarm.

In a large bowl whisk together the white chocolate and 1 cup of the pastry cream reserving the remaining pastry cream for the raspberry mousse, until the mixture is combined well.

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the heavy cream until it holds soft peaks, whisk 1/4 of it into the white chocolate mixture, and fold in the remaining whipped cream gently but thoroughly.

Line the sides of an oiled 9 1/2 inch springform pan as smoothly as possible with pieces of plastic wrap (the plastic wrap prevents the filling from discoloring and makes unmolding the cake easier), letting the excess hang over the side, and put an 8 inch cardboard round in the bottom of the pan. Invert the top layer of the genoise onto the round, brush the cake with some of the mousse (about 2 cups). Invert the middle layer of the genoise onto the mousse, brush it with some of the remaining framboise, and chill the cake and the remaining white chocolate mousse while preparing the raspberry mousse.

Make the raspberry mousse: In a blender or food processor puree the raspberries with the reserved syrup and strain the puree through a fine sieve set over a metal bowl, pressing hard on the solids. In a small saucepan sprinkle the gelatin over the framboise and let it soften for 1 minute. Heat the mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, until the gelatin is dissolved and whisk it into the puree. Whisk the reserved pastry cream into the raspberry mixture, whisking until it is smooth, set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and whisk the mixture until it is the consistency of raw egg white. Remove the bowl from the ice water and in a bowl with an electric mixer beat the heavy cream until it holds soft peaks. Whisk 1/4 of the whipped cream into the raspberry mixture and fold in the remaining whipped cream gently but thoroughly.

Spread about 1 cup of the raspberry mousse evenly over the middle layer of genoise in the pan, arrange some of the raspberries neatly around the edge of the pan, and continue to arrange the raspberries in concentric circles until the surface of the mousse is covered. Spread the remaining raspberry mousse over the raspberries, invert the third layer of genoise onto the mousse, and brush it with the remaining framboise. Spread the remaining white chocolate mousse over the genoise (the pan will be completely full) and chill the cake, its surface covered with a sheet of wax paper, for at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove the side of the pan, peel the plastic wrap carefully from the side of the cake, and transfer the cake with a spatula to a plate.

Garnish the cake: Arrange some of the raspberries around the top edge of the cake, mound the chocolate curls in the center of the cake, and garnish the bottom edge of the cake with the remaining raspberries and the mint sprigs.

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