Can ganache be poured over mousse?

[PA Baker]

I've been asked to cater the dessert for a friend's daughter's rehearsal dinner (20 pp). I'm experimenting with recipes based on their requests and am wondering: If I make individual cakes whose top layer is a raspberry chocolate mousse, can I then enrobe it in a chocolate ganache or would the warm ganache cause the mousse to break down/ooze and ruin the shape of the dessert?

[Raine]

What if you let the ganache cool be adding?

[Raine]

I found this. Maybe it'll help.

Raspberry Mousse with Chambord Ganache

For the mousse:

3 ounces milk
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon gelatin liquified in 1 tablespoon water
4 ounces raspberries(can use frozen berries)
10 ounces heavy whipping cream

For Chambord ganache:

4 ounces heavy cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 ounce Chambord

For the mousse: Defrost raspberries if frozen, puree in blender, strain.

Whip cream to medium peaks. Whisk together eggs and sugar. In saucepan, bring milk to boil, lower heat. A bit at a time so as not to scramble the eggs, stir in sugared eggs into hot milk. Simmer until mixture coats back of wooden spoon. Remove from heat, add gelatin, stir until it dissolves, add raspberry puree. Fold raspberry mixture into whipped cream. Fill 6 molds or ramekins, refrigerate.

For the Chambord ganache: Put chocolate in medium bowl. In saucepan, bring cream to boil, remove from heat, pour over chocolate. Let sit to melt for 1-2 minutes, whisk mixture thoroughly. Stir in Chambord.

With kitchen-size blowtorch, heat outside of ramekins or molds to make mousse slip out easily onto cookie cooling rack. Spoon ganache over each serving until it runs over sides. Chill slightly, transfer to serving plates. Garnish with fresh raspberries or mint leaves, if desired.

[jasonr]

I've never tried it, but my instinct tells me adding warm ganache to a room-temperature mousse would be bad news. However, what if you froze the mousse first, and then added the ganache?

[kansasgirl]

See that is what I would do. Freeze the mousse and then warm the sides gently just enough to make them slip out of the ramekins. Pour warm, but not HOT, ganache over them. I think that by the warm ganache would help to further defrost the mousses, but the cold of the mousses would also help to set the ganache quicker so the whole dessert did not break down. They sound wonderful!

[PA Baker]

Thanks for your help! I think that is what I'll try, including sticking the mouses into the fridge immediately to help everthing set up better. I'll be sure to do several trial-and-error tests first. I'm sure hubby won't mind!

This is what I'm thinking of proposing to the groom's mom:
thin layer of chocolate cake as the base, brushed with raspberry liquor

layer of fresh raspberries coated with a light layer of seedless raspberry jam, just to hold them together.

layer of chocolate raspberry mousse.

Let that all set up, pour the ganace over and chill again.

These would be individual servings, not slices. Plated with a little gold leaf on top of the ganache for color and garnished with mint leaves and fresh raspberries.

What do you think?