Lunch: Peppermint Mousse

If you decide to make the Peppermint Mousse for your sweetie on Valentine's Day, add a couple of drops of red food coloring when adding the egg yolks to tint the mousse pink.

Ingredients

16 oz fat-free half and half
½ cup Splenda for Baking Sugar Blend
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoons peppermint extract
½ teaspoons salt (optional)
3 large egg yolks
2 packets powdered gelatin
½ cup cold water
16 oz fat-free whipped topping
8 sugar free peppermints, crushed (divided)

Instructions

Set a large glass bowl over a pan of simmering water.  Add half-and-half, Splenda sugar blend, vanilla extract, peppermint extract and salt and whisk until combines.  Cook until mixture is hot, about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl whisk together egg yolks.  Take some of the hot mousse mixture and stir into egg yolks to gently heat them.  Once heated, pour the egg yolk-mousse mixture back into the glass bowl with remaining hot mousse mixture.  Heat for additional 5-7 minutes over simmering water and stir constantly until mixture starts to thicken (make sure to not let the eggs scramble).  Remove from heat.
In a small bowl dissolve the gelatin into ½ cup cold water.  Pour the gelatin into the hot mousse mixture and stir well to incorporate.  Set aside to cool.
Once the mixture is completely cool, carefully fold 8-ounces of the whipped topping and half of the crushed peppermints into cooled mousse mixture.  Pour mousse into a 9- or 10-inch round glass dish (a deep pie dish can be used).  Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Spread remaining 8 ounces whipped topping over mousse and sprinkle with remaining crushed peppermints right before serving.
MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE: Verify that ingredients that you are using are gluten-free and this dish can be gluten-free.

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