Christmas in a Bowl

For the mousse:
Prepare an ice-water bath and set it aside. Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set it aside. Bring 1 cup of cream almost to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Set the bowl in the ice-water bath. Let it cool, stirring the chocolate mixture occasionally, until it’s thick enough to hold ribbons on surface. This will take about 15 minutes.

Beat the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream to nearly stiff peaks. Fold this into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Then fold in the candies. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until thickened and almost firm, 4 to 6 hours.

For the pudding:
Put the dark chocolate into a large heatproof bowl; set aside.

Bring the cream almost to a boil in a small saucepan.

Whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl.

Pour 1/2 cup of the hot cream into the eggs in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Pour mixture back into the saucepan and whisk well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This will take about 2 minutes.

Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate; whisk until smooth. Set the bowl in the ice-water bath. Let it cool, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to hold ribbons on surface. This will take about 15 minutes. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.

For the brownies:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan or heatproof glass dish with overlapping pieces of parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang (you’ll use the overhang as a handle to lift the brownies out of the pan when done). Set aside.

Place butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a large heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) a pot of simmering water. Stir frequently and continue heating until chocolate and butter are melted, about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. Set it aside and let it cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir sugar into the cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Gently fold in flour and salt.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake in the preheated oven until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. They will be fudgy.

Using the parchment paper overhang, lift brownies out of the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the assembly:
Spread one-third of the mousse into the bottom of a glass trifle bowl that is 8 to 10 inches in diameter. Crumble brownies, and top the mousse layer with 1/2 of the brownies. Top the brownies with half of the pudding, then another third of mousse. Place remaining brownie crumbles on top. Top with remaining pudding, then remaining mousse.

Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 12 hours. Garnish with peppermint candies just before serving.

Note: This dessert is most manageable when made in two days. Day 1: Make mousse and pudding. Day 2: Make brownies and assemble. Day 3: Eat.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.