# Problem with my mousse, liquid at the bottom!



## esmeraldaar (Mar 16, 2015)

Help, please! I've been making some orange cheese mousses and everything looks perfect the moment they are ready, but the next day they have some drops of liquid at the bottom (I can see it because they are in a triangular transparent glass). I've tried everything I had in mind, but I still don't know what the problem is.

The ingredients I used are:

250g cream cheese
1 cup whipping cream
5 eggs (white and yolks separated)
1 oz Grand Marnier
1 oz Triple Sec
50 ml orange juice
125 g sugar
pinch of salt
9 g of gelatine.

I whip the yolks and I add the cream cheese.
I mix the gelatine with the Orange juice and liquor and add it to the yolks and cheese mixture.
I whip cream, and in other bowl the white eggs (room temperature) with a pinch of salt.
I prepare the syrop with the sugar and add it slowly to the white eggs.
I keep mixing it until white eggs are no hot anymore.
I mix everything carefully with a spatula. Everything looks perfect but the very next day I can see some liquid in the glass. White eggs are cooked, how can it be? Might I need more gelatin? What am I doing wrong?

I used unflavoured powder gelatine (Knox brand), not the whole pouch, only 9 g. I dissolved it in 30 ml of cold water and mix it with the orange juice and liquor, then I heat everything in the stove until boiling, when it cools down a little bit I add this mix to the cream cheese and yolks while they are been whipped in the machine.

The recipe is from "Professional Baking, Fifth Edition. Wayne Gisslen". The only difference is that I used the five yolks mixed with the cream cheese (in that recipe they are not included), because I like the flavour and the yellowish colour they give. That's why I thought I didn't need extra gelatine.

Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it.


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## chefpeon (Jun 14, 2006)

Wow, it could be any number of things here. I need to think about it more and reply later. But one thing to know is never boil gelatin....because it ruins the thickening properties. It only needs to be heated just enough to dissolve.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

The alcohol in the Liquors tend to break down the gelatin. Try flaming them first to get out the alcohol.


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## chefpeon (Jun 14, 2006)

From chefedb's comment about the liquor and it's effect on gelatin, and the fact you indicate you are boiling it, would lead me to suggesting you make your mousses again by flaming off the liquor and not boiling your gelatin and see if that solves it. If not, let us know and we'll try the next thing.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

I would make sure you cook the sugar syrup until it reaches 120C.  You are making a meringue to stabilize the mousse and this step is very important.

Essentially you are making a buttercream with cream cheese and then making that into a mousse by using whipping cream.  You might have better luck thinking about it in those terms.

If it were me I would just use a high quality orange extract in the cream cheese/meringue mix and use the gelatin to stabilize the cream.   But I'm not a pastry chef, I would use that short cut.


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Are you following your recipe exactly as written?
Just wondering because of the pretty color egg yolk part .

Triple sec is essentially a simple syrup with a not very strong orange flavor (very little ETOH as well) so If you want to drop some liquid that would not be missed.
Like Kuan said be sure to have the syrup hot enuf to stabilize the whipped whites ( one reason for weeping in fridge).

Another way to add flavor without extra liquid is to use the super duper concentrated flavoring.
I use LorAnn brands but have never tried their orange.
You measure in drops so you have more control over thickness of batters.

mimi


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## chefpeon (Jun 14, 2006)

I think flipflopgirl is on the right track as far as how much actual liquid you have in your recipe. That stood out to me too. Whether it's from weeping egg whites or just a ratio of too much liquid to gelatin or improper preparation of the gelatin.....I think that's where your problem lies.


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## luc_h (Jun 6, 2007)

quick thought:

5 egg yolks yields almost 1/2 cup of extra liquid.  Additionally that liquid is high in fat.

Gelatine does not emulsify fat very well.  I think you are compromising the gelatine gel strength with the fat from the egg yolk.

Luc H.


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## chefpeon (Jun 14, 2006)

Excellent point, Luc_H!


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