Roast the peppers under a broiler, as close to the flame as possible, turning frequently until charred—about 20 minutes or more. Enclose the peppers in a paper bag and let sweat for about 10 minutes.

Peel as much of the charred skin from the peppers as possible.

Peel the charred peppers.

Cut them in half and remove the stems and the seeds. Rinse under cold water to remove any remaining blackened skin, and dry on paper towels

Rinse and dry the peppers.

Place the peppers in a saucepan with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook gently for about 30 minutes.

Cook the peppers in chicken stock.

Remove the peppers with a slotted spoon. Bring the cooking liquid back to a boil and reduce to about 1⁄2 cup.

Put the peppers and the reduced cooking liquid into the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth.

Purée the peppers.

Scrape the purée into a mixing bowl. Add the sherry vinegar and salt and Tabasco to taste. Sprinkle the gelatin over the mixture and beat in with a whisk, until the gelatin is dissolved. If it doesn’t completely dissolve, place over very low heat, whisking until it does.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the pepper purée.

Beat the heavy cream until stiff. Stir in 1/3 of the cream into the pepper mixture, then gently fold in the remaining cream.

Fold in the whipped cream.

Oil six 1⁄2-cup ramekins, spoon in the mousse, and smooth over the tops. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill overnight.

The Tapenade

Place all the ingredients for the tapenade in a food processor. (The best olives for this are either Kalamata or oiled-cured olives.) Pulse several times until the mixture is coarse, but well blended.

Fill a sink with 1 1⁄2 inches of hot water. Run a thin-bladed knife around the edges of each mousse. Set the ramekins in the hot water for a few seconds. Unmold  the roasted red pepper mousse onto serving plates, and decorate the tops with the tapenade and the pesto.