Error: No default engine was specified and no extension was provided

I am working through setting up a http server using node.js and engine. However, I keep running into issues that I have little information on how to resolve I would appreciate some help solving this please.

Error: No default engine was specified and no extension was provided. 
at new View (...\node_modules\express\lib\view.js:41:42) 
at Function.app.render (...\node_modules\express\lib\application.js:484:12) 
at ServerResponse.res.render (...\node_modules\express\lib\response.js:783:7) 
at Layer.handle (...\app.js:123:7) 
at trim_prefix (...\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:225:17) 
at c (...\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:198:9) 
at Function.proto.process_params (...\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:253:12) 
at next (...\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:189:19) 
at next (...\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:202:7) 
at next (...\node_modules\express\lib\router\index.js:166:38)

Below is what I have set up to start up this engine.

var http = require('http');  
var module = require("module")
var logger = require('morgan');
var express = require('express');
var app =  module.exports = express();
var silent = 'test' == process.env.NODE_ENV;
var httpServer = http.createServer(app);  // app middleware

app.enable('strict routing');
// app.all('*', function(req, res, next)/*** CORS support.*/
// {
//   if (!req.get('Origin')) return next();// use "*" here to accept any origin
//   res.set('Access-Control-Allow-Origin', 'http://localhost:3000');
//   res.set('Access-Control-Allow-Methods', 'GET, POST');
//   res.set('Access-Control-Allow-Headers', 'X-Requested-With, Content-Type');
//   res.set('Access-Control-Allow-Max-Age', 3600);
//   if ('OPTIONS' == req.method) return res.send(200);
//   next();
// });
app.set('views', __dirname + '/views'); // general config
app.set('view engine', 'html');
app.get('/404', function(req, res, next){
next();// trigger a 404 since no other middleware will match /404 after this one, and we're not responding here
});
app.get('/403', function(req, res, next){// trigger a 403 error
  var err = new Error('not allowed!');
  err.status = 403;
  next(err);
});
app.get('/500', function(req, res, next){// trigger a generic (500) error
  next(new Error('keyboard cat!'));
});
app.use(express.static(__dirname + '/public')); 
//error handlers