Dessert

How to Turn Coffee Cream into a Michelin-Star-Worthy “Coffee Sphere”: The Asinello Recipe

copertina sfera al caffe

A spectacular coffee-flavored sphere that combines mousse and glaze—but that's not all: Senio Venturi prepares his dessert with an invigorating whiskey granita.

Ingredients

For the Biancomangiare

  • 200 g almond flour
  • 50 g sugar (first portion)
  • 500 g milk
  • 125 g sugar (second portion)
  • 1/2 vanilla bean
  • 5 sheets of gelatin

For the coffee mousse

  • 300 g heavy cream
  • 100 g coffee
  • 40 g sugar (first portion)
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 40 g sugar (second portion)
  • 4 sheets of gelatin
  • 300 g semi-whipped cream

For the coffee glaze

  • 500 g coffee
  • 160 g glucose syrup
  • 160 g water
  • 1/2 vanilla bean
  • 14 g powdered pectin
  • 140 g sugar

For the white chocolate sauce

  • 170 g water
  • 80 g sugar
  • 100 g glucose syrup
  • 80 g white chocolate
  • 100 g sambuca

For the plum cake

  • 125 g softened butter
  • 130 g egg yolks
  • 120 g egg whites
  • 135 g sugar
  • 35 g heavy cream
  • 120 g sifted chestnut flour
  • 8 g baking powder
  • 1 pinch of salt

For the whiskey granita

  • 600 ml burnt whiskey
  • 100 ml whiskey
  • 200 g water
  • 140 g sugar
  • 20 g glycerin

Instructions

1. Biancomangiare

  1. Combine the almond flour with the first portion of sugar (50 g).
  2. In a small saucepan, combine the milk, the remaining sugar (125 g), and the vanilla, then bring to a boil.
  3. Combine the two mixtures, cover with plastic wrap, and let infuse for 2 hours.
  4. Once the time has elapsed, strain the milk, heat it slightly, and add the gelatin that has been previously rehydrated in cold water and squeezed dry.
  5. Pour the mixture into silicone molds and place them in a blast chiller.

2. Coffee Mousse

  1. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream, coffee, and the first half of the sugar (40 g) to a boil.
  2. Separately, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar (40 g). Meanwhile, soak the gelatin in cold water.
  3. Combine the cream and coffee mixture with the egg yolks and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until it thickens (reaching the consistency of custard).
  4. Remove from the heat and stir in the well-squeezed gelatin.
  5. Transfer the cream to a mixing bowl and let it cool.
  6. Whip the cream and gently fold it into the cooled cream.
  7. Take some spherical molds and pour a finger’s width of mousse into each; place the frozen biancomangiare in the center, cover with more mousse, and return to the blast chiller.

3. Coffee Glaze

  1. In a small saucepan, bring the coffee, glucose syrup, water, and vanilla to a boil.
  2. Dry-mix the pectin with the sugar, add them to the saucepan, and mix well with a whisk.
  3. Bring to a boil and let it reduce over low heat for 30 minutes. Then, let it cool.

4. White Chocolate Sauce

  1. Combine the water, sugar, and glucose syrup in a small saucepan and heat to 115°C.
  2. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler.
  3. Bring the sambuca to a boil in a small saucepan and “flambé” it to remove the alcohol.
  4. Combine all the hot ingredients together and let cool.

5. Plum Cake

  1. In a stand mixer, combine the eggs (yolks and whites) and sugar, then beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  2. Slowly pour in the cream and, in two batches, the softened butter.
  3. Gently fold in the sifted chestnut flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt by hand.
  4. Butter a loaf pan, pour in the batter, and bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for 40 minutes.

6. Whiskey Granita

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan (burnt whiskey, whiskey, water, sugar, and glycerin).
  2. Bring to a boil, then immediately transfer the liquid to a blast chiller to freeze and crystallize it.

Plating

  • Glaze the still-frozen mousse sphere with the coffee glaze and let it thaw in the refrigerator.
  • On the serving plate, draw a dynamic spiral with the white chocolate sauce.
  • Place a rectangle of plum cake in the center of the plate.
  • Place the coffee-glazed sphere on one side of the plum cake and a scoop of whiskey granita on the other.
  • Garnish the sauce spiral with a few coffee beans and fresh mint leaves.

Address

L’Asinello Restaurant

Via Nuova 6 – 53019 Castelnuovo Berardenga (SI)

Tel. +39 0577 359279

Email: info@asinelloristorante.it

The restaurant’s website

 

senio venturi
 

 

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