DECONSTRUCTED TIRAMISU

For the espresso parfait

For the soil: DAY 1

For the soil: DAY 2

For the cocoa branches

For the lady finger biscuits

For the sugar brittle

For the cocoa sorbet

Extra

To make the espresso parfait

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Dissolve the coffee powder into the hot water and combine with the Kahlua liqueur. Add this to the egg-sugar mixture.
Fold the whipped cream into this mixture.
Divide the espresso parfait between 6 ramekins, creating a smooth, even layer at the bottom of the ramekin.
Place this into the freezer until hard.
To make the soil

DAY 1

Pulverise all the dry ingredients together in a blender for 5 seconds.
Add the beer.
Place onto a sheet of grease proof paper and dry out in the oven at 90°C for 4 hours.

DAY 2

Pulverise all the dry ingredients together in a blender for 5 seconds.
Add the melted butter and the DAY 1 mixture, using your fingertips mix everything together forming small crumbs.
Place on a sheet of grease proof paper and dry out in the oven at 90°C overnight, try and mix the mixture around every few hours.
When the mixture is feeling dry, blend for a few seconds to make a powder form.
Store in an airtight sterilised container.

To make the cocoa branches

Make a sugar syrup (equal parts of white sugar and water). Place this into a small pot, stirring continuously until all the sugar crystals are dissolved. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 2 minutes.
Measure out the right amount, combine with the glucose syrup and the cocoa powder.
Place this into a small paper piping bag and cut open a very small hole at the tip, to pipe. Pipe small tree branches onto grease proof paper.
Bake in the oven at 160°C for about 2 minutes until crisp.
When cooked allow to cool on the baking paper and then carefully remove them using a palette knife.

To make the lady finger biscuits

Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
Whisk the egg yolks and the 30ml white sugar very well together, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick and creamy.
Whisk in the vanilla extract.
Sift the flour over the mixture and combine well.
In a clean bowl, with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until soft peak.
Add the cream of tartar and whisk together.
Gradually add the 45ml white sugar and whisk until stiff peak and the mixture is glossy.
Fold the egg whites into the flour mixture a little at a time without over mixing.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe into about 7.5cm long lady fingers. Leave some space between the lady fingers.
Sift the castor sugar over the lady fingers and place them into the oven at 180°C for about 15 minutes, until cooked but still a little spongy.
Allow them to slightly cool on the baking tray, then remove them carefully and place on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container. You will find you will only probably use half of the amount of biscuits for 6 people.

To make the sugar brittle

Place the sugar and cocoa powder into a pan over a medium heat, do not stir – just allow slow even melting by tipping and turning your pan to get even heat.
Pour the melted sugar and cocoa onto a sheet of greaseproof paper, allow to get hard and set.
When hard, pulverise the hard sugar in a blender to form a fine powder.
Sift this over a silicone mat, making quite a thick layer of powder.
Place immediately into an oven at 180°C for about 5 minutes, remove from the oven and allow the sugar to get hard. When hard use a palette knife to lift the sugar brittle carefully off of the mat. This will have to be used as soon as possible.

To make the cocoa sorbet

Place all the ingredients in a pot. Heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. If an ice-cream machine is not available, put chilled mixture into the freezer. Whisk every 30-45 minutes until frozen to create a light, fluffy sorbet.

Putting the dish together

When ready to serve and the espresso parfait is frozen hard, sprinkle the soil over the base, to coat the espresso parfait.
Place 3 blobs of mascarpone cheese into each serving dish. Stick 2 branches into each mascarpone blob.
Drizzle over 5ml of maple syrup and 5ml of Kahlua liqueur.
Place 3 chunks of chocolate into each dish.
Roughly break the lady finger biscuits, place 5 broken pieces into each dish. Store the left-over biscuits in an airtight container.
Break the sugar brittle into pieces, placing 3 pieces into each dish, allowing them to stand high and straight up.
Roll 3 small parisienne scoops/melon balls of cocoa sorbet for each dish.
Lastly garnish with the nasturtium leaves.
When serving the dessert, drizzle over about 15ml of hot espresso. This can be done at the table in front of your guests.

This recipe serves 6 people

Caxton magazines staff