Espresso Martini dessert

The second episode of my cocktail desserts series. In this serie I make desserts inspired by signature cocktails and we're going to make a espresso martini dessert. It's a coffee shell filled with a espresso martini foam, coffee meringue & a yuzu gel. On the side we serve a coffee creme brulle with a coffee crumble & a beautiful coffee & chocolate ice cream.

The coffee creme brûlée

400 grams	cream
100 grams	espresso
80 grams	sugar
2 grams	salt
0.5	vanilla pod
70 grams	egg yolk

Pour the cream into a saucepan together with the espresso, the sugar and the salt. Then cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds. Add both to the pan and then heat it up till the liquid is 80 degrees Celsius. After that turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid. Let it cool down completely. Then remove the vanilla pod and add the egg yolk. Mix it well and then pass it through a fine sieve. Now fill some glasses or ramakins to a third and use a blowtorch to remove any air bubbles that are floating on top. Then cover the glasses with some plastic wrap and make sure that they are completely sealed. Now steam them at 91 degrees Celsius for around 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the glasses. I steamed mine for 22 minutes. The custard needs to be set, but still a bit wiggly. Then make a small hole in every glass and let them cool down completely in your fridge.

The coffee crumble

100 grams	hazelnuts
100 grams	sugar
60 grams	flour
100 grams	butter
2 grams	flaky salt
8 grams	instant coffee powder
40 grams	melted dark chocolate

First blend the hazelnuts till it’s a fine powder. Then transfer it into a bowl and also add the sugar, the flour, the butter, the flaky salt, the instant coffee and the melted dark chocolate. Knead this till it’s a soft and even dough. Now transfer it on a tray that’s lined with a silicon sheet and spread it. Then bake it at 160 degrees Celsius for around 25 minutes. Stir it every 5 minutes to create a fine crumble. Then let it cool down completely and keep it dry and covered for later.

The espresso martini foam

100 grams	espresso
200 grams	cream
50 grams	sugar
20 grams	corn starch
50 grams	egg yolk
0.5	empty vanilla pod
50 grams	vodka
60 grams	coffee liqueur
30 grams	espuma cold powder

Mix the espresso with the cream, the sugar, the corn starch, the egg yolk and the empty vanilla pod. Then mix this well and while stirring bring this to a boil on a medium heat to thicken it. Once thickened remove the vanilla pod and pour it into a measuring jar. Then also add the vodka, the coffee liqueur and the espuma cold powder. Blend this till it’s a smooth and even mixture. Now pour it into a syphon and charge it with one charge, if the foam is to thin add another charge. Keep it in your fridge for later.

The coffee bean shells

300 grams	isomalt sugar
100 grams	mannitol
100 grams	sugar
2 grams	instant coffee powder
50 grams	dark chocolate
50 grams	cacao butter
	Cacao powder

Mix the isomalt sugar with the mannitol and the sugar. Heat this up till the temperature of the sugar is 155 degrees Celsius. Once the sugar starts to melt stir it every now and then. Then turn down the heat and add the instant coffee powder. Mix it well to dissolve the powder. After that fill a couple of coffee bean molds. These are from Mold Brothers. Click here for more info. Now directly turn them around and let the sugar drip out on a silicon mold. You can remelt this and use it again. Then clean the top and once it has cooled down remove them from the mold. Be very gently so you don’t break the sugar. Now heat up an old knife with a blowtorch and cut the bottom off. Clean the knife after each coffee bean so the sugar doesn’t burn. After that add a thin layer of a mixture of the melted cacao butter and the dark chocolate. Once that’s set dust it with some cacao powder and then keep them dry and covered for later.

The coffee meringue

50 grams	espresso
80 grams	sugar
80 grams	egg white
60 grams	sugar

Mix the espresso with the 80 grams of sugar and heat this up till the sugar is 118 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile pour the egg white into a mixing bowl and start beating it. Once a white foam starts to form add the 60 grams of sugar and when the syrup has the right temperature slowly add it to the bowl as well. Then continue beating till it’s at room temperature. Now place a coffee bean stencil on a silicon mold and spray some color spray on top. I sprayed a mixture of bronze and silver. Then remove the stencil and let it dry for 5 minutes. Once dry add a circle stencil and spread the coffee meringue on top. Level the top and remove that stencil as well. Then let them dry at 50 degrees Celsius for a couple of hours. The remaining meringue I piped in small dots and then dried them as well at 50 degrees Celsius.

The yuzu gel

25 grams	lemon juice
25 grams	lime juice
20 grams	ginger syrup
80 grams	water
100 grams	yuzu juice
80 grams	sugar
4 grams	agar powder
4 grams	gellan powder

Mix the lemon juice with the lime juice, the ginger syrup, the water, the yuzu juice, the sugar, the agar powder and the gellan powder. Mix this well and then bring it to a boil for 1 minute. Then pour it into a bowl and let it cool down completely in your fridge. Once set transfer it into a blender and blend it till smooth. Then pour it into a bowl and vacuum the gel 100%. This will create a nice clear and see-through gel. This step is not necessary, but it will bring your gel to the next level. Then transfer it into a piping bottle and keep it in your fridge for later.

The espresso ice cream

1100 grams	milk
300 grams	cream
250 grams	espresso
340 grams	sugar
90 grams	skimmed milk powder
60 grams	egg yolk
50 grams	cacao powder
50 grams	dark chocolate
4 grams	stabilizer (I use stab 2000)

Pour the milk into a saucepan together with the cream, the espresso, the sugar and the skimmed milk powder. Mix this well and then bring this to a boil on a medium heat. Meanwhile mix the egg yolk with the cacao powder and while stirring add the hot espresso liquid. Use around half of the liquid. Then pour it back into the pan and while stirring heat it up till the temperature is 85 degrees Celsius. After, turn off the heat and add the dark chocolate and the stabilizer, I use stab 2000. Now blend it with a hand blender till smooth. Then pour it into a bowl, cover it with foil and let it rest overnight in your fridge. The next day you can pour it into an ice cream machine and turn it into a beautiful ice cream! It’s best to serve the ice cream as soon as possible, but otherwise keep it in a freezer that’s around -12 degrees Celsius.

How to finish the dessert

Add a thin layer of cane sugar on the crème brulee and caramelize it with a blowtorch on a low flame. Make sure the glass has been out of the fridge for 20 minutes. Otherwise the temperature difference is too much, and the glass might break. Then add a tablespoon of crumble. Now pipe some yuzu gel in the coffee shell and add 6 to 7 meringue dots. Then fill it all the way with the espresso martini foam and place it with the open side on the center of a plate. Now place a quenelle of ice cream on the crumble and drizzle some yuzu gel on top. Then cover it with a meringue disc and the dessert is ready to be served!