31-03-2013

Beer and almonds

Freshness, sweet and citric notes. Federico Delmonte is up against a homely ciambellone

Beer and almonds by Federico Delmonte, chef and pa

Beer and almonds by Federico Delmonte, chef and patron at the Vicolo del Curato restaurant in Fano (Pesaro Urbino). This is the second half of the mini-menu the chef from Marche presented on the occasion of Premio Birra Moretti Grand Cru

With this dessert, I wanted to represent my passion for citrus fruits used as ingredients –and for lime, in this case – and I also wanted to focus on the freshness of almond cream and of a Birra Moretti Grand Cru ice-cream aromatised with lavender. Everything is highlighted by a reduction made with the beer itself, which develops all the aromas of the yeast. I also wanted to prepare a soft lime biscuit, allowing my dessert to have a texture similar to that of a cake I really love, namely the "ciambellone della nonna", a homely, traditional cake in a ring shape. The dessert is finished with some sprinkled fresh grated almonds.

Beer and almonds

Recipe for 20 people

INGREDIENTS
for the ice-cream
1 lt milk
160 g cream
100 g sugar
7 egg yolks
300 g Birra Moretti Grand Cru
8 g stabilizer

for the cream

Federico Delmonte, 32 years old

Federico Delmonte, 32 years old

200 ml almond milk
the juice of 1 lime

for the reduction
1 lt Birra Moretti Grand Cru

for the lime biscuit
4 eggs
188 g sugar
125 g yoghurt
150 g flour
20 g baking powder
75 g almond flour
100 g extra virgin olive oil
5 limes (zest and juice)

to finish
lavender
fresh almonds
zest of 1 lime

METHOD
for the ice-cream

Warm the milk together with the cream. Finely mix the sugar, stabilizer and egg yolks, then add the milk and cream and mix well. Add the Birra Moretti Grand Cru to the mixture and bring to 84°C. Filter the mixture and leave it to rest for 3 hours in a chiller, then pour into the steel containers of a paco-jet and mix in order to obtain the ice-cream.

for the almond cream
Slowly reduce the almond milk in a saucepan. Once you have obtained the desired texture, add the lime juice.

for the reduction
Slowly reduce the content of a bottle of Birra Moretti Grand Cru until you obtain a syrupy texture.

for the lime biscuit
Using a kneader, whip the eggs and sugar, then add all the dried ingredients and finally the oil, juice and lime zest. Lastly, add the whipped egg whites and bake.

COMPOSING THE DISH
Place some cold almond cream in a soup dish, then add the soft lime biscuits broken into pieces and finally a quenelle of Birra Moretti Grand Cru ice-cream. Grate a fresh almond onto the ice-cream. Finish with a touch of powdered lavender and the beer reduction.

Also by Delmonte:
Risotto, Birra Moretti Baffo D’oro, aromatic herbs, caciocavallo cheese and ember aromatised oil


A tutta birra

The recipes and the best moments of the second edition of Premio Birra Moretti Grand Cru

by

Federico Delmonte