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.

Coffee creme brûlée

Servings dishes

Ingredients

400 g cream 35% fat
100 g espresso
80 g sugar
2 g salt
0.5 vanilla pod
70 g egg yolk

Instructions

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 °C.
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 °C 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.

Coffee & hazelnut crumble

Servings dishes

Ingredients

100 g hazelnuts
100 g sugar
60 g flour
100 g butter
2 g flaky salt
8 g instant coffee powder
40 g melted dark chocolate 62%

Instructions

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 °C 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

Servings dishes

Ingredients

100 g espresso
200 g cream 35% fat
50 g sugar
20 g corn starch
50 g egg yolk
0.5 empty vanilla pod
50 g vodka
60 g coffee liqueur
30 g espuma cold powder

Instructions

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.

Coffee bean sugar shell

Servings shells

Ingredients

300 g isomalt sugar
100 g mannitol
100 g sugar
2 g instant coffee powder
50 g melted dark chocolate 62%
50 g melted cacao butter
cacao powder

Instructions

Mix the isomalt sugar with the mannitol and the sugar. Heat this up till the temperature of the sugar is 155 °C. 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 mix the melted cacao butter and the melted dark chocolate. Add a thin layer of this mixture with a brush.
Once that’s set dust it with some cacao powder and then keep them dry and covered for later.

Coffee meringue

Servings dishes

Ingredients

50 g espresso
80 g sugar
80 g egg white
60 g sugar

Instructions

Mix the espresso with the 80 grams of sugar and heat this up till the sugar is 118 °C.
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.
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 pipe the meringue in small dots on a silicon sheet and then dried them at 50 °C.
Once dry keep them dry and covered to prevent them from turning soft.

Yuzu gel

Servings dishes

Ingredients

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

Instructions

Mix the lemon juice with the lime juice, the yuzu juice, the ginger syrup, the water, the sugar, the agar powder and the gellan powder.
Mix this well and then bring it to a boil for at least 30 seconds.
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.

Espresso ice cream

Servings dishes

Ingredients

1100 g milk
300 g cream 35% fat
250 g espresso
340 g sugar
90 g skimmed milk powder
60 g egg yolk
50 g cacao powder
50 g dark chocolate 62%
4 g ice cream stabilizer I use Stab2000

Instructions

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 °C.
After, turn off the heat and add the dark chocolate and the stabilizer. 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 °C.

How to finish the dessert

Instructions

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!