July 2008

Strawberry, Black Peppermint Vacherin (Beginners) about 8 vacherin

When I was traveling and working in France years ago I
remember making vacherin every morning at this shop in Nice. We would make cake-sized versions and display them in a frozen pastry case for people to purchase. They are a great summer dessert. I like making smaller, individual vacherin, assembled right before you serve them so the filling stays fresh. - Johnny

Make In Advance: Both the sorbet and ice cream need to be made in advance. To save time, substitute good quality store bought mint ice cream for the black peppermint ice cream. The red pepper meringue discs take a long time to dry out in the oven so make those ahead of time and store in a dry, air-tight container. Candy the mint leaves up to a week in advance and store in an air-tight container but do not refrigerate.
Strawberry red wine sorbet 450 g strawberries, stemmed, halved 105 g dry red wine 210 g sugar 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped 1 lemons, juiced Black Peppermint ice cream 570 g milk 63 g peppermint leaves 85 g heavy cream 43 g milk powder 40 g atomized glucose 23 g trimoline 75 g sugar 120 g egg yolks 40 g sugar Red pepper meringue 175 g egg whites 175 g sugar 130 g confectioners sugar 8 g Pepper powder (see recipe below) Pepper powder 10 g pink peppercorn 5 g black peppercorn 5 g Szechuan peppercorn Macerated strawberries 100 g Chambord 50 g aged balsamic vinegar 25g sugar Strawberries, stemmed, quartered Whipped crme fraiche 50g crme fraiche 50g heavy cream 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped Candied black peppermint leaves egg whites sugar black peppermint leaves Garnish fresh strawberries Strawberry red wine sorbet Combine the strawberries, red wine and sugar in a bowl. Add the scraped vanilla beans, pods and lemon juice to the strawberries and mix well. Allow the mixture to sit for 45 minutes. Remove the pods from the mixture and puree in a blender. Process the liquid in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions. Keep the sorbet in the freezer until ready to use. Black peppermint ice cream Blanch the mint leaves in hot water for 10 seconds. Strain the leaves and submerge in cold water. Wring out the excess water. Combine the milk and the mint in a pot and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow the liquid to infuse 30 minutes. Transfer the mint and milk to a blender and puree. Strain though a fine mesh strainer. Re-scale the liquid so it is equal to the original amount of milk. Combine the milk, heavy cream, milk powder, glucose, trimoline and 75g of sugar in a pot and bring to a boil. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg yolks and 40g of sugar. Whisk small amounts of the hot milk mixture into the yolks until they are warm. Transfer the yolks into the milk mixture and mix well. Continue to heat, stirring constantly until the liquid reaches 180F. Strain though a fine mesh strainer and chill in an ice bath immediately. Refrigerate overnight. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions. Red pepper meringue Preheat an oven to 200F. Place the egg whites in a bowl of an electric mixer. Begin to whip. Add the sugar in 3 additions and whip to medium/firm peaks. Sift together the confectioners sugar and pepper powder and carefully fold into the meringue. Using a circle stencil, spread the meringue on a sheet tray, lined with parchment and lightly sprayed. Bake the meringue discs until dry. Pepper Powder Combine all the ingredients in a spice grinder. Grind to a powder and sift out any larger pieces. Macerated strawberries Combine the liquids and the sugar. Hull and slice strawberries in half and submerge in liquid for 30 minutes. Strain out the liquid and place strawberries on a sheet tray lined with a Silpat. Bake in the oven 300 F for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Whipped crme fraiche Combine all the ingredients and whip to firm peaks. Reserve in the refrigerator until ready to use. Candied black peppermint leaves Lightly brush the leaves with egg whites and dredge in sugar. Place the leaves on baking sheets lined with Silpats and dry in a 200F oven until crisp but no color. Allow to cool and reserve in an air-tight container. Assembly Place the meringue disc inside a metal mold slightly larger in diameter. Place one large scoop of black peppermint ice cream in the ring. Use a spoon to press the ice cream into the bottom and all the way up the sides of the mold leaving a small well in the center. Freeze until ready to serve. Fill the center with macerated strawberries. Scoop red wine strawberry sorbet on top and smooth using a small flat spatula creating a slight dome on top. Cover the sorbet with a thin layer of whipped crme fraiche. Garnish with candied black peppermint leaves (crushed) and fresh strawberries. Unmold and serve immediately.

Copyright 2008 Johnny Iuzzini / http://www.johnnyiuzzini.com