 | Guava SemifreddoPastry Chef Priscilla Trevino of Barbacana | Houston, TX |
For my dish, I chose to use guava and red jalapeño purees. I made a guava semifreddo with an almond cake, crème fraîche mousse, guava and jalapeño tuile, and a red jalapeño gel. I wanted to create a cold and hot dessert—a cold semifreddo with a hint of spice as an afterthought. I thought it would be fun and different to combine these flavors; you don’t often see them together, and I wanted to go outside the box for this one.
Ingredients for Almond Cake:
• 185 g. granulated sugar (Sugar 1)
• 158 g. eggs
• 67 g. egg whites
• 42 g. granulated sugar (Sugar 2)
• 105 g. almond flour
Ingredients for Guava Semifreddo:
• 45 g. water
• 38 g. granulated sugar
• 23 g. glucose
• 125 g. The Perfect Purée Pink Guava Puree, thawed
• 2 g. sorbet stabilizer
• 2 gelatin sheets
• 17 g. lemon juice
Ingredients for Guava and Jalapeño Tuile:
• 45 g. powdered sugar
• 38 g. glucose
• 21 g. lemon juice
• 21 g. The Perfect Purée Pink Guava Puree, thawed
• 9 g. The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley Red Jalapeño Puree, thawed
• 31 g. unsalted butter, melted
• 49 g. all-purpose flour
Ingredients for Crème Fraîche Mousse:
• 28 g. granulated sugar
• 113 g. crème fraîche, divided
• 1 gelatin sheet
• 240 g. heavy cream
Ingredients for Red Jalapeño Gel:
• 75 g. The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley Red Jalapeño Puree, thawed
• 10 g. granulated sugar
• 1.8 g. agar agar
• 25 g. lime juice
• 2 g. salt
• 4 g. honey
• 1.5 g. pectin
To Assemble and Serve:
Prepared guava and jalapeño tuiles
Method for Almond Cake:
In a stand mixer, whip egg whites until foamy. Gradually add Sugar 2 and whisk to medium peaks. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whip eggs and Sugar 1 until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Sift in almond flour and whisk to combine. Gently fold in the meringue. Spread evenly onto a quarter sheet tray and bake at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool overnight.
Method for Guava Semifreddo:
Soften gelatin sheets in ice water, then squeeze out excess moisture. In a bowl, mix sugar and stabilizer. In a small pot, combine water, glucose, and the sugar-stabilizer mixture. Bring to a simmer, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat and add gelatin. Stir in The Perfect Purée Guava and lemon juice. Cool and set overnight. The next day, fill an iSi container with the base and charge twice. The mixture should have stiff, foamy peaks. Place a ring mold on a tray in the freezer and fill with semifreddo base, slightly overfilling to account for shrinkage. Freeze 3 to 4 hours before unmolding carefully.
Method for Guava and Jalapeño Tuile:
In a mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Sift in powdered sugar and flour, whisking until smooth. Using a stencil, spread a very thin layer of batter onto a silicone mat. Bake at 350°F for 6 to 8 minutes, or until cooked through without browning. Store in a sealed container until ready to use.
Method for Crème Fraîche Mousse:
In a small pot, warm one-quarter of the crème fraîche with sugar until dissolved. Soften gelatin in ice water, squeeze out excess, and add to the warm crème fraîche. Combine with remaining cold crème fraîche and cool. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream to stiff peaks, then fold in cooled crème fraîche mixture. Transfer to a piping bag.
Method for Red Jalapeño Gel:
In a small pot, combine The Perfect Purée Red Jalapeño, lime juice, salt, and honey. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, agar agar, and pectin. Bring puree mixture to a simmer and slowly whisk in the dry mix. Strain and cool overnight. The next day, blend until smooth and transfer to a piping bag.
To Assemble and Serve:
Cut the almond cake using a ring cutter to match the size of the semifreddo. Place the cake base in a bowl and top with the semifreddo. Pipe Crème Fraîche Mousse around the perimeter of the semifreddo in dots, alternating with smaller dots of Red Jalapeño Gel. Place a guava tuile on top of the dots and repeat another layer. Pipe a small circle of mousse in the center and top with a second tuile. Pipe a shell pattern of mousse around the sides of the almond cake to finish.