{"id":10006545,"date":"2019-06-27T13:02:38","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T11:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesignmoak.com\/?p=10006545"},"modified":"2019-07-22T10:40:01","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T08:40:01","slug":"alessandro-ravana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesignmoak.com\/en\/alessandro-ravana\/","title":{"rendered":"Cocoa, Spices and Fruit: the creation of perfect balance by chef Alessandro Ravan\u00e0"},"content":{"rendered":"

A coffee and pecan dessert boasting flavours of the region<\/h2>\n

Development of raw materials, deep research and great creative flair, flavours complementing each other and establishing a natural harmony – not in a forced way, but maintaining their own identity. A game of balances between sapidity, sweetness and acidity, but also between textures and different tones. Sometimes, you are just astonished and positively surprised by some dishes at first taste. This is exactly what happened with the dessert made by chef <\/span>Alessandro Ravan\u00e0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0of the restaurant\u00a0<\/span>Il Salmoriglio<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>in Porto Empedocle<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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His dessert called Cacao, Spezie e Frutta\u00a0<\/b>(Cocoa, Spices and Fruit), included in the menu, is one of those tastings that leave an impression. The preparation involves many different steps \u2013 each of which could be considered a separate recipe \u2013 with combinations that seem to be exactly right and brilliant, featuring ingredients that may not be so popular, but are related to the area of Agrigento. Such as pecan, which is produced in Raffadali<\/span>.<\/p>\n

We are on the first floor of the restaurant, a convivial place where the chef feels free from the formalisms of gourmet cuisine. This is the place where he is going to prepare the dessert for us, consisting of a Moak <\/span>coffee<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and pecan financier (a small soft biscuit) with orange compote, two types of cream, and an almond and Moak coffee based mousse<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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Recipe for the financier biscuit <\/span><\/em>
\n\u2013 212 g egg white
\n\u2013 216 g \u00a0icing sugar
\n\u2013 204 g butter
\n\u2013 153 g pecans
\n\u2013 70 g soft-wheat flour
\n\u2013 30 g glucose
\n\u2013 9 g yeast
\n\u2013 1.5 g salt
\n\u2013 8 g Moak\u00a0Aromatik<\/a>\u00a0coffee powder<\/span><\/p>\n

Grind the pecans in a blender and add sugar, flour, Moak coffee powder, yeast and salt. Then add the egg white and glucose and let everything rehydrate by blending at low speed. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a saucepan and add it to the ingredients in the blender. Leave the mixture to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then spread it out on a baking tray and bake in a thermo-ventilated oven for about 12\/14 minutes at a temperature of 170\u00b0 C<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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Recipe for the chocolate cream <\/span><\/em>
\n\u2013 100 g milk
\n\u2013 80 g egg yolks
\n\u2013 40 g sugar
\n\u2013 2 g food grade gelatine
\n\u2013 30 g water
\n\u2013 1 g pepper powder
\n\u2013 170 g dark chocolate 80%
\n\u2013 300 g single cream<\/span><\/p>\n

Pour the milk in a pot and heat up to a temperature of 80\u00b0 C. In the meantime, process the eggs with the sugar and have the whole mixture reach a temperature of \u00a080\u00b0 C. Then add the previously hydrated gelatine. Add the partially melted chocolate and pepper, mix everything by adding the liquid cream little by little. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for about 6 hours<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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R<\/em>ecipe for the cinnamon <\/span><\/em>
\n\u2013 250 g Dulcey chocolate
\n\u2013 400 g single cream
\n\u2013 100 g milk
\n\u2013 8 g food grade gelatine
\n\u2013 50 g water
\n\u2013 10 g glucose syrup
\n\u2013 1 g cinnamon<\/span><\/p>\n

Heat cream, glucose syrup, cinnamon and milk in a properly sized saucepan for two minutes at a temperature of 80\u00b0C. Add the previously hydrated gelatine and mix well. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and mix for at least 3 minutes, in order to obtain a smooth, shiny and homogeneous mixture. Leave to rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours<\/span>.<\/p>\n