Chef Simone Bertaccini proposes a dessert made with a tasty seasonal product: the medlar. Come to enjoy the “parfait with medlar, meringue biscuit and lavender sauce” at the Santa Elisabetta Restaurant in Piazza Sant’Elisabetta, located on the first floor of the Pagliazza Tower, open from Monday to Saturday, from 19:30 to 22.30. For information and reservations: info@hotelbrunelleschi.it or by phone 055.27370.
Here is the recipe for this fragrant dessert:
Ingredients for 6 persons:
Prepare the parfait
3 egg whites
125 gr sugar cooked at 121° C
162 grams of mashed medlars
375 gr cream
2 sheets of gelatin (about 5 g)
Put the sugar in a saucepan with a little water and bring it to a temperature of 121°. Put the egg whites in a bowl large enough, when sugar will reach about 116° start to whip it with the help of an electric blender, as soon as the sugar will reach 121° pour in the egg whites to stiff wire continuing to whip until they are completely cold: we get a meringue. Combine the mashed medlars and the gelatin previously soaked and dissolved. Aside the whip the cream and incorporate the mixture of meringue and medlar, pour into molds disposable aluminum and put in the freezer for about a day.
Prepare the meringue biscuit
50 grams of egg whites
50 grams of sugar
50 grams of icing sugar
Combine the sugars, put aside the egg whites in a bowl and add half the sugar and begin to assemble with the help of an electric blender, when they will be mounted join the rest of the sugar and finish mounting. They will be well frothy and compact. With the help of a stencil, form some circles of equal size parfait, on baking paper thickness of about 2 cm, bake at 90° for about 3 hours.
The biscuit must be white, crumbly and dry inside.
Prepare the lavender sauce
250 grams of whipping cream
125 grams of mascarpone
50 grams of syrup txt *
¼ vanilla bean
25 grams of fresh lavender
Put the lavender to infuse into the cream and syrup for about 2 hours in the refrigerator. Combine the mascarpone and the seeds of the vanilla bean. Mount the whole with the aid of an electric whisk until seeds will be mounted.
* txt stands for “so much x” that is to say, 25 g water and 25 g of sugar boiled together and cooled
Presentation
Place on the plate the meringue biscuit. Unmold the parfait on the biscuit, and finish with a touch of lavender sauce. Decorate with edible flowers.
