Some dishes can carry a meaning that goes beyond their inherent deliciousness and quality. This is the case with the dessert proposed by Maurizio Bufi, chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant Il Fagiano at the 5-star luxury Grand Hotel Fasano & Villa Principe in Gardone Riviera (Brescia, Italy).
“Chocolate, passion fruit, and vanilla is a dessert, created by pastry chef Federico Villa, which we designed as a ‘response’ to the war between Russia and Ukraine. We wanted to send a message of peace, and for this reason, we created a dish composed of Caribbean chocolate, Madagascar vanilla, and exotic passion fruit,” explains Bufi.
Ingredients for 4 people
Chocolate Mousse
- 47 g fresh cream (35% fat content)
- 40 g egg yolks
- 40 g granulated sugar
- 1 g powdered gelatin
- 105 g Manjari 64% dark chocolate
- 65 g pasteurized egg whites
- 4 g ginger zest
- 1 vanilla pod
In a saucepan, heat the cream to 40°C, add the yolks, and stir continuously. At 45°C, add the granulated sugar. Bring the mixture to 82°C for 5 seconds, add the powdered gelatin, and mix. Pour the mixture into the saucepan with the previously melted dark chocolate and emulsify well. Add the pasteurized egg whites and mix thoroughly. Add the ginger zest and vanilla, and set aside.
Passion Fruit Insert
- 50 g passion fruit pulp
- 50 g sugar
- 1 g agar agar
- 30 g cold butter, cubed
Heat the passion fruit pulp to 45°C, add the sugar mixed with agar agar, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the cold butter, mixing thoroughly. Pour the liquid into 1 cm diameter spherical molds. Freeze until solid, then remove from molds and keep in the freezer.
White Chocolate Glaze
- 60 g whole milk
- 15 g water
- 25 g glucose syrup
- 3 g powdered gelatin
- 150 g Ivoire 35% white chocolate
In a pot, bring the milk, water, and glucose syrup to a boil, then add the powdered gelatin. Remove from heat and add the white chocolate. Mix with an immersion blender until shiny and fluid. Store in the refrigerator overnight.
Note: The glaze should be used at 31°C.
Cocoa Sablé
- 150 g cold butter, cubed
- 5 g cocoa powder
- 237 g pastry flour
- 5 g fine salt
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 40 g pasteurized egg yolks
In a stand mixer, combine butter, cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Add the powdered sugar and pasteurized egg yolks. Mix until smooth and homogeneous. Form small dough balls and let rest in the fridge overnight. The next morning, roll the dough to 7 mm thick using a pastry sheeter. Cut with two round pastry cutters of different sizes to form a ring shape. Transfer to a silicone mat and bake at 160°C for 10 minutes.
Chocolate Cake
- 360 g granulated sugar
- 125 g whole eggs
- 140 g sunflower oil
- 24 g whole milk
- 200 g pastry flour
- 85 g cocoa powder
- 7 g baking powder
- 1 g fine salt
- 300 g coconut flour
- 75 g fresh cream (35% fat content)
Heat the whole eggs mixed with sugar to 40°C. Transfer to a stand mixer and beat at high speed with a whisk. Gradually add the sunflower oil and milk. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder, and sift twice. Semi-whip the cream in another bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the first mixture, alternating with the semi-whipped cream. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 170°C for 30 minutes, then 160°C for 15 minutes, and finally 150°C for 10 minutes. Once baked, freeze the chocolate cake, then blend 600 g with 300 g of coconut flour. Set aside this mixture to use as the base for the sphere.
Finishing Touches
Using a piping bag, add chocolate mousse to spherical molds, insert the passion fruit insert, and finish with more mousse. Remove any air bubbles and freeze overnight. The next day, remove the spheres from the molds, place them on a rack, and cover with the white chocolate glaze at 31°C. Refrigerate to set for 15 minutes, then paint the spheres with yellow, orange, red, lilac, blue, and green liposoluble chocolate using food-safe brushes. On a plate, place a spoonful of chocolate cake in the center, place the colored sphere on top, and add the cocoa sablé ring so it sits halfway up the sphere. Ensure the sphere is fully defrosted before serving.