Peach, verbena, vermouth, and pollen is a fresh dessert that evokes the essence of summer, designed by chef Stefano Sforza of the Opera restaurant in Turin, Italy, which has been listed in the Michelin Guide since April 2022. In his kitchen, vegetables—whether they are greens, fruits, or legumes—play a central role in his dishes, and this dessert is a testament to that. At the heart of the dish is a creamy peach base, enhanced by honey-preserved peaches, verbena sorbet, pure pollen, and vermouth gel from Tetti Battù, produced by Cascina Tetti Battuti, owned by the Cometto family, who also own the restaurant. Made from Chardonnay grapes, the vermouth is noted for its winey, herbal, and spicy notes, with a bitter finish.
Ingredients for 4 people
Egg White Pastry Cream
- 250 g toasted almond milk
- 50 g egg white
- 30 g cornstarch
- 50 g sugar
Blend the sugar in a Thermomix (Bimby) until powdered. Add cornstarch, egg white, and almond milk. Blend for 7 minutes at speed 4 and 90°C. Increase to speed 10 for 10 seconds. Allow to cool.
Peach Cream
- 225 g egg white pastry cream
- 225 g fresh peach puree (tabacchiera, yellow, white)
- 75 g peach
- 250 g white chocolate
- 5 sheets of gelatin
Blend the pastry cream, puree, and peach in the Thermomix. Heat to 37°C. Add the white chocolate. Rehydrate the gelatin in ice water. Add it to the mixture. Stir. Transfer to a piping bag without cooling.
Peach Insert
- 2 tabacchiera peaches
- 2 yellow peaches
- 2 nectarines
- 20 g verbena
Peel the peaches. Dice them finely. Sauté in a pan, keeping them whole. Finely chop the verbena and add it to the peaches. Spread the mixture to a thickness of at least 0.5 cm on a baking sheet. Freeze. Cut into 10×1 cm sticks. Store in the freezer.
Peach Bar Fill a rectangular mold with the peach cream. Add the peach insert in the center, cover with more cream, freeze, and unmold.
Dessert Coating
- 100 g cocoa butter
- 100 g ruby chocolate
Melt the two ingredients at 37°C. Coat the dessert in the mixture up to the edge. Store in the refrigerator until the dessert thaws.
Honey Crumble
- 60 g whole wheat flour
- 40 g soft butter
- 15 g multifloral honey
- 10 g brown sugar
Mix all ingredients. Crumble the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. Bake at 170°C for 7-8 minutes or until crispy. Cool and store in an airtight container.
Honey Tuile
- 90 g multifloral honey
- 90 g butter
- 90 g flour
Mix all ingredients and spread on a honeycomb-shaped silicone mat. Bake at 150°C for 5 minutes or until the tuiles are colored. Unmold and store in an airtight container.
Peach and Verbena Sorbet
- 200 g white peaches
- 150 g verbena leaves
- 300 g water
- 60 g glucose
- 100 g sugar
- 15 g inulin
Juice the peaches with the verbena. Prepare a syrup by boiling water, sugar, glucose, and inulin. Once cool, add the juice, freeze, and blend until the consistency of sorbet is achieved.
Vermouth Gel
- 100 g Tetti Battù red vermouth
- 100 g water
- 2 g agar agar
De-alcoholize the vermouth by boiling. Add water and agar agar. Bring to a boil and let cool. Transfer the gel into a squeeze bottle.
Finishing
- To taste: peach slices, verbena leaves
Place the peach bar on the plate and beside it, the honey crumble, topped with a quenelle of peach and verbena sorbet. On top of the bar, add peach slices, vermouth gel, and finish with a honey tuile. Decorate with fresh verbena leaves.