Diplomatica
Diplomatica
Serves 10
Crème Patisserie – Ingredients
750 ml milk 60 gm plain flour
6 tblsp caster sugar zest of 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean stick 3/4 gelatine leaf (2.5gm)
5 egg yolks
Method
Place your gelatine in a bowl of cold water to soften and leave for about 4 minutes then remove it from the water and squeeze out any excess water. In a heavy based pot put your milk, lemon zest and vanilla bean that you have split down the middle length ways and heat milk till just below boiling point. In a mixing bowl, whisk your egg yolks and sugar together until they become similar to a custard and lighter in colour, then add in your flour and combine well. Add in a little of your hot milk to make it thinner and mix well so there are no lumps. Pour the rest of the milk through a strainer and using a small knife scrape out as much of the vanilla beans from the pod as possible. Mix to combine and pour the custard mixture back in the pot and cook on a low heat stirring continuously until it starts to thicken and become custard, at this point remove from the heat and add in your gelatine leaf. Continue to mix for a while and then pour your custard into a bowl and leave to cool.
Sponge Recipe – Ingredients
5 x 50 gm eggs at room temperature 175 gm castor sugar
150 gm plain flour, sifted 25 gm corn flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
Method
Pre heat a fan forced oven to 170 degrees. In a mixing bowl place your eggs, sugar and vanilla essence and using an electric beater, beat well until light in colour and fluffy. Slowly fold in your flour and corn flour and mix gently by hand with a spatula, being careful not to take all the air out of the eggs. Line a square cake tin or a square baking dish 24 cm in wide, with some baking paper and grease with a small amount of butter, pour in your sponge mixture and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Additional Ingredients
2 sheets of puffed pastry , defrosted icing sugar for dusting
3 – 4 tblsp alchermes liqueur 4 tblsp castor sugar
200 ml water
Method
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. You want your puff pastry to be very thin, so I normally roll it out thinner on a floured bench and then transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper and using a fork, make some pricks in the pastry. (this stops it becoming too puffy!!) Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until cooked, remove and leave to cool. To prepare your alchermes liquid, place the 200ml water with 4 tblsp of sugar in a pot and bring to the boil, once all the sugar has dissolved remove from the heat. Tip into a shallow but large circumference bowl and add in your alchermes liqueur. You can add as much as you like to suit your palate, but it can be bitter and strong.
Method to Assemble Dessert
Place one sheet of your puff pastry on a serving plate and then spread half of your cooled custard over it. Portion your sponge into the same size piece as your puff pastry, but half the height of the sponge so that it is only about 1 cm thick. Place your sponge into the alchermes liquid and let it absorb the liqueur.
Place the sponge on top of the custard and spread the rest of your custard over the sponge. Lastly place your other pastry sheet on top and dust with icing sugar.
You are ready to serve!!
Useful tips and tricks to know:
You need to make your sponge several hours ahead, so that it has time to cool, or even make it the day before.
When you make your custard mixture, you must stir continually – it must be on a low heat otherwise it will thicken too fast, form lumps and start to stick on the bottom.
Alchermes liqueur can be bought at good quality Italian food stores; it is very common in Italy. If unavailable, substitute Campari.
Do not soak your gelatin leaf in hot water as it will dissolve
