A few days ago someone told me that 1 October is International Coffee Day. How come that I didn’t know anything about it is still a mystery to me. As an Italian and a coffee lover, I feel I have a call of duty to join the celebrations and contribute to spreading the love of coffee as much as I can. To me, every day is coffee day (and by the way, you can also buy me one if you like, but that is another story).
So, think, think, think. It’s International Coffee Day, it’s autumn already, days are shorter, layers are piling on and it’s already a too-much-pumpkin world out there. So something comforting, a treat, a thing for special occasions, something to give us a boost, something indulgent would be ideal.
No problem.
I created this recipe some time ago, out of leftovers of tiramisu and other bakes I was testing. “Never throw anything away until it’s completely useless”, my grandma used to say, and I have always followed that mantra with all-things-food as well.
This is one of those recipes that looks ‘Freddy Krueger’ scary, but it’s very simple and easy to do, since you can get all the elements ready in advance and then assemble the dessert at the very last minute. Mascarpone cream pairs incredibly well with, well basically everything, but even more with caramelised bananas – I’ve only recently discovered that caramelised bananas are some sort of divine gift – and *star-of-the-show* coffee pastry cream. Add in some walnuts and some homemade shortbread biscuits for bitterness, texture and crunch and boom.
You could definitely wow even your grandma with one of these desserts. On top of everyone else, of course.
Makes 4 to 6, depending on the size of your jars/glasses
Ingredients
FOR THE COFFEE PASTRY CREAM
- 400g whole milk
- 100g egg yolks
- 100g caster sugar
- 40g corn flour
- ½ tsp coffee extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp instant coffee (I have used “Nescafe Azera Intenso”)
FOR THE MASCARPONE CREAM
- 400g good quality mascarpone
- 4 very fresh eggs, yolks and whites separated in two bowls
- 120g caster sugar
- 1g cream of tartar, or a few drops of lemon juice.
FOR THE BISCUIT DOUGH
- 185g plain flour
- 100g corn flour
- 200g cold butter, chopped
- 20g egg yolk (1 large)
- 100g icing sugar
- 0.5g salt
FOR CARAMELISED BANANAS
- 2 bananas, sliced at an angle
- 100g caster sugar
- 25g unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp water
- some rum or coffee liqueur (optional)
TO FINISH
- 100g walnut pieces toasted in a pan or roasted for 10 minutes at 175°C
Method
TO MAKE THE COFFEE PASTRY CREAM
- Put a metal tray or bowl in the freezer to get very cold. Pour the milk in a saucepan. Add the vanilla and coffee extracts and bring to boil on a medium-high heat. In the meanwhile, mix the sugar and corn flour in a bowl with a whisk, then add the yolk and keep gently whisking until fully incorporated and smooth. Do not whip.
- As soon as the milk boils, take it away from the heat. Add the instant coffee and stir until dissolved. Put a strainer over the bowl with the egg mixture and pour half of the hot milk into it. Whisk gently to ensure no lumps form until smooth, then add the remaining milk and stir with the whisk again to combine.
- Pour the whole mix back into the saucepan and start heating again on a medium-low heat, gently whisking. As soon as the cream thickens (it will happen quite suddenly) remove from the heat and continue whisking for about one minute. Transfer to the cold tray or bowl and keep whisking vigorously to break any lump and until it becomes shiny and glossy. Keep whisking until the cream temperature decreases at least below 50°C.
- Once glossy, shiny and smooth, cover with cling film touching the surface and let come to room temperature before refrigerating. When ready to use, whisk to bring back to creamy texture and transfer to a piping bag.
TO MAKE THE MASCARPONE CREAM
- Pour the mascarpone into a large bowl (making sure to discard the liquid) and cream with a spatula to soften and leave out to come to room temperature.
- Set aside. Mix sugar and egg yolks in a bowl and, using an electric whisk or stand mixer, whisk until it has tripled in size and look airy and foamy. Fold the egg yolk mix into the mascarpone in two times, initially using a whisk to gently break up any lumps, then switching to a spatula to retain as much air as possible in the mixture. Set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, pour the egg whites and cream of tartar (or lemon juice drops). Using an electric whisk or a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. They should still have a smooth consistency, be careful to no overwhip the mixture. Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone, egg and sugar mix in three times, ensuring no lumps are visible and as much air as possible is retained. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
TO MAKE THE BISCUIT - Combine plain flour, corn flour, icing sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour with your fingertips until all dry powder is incorporated and you achieve a crumbly consistency. You can also use a food processor to whiz and incorporate the butter. Add the egg yolk to bring the dough together. Don’t knead. Flatten to a disk, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least two hours.
- Pre-heat the oven at 180°C. Take the pastry out of the fridge and let come to room temperature for 15 minutes. Flour the work surface and roll the pastry out to a 5 mm thickness. Transfer onto baking parchment and onto a baking sheet. Bake the biscuits for 15 minutes. Take them out of the oven and leave to cool and set over a wire rack.
TO MAKE THE CARAMELISED BANANAS
- Put a pan over a medium high heat, warm it up for a couple of minutes and add the sugar. Let it come to a nice amber colour, without stirring. Add the butter and twist the pan to melt and distribute evenly. Add the sliced bananas, and twist again to coat them in the caramel.
- Let bubble for a minute, then add a splash of rum or coffee liqueur, let evaporate (careful as it might flambe’) and add a little water to loosen up a bit. When the bananas are soft, but still retaining their shape, remove and set aside to cool down completely.
TO ASSEMBLE
- Once everything is ready, take a wine glass or a nice jar and assemble the dessert, start by breaking up the biscuit and placing some pieces at the bottom, alongside some roasted walnuts pieces. Pipe a generous amount of coffee cream, the top with caramelised bananas and some other bits of biscuit ad nuts. Pipe the mascarpone cream on top and decorate with other pieces of bananas and walnuts.