Coffee Desserts

The Espresso Break:  The current celebrated gastronome of Naples is Luciano Pignataro who has a wine blog as well as a fabulous book called I Dolci Napoletani.  He also acknowledges the importance of coffee, providing several wonderful recipes that use the dark brew.  Here are my translations of several desserts listed in the book:

Caprese

Ingredients for 12 persons:

250 g of dark chocolate

1 small cup of espresso

250 g minced almonds

6 eggs (only the yolks) and the egg whites separate

1 whole egg

250 g sugar

225 g butter

1 package of baking powder

Melt in a double saucepan the dark chocolate and the espresso.  In another double saucepan melt the butter with the baking powder.  Put together the sugar, the egg yolks with the whole egg and separately assemble egg whites of six eggs with a pinch of salt.  At the end, whisk everything with the minced almonds for five minutes.  Butter a baking dish and add a little flour to prevent the dessert from sticking to the pan.  Pour the mixture in the dish and bake slowly for thirty minutes.

Restaurant:  Alberto, Ischia Ponte

Gelato al caffe

Ingredients for four persons:

600 g of whole milk

fresh whipping cream

60 g of milk powder

100 g of egg yolks

40 g of trimoline

120 g of unrefined sugar

200 g of coffee grains

6 g of stabilizer for ice cream

Leave fused together in the refrigerator for at least twenty-four hours the coffee grains in the milk and whipping cream.  Pass through a strainer and make an English cream by uniting the other ingredients.  Cook at 82 degrees.  Leave to rest and preserve at minus ten degrees.

Restaurant:  Le Trabe, Capaccio

Tiramisu di rocotta di bufala

Ingredients for 8-10 persons:

700 g of ricotta

5 red eggs

200 g of dusting sugar

1 teaspoon of moscato

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

1 teaspon of rum

500 g of sponge cake

espresso

Beat the eggs with the dusting sugar well.  Add the ricotta and the moscato, the lemon juice and the rum.  Mix everything well until it becomes a creamy texture.  In an oven-proof dish create a layer of sponge cake thinly sliced and soaked in espresso.  On top spread the ricotta mixture.  Continue to layer in this way until the dish is filled.  Coast everything with a powdering of cacao using a think sieve.  Put in the refrigerator and serve after at least three hours.

Restaurant:  La Pergola, Capaccio

Benissimo!