Alessandro Pavoni's Spumiglie con Gelato alla Crema (Meringues with Gelato)
Alessandro Pavoni's Spumiglie con Gelato alla Crema (Meringues with Gelato)
- Preparation time 180 mins
- Serves 8 people
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This recipe from chef & restaurateur Alessandro Pavoni, creates a show stopping dessert made of delicious meringues and creamy gelato.
Ingredients
Spumiglie (Meringues)
- 200g egg white (usually one egg is about 30g egg white)
- 400g caster sugar
- To serve: toasted nuts, passionfruit, chocolate
Gelato alla crema (makes 800g-1kg of gelato)
- 100g egg yolks
- 500ml full cream milk
- 230g caster sugar
- 250ml pouring cream
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 vanilla bean
Method
Spumiglie (Meringues)
- Put sugar on a tray lined with baking paper in an oven at 220C for 8-10mins until the edges start to melt.
- Meanwhile, whisk eggs until just after they foam, but are not yet forming peaks (works best in a stand mixer).
- Take the sugar from the oven and turn oven temperature down to 120C.
- Very gradually add hot sugar to the egg whites, while the eggs are being whisked.
- Continue whisking for 15-20 mins until the bowl is cold. Stiff peaks should have formed.
- On a tray covered with baking paper, using 2 large spoons, place big scoops of meringue. You'll be able to make about 8 large spumiglie. (Tip: You can add some almond slivers on top, and they'll toast nicely in the oven)
- Cook in an oven at 120C for 1 hour (at least), or until they come off the baking paper very easily.
- Once cooked, turn off the oven, open the door halfway, and let the spumiglie cool down inside the oven.
- Once cool, if not serving straight away, store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
Gelato alla Crema
- Blend together milk, egg yolks & sugar with a stick blender. Put mixture in a saucepan on the stovetop and keep mixing with a wooden spoon to stop it sticking to the saucepan. Bring close to the boil (85C or when the mixture leaves a trail in a wooden spoon when you run your finger down it) and remove from heat.
- Take a big bowl of ice and a smaller bowl to sit on top of the ice. Transfer the hot mixture to the smaller bowl and stir continuously until it cools down.
- When cool, add cream, lemon zest, vanilla bean (1 whole bean, don't split it - just put it in), and mix very well with a stick blender.
- Cover the mixture with cling film and place in the fridge for 24hrs to cool completely.
- Once cooled, strain the mixture into a container. Close the container and place in the freezer. Mix with a hand whisk every 30-45mins until the mixture reaches gelato consistency. If you have a gelato/ice-cream machine, you can also put the cooled mixture in there and mix according to manufacturer instructions.
To Serve
- Break open a spumiglia and scoop gelato inside. Top with your preferred toppings - here we've added passionfruit and also made one with toasted almonds & chocolate flakes.