WD- 50’s Almond Ice Cream "Rocks" with Bitter Yogurt & Honey

Pastry chef Alex Stupak has kindly supplied
us with this doozy of a dessert recipe. On a difficulty scale of 1-10,
I’d rate it a 10.  But some things are worth slaving away like a
scientist in the kitchen and this dessert yields delicious results…

Ingredients:

To assemble the almond ice cream rocks:

• Almond ice cream
• Almond glacage
• Almond nougatine

To dress the dish:

• Bitter yogurt sauce
• Honey fluid gel
• Micro lemon balm sprigs (24 each)
• Dried lychee slices
• Bitter foam
• Minced dried apricot (10 dried apricot will be sufficient)

For the almond ice cream:

• 690 grams  Milk
• 166 grams cream
• 5 grams guar gum
• 40 grams non fat milk powder
• 20 grams dextrose
• 20 grams invert sugar
• 140 grams sugar
• 1 gram bitter almond essence

Method:
Combine the milk and cream in a pot and bring to a boil.
Transfer the boiling mixture to a blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until homogenized.
Cool the mixture in an ice bath and refrigerate for 12 hours.
Process the mixture in an ice cream machine and store in a freezer until needed.

For the almond glacage:
400 grams almond flour
180 grams all purpose flour
180 grams dark brown sugar
220 grams unsalted butter
4 grams kosher salt
50 grams almond oil

Method:
In a food processor combine the almond flour, all purpose flour, and dark brown sugar and pulse together…
Dice the butter and pulse into the almond flour mixture.
 

Spread the mixture across a parchment lined sheet pan and bake in a 300
degree convection oven until golden brown (approximately 25 minutes)
Allow the mixture to cool and transfer to a food processor along with
the kosher salt and almond oil. Process the mixture until it liquefies.
Hold the mixture at room temperature until needed.

For the almond nougatine:
250 grams sugar
100 grams water
2 grams salt
50 grams honey
250 grams skin on almonds (roasted and coarsely chopped)

Method:
Combine the sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil.
Add the honey and salt and continue to boil until the syrup reaches 158 degrees Celsius
Remove from heat and stir in the almonds.
Pour the mixture out onto a nonstick baking mat and allow to cool for six hours.
Break the nougatine into small pieces and coarsely chop in a food processor.
Hold the nougatine in an airtight container until needed.

To form the almond ice cream rocks:

Place the ice cream into a piping bag fitted with a large straight tip.
Using a pairing knife, pipe and cut off 1 inch cylinders of ice cream
directly into a liquid nitrogen bath. Continue until you have 40 pieces.
Using a fork dip the ice cream pieces into the almond glacage and roll
in the almond nougatine. Continue until all the ice cream pieces are
enrobed and store the rocks in a freezer until needed.

For the bitter yogurt sauce:
250 grams thick Greek yogurt
25 grams honey
1 drop quinine essence
Method:
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Reserve under refrigeration until needed.

Phone: (212)477-2900
Address: 50 Clinton Street