Cafédirect Coffee Matching Champion Announced

Thursday, 8 December 2011

From Star Anise and Cinnamon Crème Brûlée to Honey, Fig and Madeira Baked Alaska, there was something to tempt every palate. We tasted our way through some amazing desserts, and I was really impressed by the creativity that the entries demonstrated. After much deliberation, we chose a Cardamom Chocolate Mousse with Hazelnuts on an Amaretti Biscuit Base developed by Saskia Rogerson from Wiltshire as the winner. The dessert was incredibly innovative, using cardamom, carrots and chili to create layers of flavour, and the texture of the mousse was a great foil for the crunchy base. The recipe perfectly complimented Cafédirect’s wonderful Machu Picchu coffee, bringing out its dark chocolate and nutty flavours.

Saskia’s recipe will now be the star in a limited edition Cafédirect Coffee & Dessert Matching Guide, which also features 15 shortlisted recipes each matching the profile of one of Cafédirect’s single origin coffees. The guide will be available for download from www.cafedirect.co.uk/world-of-taste in January 2012. In the meantime, here is Saskia’s wonderful recipe, which I am looking forward to making for my next dinner party!

Biscuit Base

250 grams amaretti biscuits, crushed

120 grams unsalted butter

2 tablespoons chopped hazlenuts

3 cardamon pods, grated

Caramelised carrot and chilli layer

2 tablespoons shredded carrot

2 tablespoons shredded chilli

25 grams unsalted butter

4 tablespoons muscavado sugar

Cardamom, Hazelnut and Chocolate mousse

300 grams bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces

2 tablespoons hazelnuts

4 cardamom pods, grated

45 grams unsalted butter

5 eggs, separated

4 tablespoons caster sugar

230 millilitres double cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

shot of espresso made with Cafédirect Machu Picchu Roast and Ground coffee

Method

For the biscuit base: melt the butter in a pan, pour in the amaretti biscuit,

hazelnuts and grated cardamom. Transfer to 28" springform cake tin and

leave to cool.

Combine all the ingredients for the caramelised carrot and chilli layer in a

saucepan and bring the mixture slowly to simmer until it caramelises, then pour onto the biscuit layer so it forms an even layer.

For the mousse, melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl heated over a pan

of simmering water, add in espresso, cardamom, and hazelnuts. Leave to

cool slightly.

Heat the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons sugar in another bowl over the simmering pan of water. Whisk until warm then transfer to electric mixer and mix until the yolk is pale and fluffy. Then fold into chocolate mixture.

Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they are stiff, then fold this into

the chocolate mixture. In a bowl set over ice, whip the cream until stiff

and fold into chocolate mixture.

Spoon onto the biscuit and carrot/chilli caramel layer in the cake tin, and

spread evenly with a spatula. Decorate with hazelnuts and grated

cardamom. Cover and chill for 2 hours, then serve.