Circle of life
A perfect balance of frutiness from the cherry jelly with subtle acidity. Pistachio brings a little nuttyness in the flavour profile. Light and airy ricotta foam with cardamom tuile gives a great finish for the overall pastry. Keeping texture profiles in mind, each element of the dessert has a different texture, or flavor that fully appreciates Madirofolo 65%.
I really wanted to pay homage to Ontario dairy farmers in my pastry, and one of my main ingredients is a fresh cheese, ricotta.
Canadian dairy farmers are known to go through great lengths to conserve natural resources and are keen on adopting sustainable farming practices. Canadian milk's carbon footprint has decreased by 7% in the past 5 years. Along with this, pistachios are one of the most sustainable nuts to farm as well, requiring much less water as compared to other nuts like almonds. But I wanted a different approach to sustainability too, keeping the human body in mind. Pistachios have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory traits and keep blood sugar, pressure and cholesterol in check, and are overall just a great addition to a healthy diet. Cherries are another local ingredient used in this dish, which really needed something fresh along with the rich cheese and the nuts.
Recipe

Madirofolo Whipped Ganache
Ingredients | Preparation |
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|
Boil |
|
Add |
|
Emulsify (cold) |
Soak gelatin in cold water. Squeeze and keep aside. |
Cherry Jelly
Ingredients | Preparation |
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|
Boil |
|
Add |
Soak gelatin in cold water. Squeeze and keep aside. |
Pistachio Sponge
Ingredients | Preparation |
---|---|
|
Boil |
|
Add above |
|
Mix |
|
Whip and fold |
Make a choux paste with milk, pistachio paste, sugar, flour and ground pistachios. |
Ricotta foam
Ingredients | Preparation |
---|---|
|
Blend |
Blend everything using a hand blender to smooth the base. |
Cardamom Tuile
Ingredients | Preparation |
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|
Cream |
|
Add |
|
Mix |
Spread on to a stencil. |
Candied Pistachio
Ingredients | Preparation |
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|
Coarse |
|
Cook sugar and water to 110C. |
Pistachio feuilletine
Ingredients | Preparation |
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|
Pre crystalized |
|
Add |
Mix pistachio paste with pre crystallized Zephyr. |
Chocolate shell
Ingredients | Preparation |
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|
Pre crystallized |