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Berry Medley Parfait with Almond Tuile

Ingredients: Berry Medley

* 100g Strawberries, hulled and sliced
* 100g Raspberries
* 100g Blackberries
* ¼ cup Castor Sugar
* 100mls Triplesec Liquor

Zabaglione

* 6 egg yolks
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup Marsala wine
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
* Ground cinnamon
* Vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, whipped

Almond Tuiles

* 1 cup (4 ounces by weight) sliced almonds
* 1/2 cup (4 ounces by weight) superfine sugar
* ·1 tablespoon flour
* 2 egg whites
* 1 egg
* 1 1/2 ounces melted butter
* 2 ounces sliced almonds
* Optional – Meringue crushed into glass for a crunchy texture.

Carefully clean the berries of insects or dirt, avoid washing them if possible as this shortens the shelf life.

Fold gently all the berries in a bowl with the castor sugar and liquor. Marinate for 10 minutes.

For the Zabaglione:

Place egg yolks, and sugar in a large, round-bottomed stainless steel bowl. Add grated lemon peel and a pinch of cinnamon and a drop of vanilla extract to the yolk mixture. Pour in the Marsala wine. You can use sweet Vermouth as a substitute for the Marsala.

Half-fill a pot with water, bring the water to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Set the pan or bowl containing the custard mixture over the water; the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Whisk the custard mixture, making sure that the water does not boil. This ensures that a gentle, even heat thickens the mixture without curdling it. Whisking traps air in the yolks for a light, fluffy mixture.

Continue whisking for about 10 minutes, until the mixture triples in volume, froths up and becomes pale. When it reaches the desired consistency, take the container of custard out of the pot. Slightly thickened, the custard can be used as a sauce. Longer cooking will thicken the custard further, giving it the texture of mousse.

Serve the custard while still warm, or, if you want to serve it cool, set it aside for about 15 minutes. Whisk heavy cream until it forms soft peaks; add the whipped cream to the cooled custard and use a whisk to gently fold them together.

For the Almond Tuiles:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the almonds, sugar, and flour in a food processor. Mix to a coarse powder.
Add the egg whites, egg, and melted butter. Stir well. The mixture should have a medium light consistency.

Grease a cookie sheet, and spoon the batter onto the cookie sheet, the equivalent of a teaspoon, spacing the cookies 3 inches apart. Sprinkle sliced almonds on each cookie.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Use a spatula to loosen the almond cookies.
Place the hot cookies in a ring mould or a rolling pin to give them a curved shape.

Tuiles means "tiles" (like old-fashioned curved roof tiles, in French. As they cool, they become crisp. Store in a cookie tin.

Serve the berries in a glass, top with zabaglione, followed by another layer of berries and zabaglione custard. Top with lemon curd cream and garnish with an almond tuile.

Serve immediately.