Sphere of Pandoro semifreddo with white chocolate mousse
Item 1 of 1
- 4
- 2 hours
A classic Italian sweet bread, much like panettone, pandoro is particularly popular around Christmas and often given as a gift. Giuseppe D'Aquino elevates this festive bread to another level by using it to make a creamy semifreddo enclosed in a chocolate mousse-filled sugar sphere. You will need some specialist sugar blowing equipment to make the spheres, but the resulting dish makes for a showstopping dessert.
First published in 2016
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Semifreddo
- 100g of pandoro
- 100g of milk
- 100g of whipping cream
- 3g of agar agar
Mousse
- 100g of white chocolate
- 200g of cream
- 20ml of sweet white wine, such as Fiordilej passito
Sphere
- 50g of Isomalt sugar
- gold leaf, edible powder
- 1 tsp raspberry powder, to serve
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- 70mm demi-sphere moulds 4
- Food processor or blender
- Siphon bottle or cream whipper
- 2 siphon cartridges
- Sugar thermometer
- Sugar blowing equipment
Method
1
Start with the semifreddo as this will need to set in the freezer. Tear the pandoro bread into chunks and add to a blender or food processor with the milk and blitz until smooth
- 100g of pandoro
- 100g of milk
2
Place the whipping cream in a small pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Add the agar agar and whisk until dissolved into the cream
- 100g of whipping cream
- 3g of agar agar
3
Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the bread and milk mixture until combined. Pour into the demi-sphere moulds and transfer to the freezer to chill for a minimum of 2 hours
4
Next make the mousse by melting the white chocolate in a bowl set over gently simmering water. Meanwhile, allow the cream and sweet white wine to come to room temperature. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and mix in the cream and wine
- 100g of white chocolate
- 200g of cream
- 20ml of sweet white wine, such as Fiordilej passito
5
Transfer the mixture into a siphon gun and charge with 2 gas cartridges. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour
6
To make the spheres, place the Isomalt sugar in a small pan with a pinch of the gold leaf powder. Place over a medium heat and bring to 175°C on a sugar thermometer
- 50g of Isomalt sugar
- gold leaf, edible powder
7
Wearing protective gloves, carefully spread the hot liquid sugar out on a silicone mat using a spatula. Continue to spread and fold over the sugar as it cools, in effect kneading the sugar to stretch it
8
Once pliable and cool enough to handle, you will need to work quickly and carefully with the sugar blowing equipment to make the spheres. Under the heating lamp, divide the sugar into 4 portions and roll into balls
9
Create a deep hole in the centre of each ball with your finger and insert the sugar blowing tube. Pump air through the tube into the sugar until it expands to create a thin sphere, about 10–12cm wide – it needs to be wider than the semifreddo to fit over the top
10
Still working under the heat lamp, heat a 7cm metal ring or cutter until very hot. Place upside down on the counter so the heated edge is facing up, then place the sugar sphere on top and press down gently until a hole is cut through the sugar
11
To serve, remove the siphon gun from the fridge and use to fill each sphere three-quarters full with the mousse. Sprinkle a little dehydrated raspberry powder over each serving dish
- 1 tsp raspberry powder, to serve
12
Unmould the semifreddos onto the centre of each dish, then carefully invert the sphere on top so that the semifreddo is covered by the mousse-filled sphere
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