“I’d love to finish every meal with Rockpool’s floating island. Can we have the recipe?”
Alex Hunt, Cammeray, NSW
REQUEST A RECIPE
To request a recipe, email [email protected] or send us a message via Facebook. Please include the restaurant’s name and address, as well as your name and address. Please note that because of the volume of requests we receive, we can only publish a selection in the magazine.
Ingredients
Macadamia and chocolate wheat cream
Speculoos biscuits
Method
Main
1.For wheat cream, preheat oven to 180C. Roast farro on an oven tray, stirring once, until golden (8-10 minutes). Cool briefly, then place in a small saucepan over medium heat with cream and heat, stirring continuously, until mixture reaches 85C (2-3 minutes). Set aside to infuse for 20 minutes. Strain into a saucepan, add glucose, and stir over medium heat until it reaches 90C (2-3 minutes). Squeeze excess water from gelatine and add to cream with chocolates, turn off heat and stir gently until smooth (2 minutes). Add milk, place in a bowl over iced water and cool, stirring occasionally. Reduce oven to 160C. Roast macadamias until golden (8-10 minutes). Cool briefly, then process with icing sugar and a pinch of salt in a small food processor to a smooth paste. Stir 1-2 tbsp into sauce just before serving.
2.For biscuits, beat butter, sugars, honey and tsp fine sea salt in an electric mixer until pale. Sift in flours and bicarbonate of soda, mix to combine, then roll between sheets of baking paper to 15cm x 20cm. Chill until firm (30-40 minutes). Cut out 2.5cm rounds, place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake until golden (6-7 minutes).
3.Increase oven to 200C. Butter six 125ml metal dariole moulds and dust with caster sugar. Whisk eggwhites and ale in an electric mixer to combine, then gradually add sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag (no nozzle), pipe into moulds and smooth tops. Place in a roasting pan lined with a tea towel, pour in boiling water to halfway up sides of moulds and bake until puffed and golden (6-8 minutes). Remove from bath, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled (1-2 hours).
4.Turn floating islands out onto a foil-lined tray, scatter tops evenly with caster sugar and caramelise with a blowtorch. Spoon chocolate cream onto plates, place an island on each, and serve with biscuits.
Note The Rockpool kitchen serves these with a toasted-oat ice-cream. The recipe makes more biscuits than you’ll need here, but they keep for two weeks. Farro is a wheat grain available from select delicatessens and Italian grocers. Valrhona chocolate is available from select delicatessens. Steamed bun flour is available from select supermarkets and Asian food stores.
