A tribute to Roger Federer
linda
10 February 2009
Dessert, Dessert Recipes, cookshowandtell
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Here’s to you Mr Federer, creamy goodness
It’s almost one week since the epic battle between tennis greats Rafael Nada and Roger Federer at the Australian Open. Tennis is a great sport as a spectator because something is always happening on the court, and it is one of few sports hosted by Australia annually attracting up and coming stars to the masters perched high in the top echelon.
Roger Federer is my favourite sportsman, his longevity in the sports world combined with his charismatic personality makes him one of the most sought after sporting characters, both for product endorsements and fanatics like myself. So Imagine my suprise when Roger was up against his arch nemesis Nadal for the Australian Finals. It would mark their first game against one another on hard court. Both giants with nothing to lose, but everything to prove, it was forecast to be the game of the year.
Glued for 4 hours to the television, mesmerised by the remarkable skills of the two great tennis players, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride that all this was happening in Australia. Unfortunately Nadal’s athleticism etched Federer’s, resulting in a win over 5 sets. Far from shy of expressing his dissapointment, Federer broke down whilst accepting his runner up prize. It was at that precise moment that I decided that I’d create something and dedicate it to him, a consolation prize.
Intrigued by most people’s obsession for dipping fries into their thick shake or sundaes, I was inspired to create my own version, using creme brulee instead as the recipient for the crispy salted fries.
Ingredients used
Brulee
The first task on hand was to make the brulee. Obsessed with Wolfgang Puck’s fail proof recipes, I once again borrowed his creme brulee one. His original recipe was catered for 8-10 creme brulee tarts. I adjusted the quantities to acommodate my creation.
- 2 egg yolks
- 35 grams of caster sugar
- 1 cup thickened cream
- 1 vanilla bean, split
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Creme Mixture
Over a Bain Marie, briskly whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until a light creamy ribbon texture is achieved. This takes about 10 minutes of whisking.
Remove the bowl from the heat source, then slowly add the cream and vanilla beans. Mix slowly to an even consistency, then return to the bain marie. Whisking occasionally for half an hour to produce a thick mixture, remove once again from the heat source and gently whisk in the butter.
Pour into a glass bowl to refrigerate.
Fries
Nothing beats home made french fries, thin crunchy strands of potato goodness fried golden brown with the added bonus of having all the excess oil drained.
Julienned Potatoes
I used pontiac, sebago and sweet potatoes. Fries were easily made by julienning the potato into the desired size then washing off the starch to prevent them from sticking. Set aside and allow to dry.
Fry the potato in medium flame for approximately 30 seconds to form a skin over the pieces. Remove from heat, drain on kitchen paper and allow to cool. This process is important to ensure that once the entire process is completed, the interior of the fries is soft and fluffy in contrast to the crispy exterior.
Before assembling everything, quickly re-fry the potato pieces to the desired colour. As the potato pieces are quite thin, this process will take no longer than a minute, therefore try to keep your eyes on the fries at all time. Remove from oil and drain on kitchen papers. Sprinkle on some crushed sea salt.
White chocolate casing
Prior to going ahead with this method, I was perplexed as to how this semi circular shape could be achieved, so I embarissingly went with the only way I knew.
- 5 tablespoon of cooking white chocolate
- 6 tablespoon of dessicate coconut
- 1 drop of blue food colouring
- 2 drop of yellow food colouring
- 1 teaspoon of water
- cling wrap
- 1/4 teaspoon of brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon caster sugar mixtureliberap
Cut out a large piece of double layered cling wrap, then place 5 tablespoon of dessicated coconut into the middle. Wrap up the edges to form a sphere, as shown below.
Cling wrapped dessicated coconut
On the stove, prepare a bain marie to melt the white chocolate, once melted, remove from the heat source.
Dip the cling wrap ball into the melted chocolate, swirling around continuously to get a thick layer.
Mix the food colouring together with the teaspoon of water to produce a green colour, then add one table of dessicated coconut to the mixture.
Green dessicated coconut
While the chocolate is still melted, dip into the dessicated coconut, ensuring that its evenly coated. Store in the fridge.
Once the shell has hardened, untwist the cling wrap to remove the stored coconut, subsequently the cling wrap.
Fill the empy shell with the brulee mixture, then liberally sprinkle on top the brown sugar/caster mix.
Using a blow torch, melt the sugar mix to create a toffee layer. Sprinkle on top some chopped pistachio.
Finished product- Dedication to Roger Federer
Sure enough this is nothing compared to winning a grand slam, beating your greatest rival, or earning you $2 Million, but I hope it’s enough to cheer you up Roger.
Helen
Karen L
shez
Reemski
i love making food designed specifically around someone, i drew a cake once for Michael Bubles mother. hehe.
mallory elise
Chuck
BELLE
abercrombie || 
amanda bechara || 
billy@ATFT
Jessica@FoodMayhem
FFichiban
linda (author) || 
Angie
woahhhhh dude awesome!!! best tribute ever!
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