Signature Dish: Portobello's Biramisu Served in Pint Glasses | Food

Biramisu

A Signature Recipe Served at Portobello Country Italian Trattoria

What's Unique About The Dish?

The resulting appearance will be reminiscent of a glass of ale with a head on it.  Cheers!

The Recipe

Makes 6 pint glasses

For the beer reduction:

• 24 oz (vol) Orlando Brewing Black Water Porter

• 16 oz (wt) Granulated sugar

Combine the beer and sugar in a heavy sauce pan and reduce on low heat by approximately one half.  The initial volume will be approximately 40 ounces which will yield 20 ounces.  The consistency will be slightly syrupy.  Chill and hold.

For The Cream:

• 28 oz (wt) Mascarpone cheese

• 6 oz (wt) Confectioner’s sugar

• 7 oz (vol) Beer reduction (above) 

• 5 oz (vol) Egg yolk (pasteurized)

Combine the egg and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk continuously over a boiling water bath to make a zabaglione.  The egg and sugar mixture will gradually increase in volume by approximately 100% and the mixture will thicken and become opaque.  This process will take about five minutes.  It is very important to whisk the mixture or the yolks will solidify.  The zabaglione should be chilled over ice.

Place the mascarpone in the work bowl of a stand mixer while the zabaglione is chilling.  Whip the cheese on medium – high speed until smooth and soft.  This process will take approximately 1 to 2 minutes.  Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the beer reduction to the cheese while the mixer is running.  Once the beer reduction is incorporated, add the chilled zabaglione and continue to work the mixture on low speed until the mixture is smooth (1 to 2 minutes more).  Stop and scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure the ingredients are combining properly.  Increase the speed back to medium – high and whip the mixture for one more minute.  Chill and hold the finished cream.

For the Lady Finger Biscuit:

• 4 ea Eggs, extra large

• 1 ¼ cup Granulated sugar

• 1 ½ cup Flour, all purpose, sifted

• ¾ tsp  Vanilla extract

• ¾ Tbsp Baking powder

• Zest of 1 orange

Separate the eggs and reserve the whites for use in the next step.  Combine egg yolks, orange zest, vanilla and ¾ cup of sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer.  Use the whip attachment on high speed and whip the mixture until the mixture turns pale and fluffy (approximately 5 minutes).

In a clean bowl, beat the remaining sugar and egg whites to form stiff peaks.  This can be done by hand or with the whip attachment of a stand mixer.  Fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture and then add the flour folding just enough to combine.  Use a rubber spatula and be careful not to deflate the mixture.

Place the finished batter into a pastry bag and pipe cookies that are approximately 2 ½ inches in diameter onto a sheet pan lined with parchment and sprayed with pan release.  Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Allow the cookies to cool.  When the cookies are cool, cut into neat rounds that are smaller than the interior diameter of the pint glass. A 2 inch round cutter will do the job.

How to Assemble The Dessert

Lady finger cookies (above)
Mascarpone cream mixture (above)
Beer reduction (above)

To assemble the biramisu, you will need six pint glasses and 24 lady finger biscuits cut into neat rounds which are smaller than the interior diameter of the pint glasses.  You will also need the mascarpone cream and the remaining beer reduction from the recipes above.

Soak the biscuits in the remaining beer reduction for at least 2 minutes to allow the liquid to be absorbed.   The biscuits should be saturated.  Build the dessert in each glass starting by piping a small amount of the cream into the bottom of the glass.  Press a saturated biscuit into the cream.  Repeat the process alternating layers of biscuit and cream finishing with a layer of cream about 1 inch from the top of the glass.  Use 4 biscuits in each glass.  Refrigerate and hold for service.  The desserts can be assembled ahead of time and held over night.

Fill the glasses the rest of the way with whipped cream at the time of service.  Level off the whipped cream at the level of the top of the glass with a spatula or the back of a knife.  The resulting appearance will be reminiscent of a glass of ale with a head on it.  Cheers!

Portobello Country Italian Trattoria is located at Downtown Walt Disney at 1650 Buena Vista Drive in Lake Buena Vista.