Coffee bean shaped tiramisu

Tiramisu mousse

4	Egg yolks, room temperature
90g	Granulated sugar
40ml	Liquid (water, Marsala or unsweetened coffee)
5g	Platinum gelatine sheet (250 bloom)
320g	Mascarpone, slightly softened (remove from fridge 30 minutes before use)
260g	Heavy cream (35% fat), cold

Submerge the 2.5g gelatine sheet in ice-cold water for 5–10 minutes until fully softened.
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and liquid together in a heatproof bowl set over a bain-marie. Whisk continuously until the mixture reaches 70–72°C and is pale, thick and ribbon-like.
Squeeze the hydrated gelatine dry and whisk into the hot sabayon until fully dissolved.
Allow the sabayon to cool to 30°C before adding the mascarpone. This is essential. Adding it while still hot will melt the fat in the cheese and destroy the creamy structure.
Whip the cold heavy cream to soft peaks. It should look like melted ice cream, not hold stiff peaks (under-whipped cream is better than over-whipped here!). Set aside in the fridge.
Fold the softened mascarpone into the cooled sabayon until smooth and homogeneous.
Fold in the soft-peaked whipped cream in two or three stages with a flexible spatula. If the cream is too stiff, it will fight the gelatine and create a grainy texture.
Pour or pipe into your moulds and freeze until solid before unmoulding.

In a bowl, lightly whisk sugar and egg yolks.
In a small saucepan, heat the milk and the heavy cream until they start to simmer, then slowly pour everything into the egg yolks while whisking.
Stir the mixture over low heat until the custard thickens (it should reach around 80 °C).
Remove the custard from heat and pour into chocolate while stirring with a spatula until smooth and glossy. You can use a strainer to pour to avoid having eventual lumps.
Add the coffee and stir the mixture again. I'm using here 40g of espresso for a strong flavour but you can adjust to taste. If you use more coffee you might need to add some gelatine (e.g. 1g of dehydrated gelatine). In general I would recommend to use a strong espresso but not a lot.
Refrigerate overnight.

Whisk the egg whites and when all bubbles have disappeared add the icing sugar (2). Keep whisking until firm peaks.
Whisk the egg yolks with icing sugar (1) by hand until combined, then fold gently into the egg whites with a spatula.
Add the plain flour and potato starch and fold with a spatula until fully incorporated.
Spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper to a thickness of 2–3 cm. Bake for 9–10 minutes at 200°C.
Remove from the oven, dust with granulated sugar on top and allow to rest.

Prepare the coffee crémeux insert in advance by freezing it in a mould until completely solid.
Half-fill the mould with tiramisu mousse, spreading it up the sides to ensure no gaps.
Press the frozen crémeux insert into the centre, flat side up.
Cut the lady finger sheet to fit the mould opening. Briefly soak one side in cold unsweetened coffee. Do not oversoak, it should be moist but still hold its shape.
Place the lady finger on top of the insert, soaked side down, pressing gently so it sits flush with the mousse.
Cover with a final layer of tiramisu mousse to seal. Smooth the surface level with the rim.

200g	Dark chocolate (70%), finely chopped
60g	Cocoa butter

Melt the dark chocolate and cocoa butter together over a bain-marie or in short bursts in the microwave. Stir until fully combined and smooth.
Allow to cool to 30–32°C before dipping. Too warm and it will be too thin to coat cleanly; too cold and it will be uneven and thick.
Unmould the frozen dessert and insert a skewer or dipping fork into the base.
Working quickly, submerge it fully in the coating mixture and lift out in one smooth motion. Allow the excess to drip off for a few seconds.
Set on a tray lined with baking paper. The coating will set almost immediately against the frozen surface.
Remove the skewer, patch the hole if needed with a drop of coating using a small offset spatula, and transfer to the refrigerator to temper for 20–30 minutes before serving.

The 200g + 60g quantities are calibrated for dipping. You need enough volume to submerge the dessert cleanly in one motion. Any leftover coating can be poured onto baking paper, allowed to set, and stored for next use.
Optional finish: Once coated and set, you can dust the surface lightly with cocoa powder for a more natural coffee bean look. Use a kitchen torch to briefly pass over the surface immediately after. This fixes the cocoa in place and prevents it from becoming loose powder that catches in the throat when eaten.