Not all pesto is basil! The students from the IIS Ruffini-Aicardi in Arma di Taggia offer a creamy extra virgin olive oil dessert with a center of Genoese DOP basil, parmesan macarons, pine nut streusel, and Vessalico garlic air.
A modern dessert that perfectly marries Ligurian DOP products with our local products: a tangible demonstration of how we can look to the future while still promoting traditional agricultural and food products.
We decided to take the staple basil product, pesto, and dismantle it to reassemble it in a modern and, above all, sweet way! And since there are so many basil spreads out there, we decided to offer a creamy extra virgin olive oil spread, showcasing Liguria's other famous DOP product.
Ingredients
Creamy with Riviera Ligure extra virgin olive oil
- 150 g of whole milk
- 80 g of cream
- 80 g of Riviera Ligure DOP extra virgin olive oil
- 120 g of egg yolks
- 100 g of sugar
- 15 g of rice starch
- 1 Bourbon vanilla pod
- 200 g semi-whipped cream
- 10 g of powdered gelatin (to be rehydrated with 50 ml of water)
Pine nut streusel
- 200 g of butter
- 200 g of icing sugar
- 200 g of pine nut flour
- 200 g of shortcrust pastry flour
Parmesan Macarons
- 125 g of almond flour
- 125 g of icing sugar
- 45 g of egg whites
- 300g of Italian meringue
- 50 g of parmesan cheese
Coulis al Basilico Genovese DOP
- 200 g of Genoese Basil DOP
- 100 g of sugar
- 150 ml of water
- 2 sheets of gelatine
Genoese Basil DOP Jelly (for the insert)
- 200 g of Genoese Basil DOP
- 100 g of sugar
- 50 ml of water
- 8 g of powdered gelatine (to be dissolved in 40 ml of water)
Garlic Air from Vessalico
- 100 ml of water
- 100 g of sugar
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 10 g of soy lecithin
Procedure
Creamy with Riviera Ligure extra virgin olive oil
Boil the milk and cream, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, and add the starch to the mixture, then add it to the liquids. Bring the mixture to a maximum boil of 80°C (to prevent it from separating) and stir in the rehydrated gelatin while still warm. When the mixture reaches 23°C (73°F), add the semi-whipped cream, pour into the desired shape, and chill the mixture, first inserting the Genoese Basil DOP insert and finally the pine nut streusel base.
Pine nut streusel
Knead the dough as if it were shortcrust pastry, roll it out, cut out the desired shape, and bake. Handle the dough gently because it is very fragile.
Parmesan Macarons
Prepare a batter with almond flour, powdered sugar, and egg whites. Then, combine with the Italian meringue and prepare the macaronage. Then, add the remaining Italian meringue and the Parmesan cheese. Strain and let it dry, then bake the mixture at 135°C (265°F) for about 15 minutes.
Coulis al Basilico Genovese DOP
Blanch the Genoese Basil DOP in water and extract the chlorophyll. Combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil to make a syrup. Finally, add the slightly soaked gelatine and let the mixture thicken.
Genoese Basil DOP Jelly (for the insert)
Dissolve the water and sugar, add the Genoese Basil DOP, and blend. Pass the mixture through a sieve and heat to 56°C, then add the previously hydrated gelatin. Pour into silicone inserts and blast chill.
Garlic Air from Vessalico
Prepare a sugar syrup and cook the unpeeled garlic in it for about 10 minutes. Let the mixture cool, strain it, add the soy lecithin, and blend with an immersion blender. Scoop out the air with a spoon and place it on a plate.
