Sfogliatelle samosas with green tea ice cream and berry sauce

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Francesco Apreda incorporates the traditional ricotta filling of Sfogliatelle, the shell-shaped Italian pastries often known as 'lobster tails', into a simple samosa pastry in a stunning Asian-influenced Italian dessert. The crisp pastries could be eaten alone as a sweet snack, but make a beautiful summer dessert when combined with a colourful berry sauce and green tea ice cream.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Sfogliatelle samosas

  • spring roll sheets
  • 250ml of milk
  • 95g of sugar
  • 1/4 vanilla pod
  • 50g of semolina flour
  • 100g of buffalo ricotta
  • 25g of candied peel
  • 4ml of limoncello
  • 2ml of Grand Marnier
  • 2 drops of orange blossom water
  • 1 pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 egg white, beaten, to glaze
  • peanut oil, for frying

Green tea ice cream

  • 5g of matcha
  • 90g of sugar
  • 250ml of milk
  • 125ml of cream
  • 18g of glucose

Berry sauce

  • 100g of raspberry purée
  • 100g of strawberries, hulled and chopped
  • 100g of cherries, pitted and chopped
  • 70g of glucose
  • 35g of caster sugar
  • 5g of pectin

To serve

  • 1 tsp icing sugar
  • 1 tsp matcha
  • 1 tbsp of pistachio nuts, chopped
  • 4 tsp freeze-dried raspberries
  • 4 tsp freeze-dried yoghurt
  • edible flowers

Equipment

  • Thermometer
  • Hand blender
  • Ice cream maker
  • Deep-fryer

Method

1
Begin with the green tea ice cream. Mix the matcha powder into the sugar until evenly combined. Stir together with the milk, cream and glucose in a pan and place over a medium low heat
  • 5g of matcha
  • 250ml of milk
  • 125ml of cream
  • 90g of sugar
  • 18g of glucose
2
Bring the mixture up to 85°C, stirring continuously, then remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool. Blitz together with a hand blender to create a smooth cream, then leave to rest in the fridge for at least 12 hours (preferably overnight)
3
After this time, blitz again with the hand blender and transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker. Churn as per the manufacturer's instructions to form a smooth ice cream
4
While the ice cream is churning, make the berry sauce. Mix together all the ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring constantly
  • 100g of raspberry purée
  • 100g of strawberries, hulled and chopped
  • 100g of cherries, pitted and chopped
  • 70g of glucose
  • 35g of caster sugar
  • 5g of pectin
5
Once boiling, pass the mixture through a fine sieve to create a smooth sauce. Transfer to a jug or dish and allow to cool before serving
6
For the samosas, first make the sfogliatelle filling. Place the milk in a pan over a medium heat with the vanilla pod, a pinch of salt and 15g of the sugar. Beat in the semolina flour until it becomes a smooth paste then remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool
  • 250ml of milk
  • 1/4 vanilla pod
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 15g of sugar
  • 50g of semolina flour
7
Mix in the remaining sugar, ricotta, candied peel, limoncello, Grand Marnier, orange blossom water and cinnamon
  • 80g of sugar
  • 4ml of limoncello
  • 100g of buffalo ricotta
  • 25g of candied peel
  • 1 pinch of cinnamon
  • 2ml of Grand Marnier
  • 2 drops of orange blossom water
8
Cut the spring roll sheets into 7cm x 21cm rectangles. Place a spoonful of the filling at the bottom of each sheet then fold the bottom left corner over at an angle to create a triangle
  • spring roll sheets
9
Fold up and over repeatedly to fully enclose the filling in a triangle shape. Brush the edges with a little of the beaten egg white to seal
10
Fill a deep-fryer or pan with the peanut oil and preheat to 180°C
  • peanut oil, for frying
11
Deep-fry the filled samosas for 30 seconds or until crisp and lightly golden in colour. Drain any excess oil on kitchen paper. While still hot, mix together the icing sugar and matcha powder and sprinkle over the samosas to dust
  • 1 tsp matcha
  • 1 tsp icing sugar
12
To serve, spoon some of the berry sauce into each serving bowl and top with 2 samosas and a quenelle of the green tea ice cream. Scatter over pieces of chopped pistachio, freeze-dried raspberry and yoghurt, garnishing with edible flowers
  • edible flowers
  • 1 tbsp of pistachio nuts, chopped
  • 4 tsp freeze-dried raspberries
  • 4 tsp freeze-dried yoghurt

Combining Indian spices and Japanese techniques with classic Italian cooking has made Francesco Apreda one of Rome's most contemporary chefs.

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