المقادير
Method
- Put the water (400 ml) in a coffee pot or small saucepan over medium-high heat until it boils.
- Add the Arabic coffee and cardamom, lower the heat to low and let it simmer gently for 5 minutes, watching it so it doesn't boil over.
- Take the coffee off the heat and leave it for 5 minutes so the grounds settle.
- Strain the coffee into a wide, shallow bowl and dissolve the sugar in it if you like.
- Let the coffee cool completely (about 20 minutes, or 10 minutes in the fridge); hot coffee will make the biscuits fall apart.
- In a cold bowl, whip the cold cream with the powdered sugar on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes until stiff peaks form.
- In another bowl, beat the mascarpone with the pistachio paste, vanilla and extra cardamom on low speed for only 30–40 seconds until smooth; overbeating makes the mascarpone split.
- Add the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture in two batches and fold gently with a spatula from the bottom up until the colour is even.
- Transfer the cream to a piping bag with a star or round tip, or use a spoon.
- Break the biscuits in half or to fit the width of your cups (6 cups of about 200 ml each).
- Dip each biscuit in the coffee for just 1 to 2 seconds on each side.
- Arrange a layer of soaked biscuits in the bottom of each cup.
- Spread a layer of cream on top, about 1.5 cm thick.
- Repeat with a second layer of soaked biscuits, then finish with cream in a dome or swirl.
- Cover the cups with cling film and put them in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight until set.
- Just before serving, dust the cocoa through a small sieve, then scatter the crushed pistachios and garnish with a mint leaf.
ملاحظات
⚠️ Allergy note: contains Dairy (whipping cream, mascarpone, cream cheese substitute), Tree nuts (pistachios, pistachio paste/cream), Wheat/gluten (ladyfingers), Eggs (in ladyfingers)
Don't soak the biscuits for more than 2 seconds; soaking them longer makes them too soft and the layers run in the cup.
All the ingredients should be very cold (the cream, the mascarpone and even the bowl); that way the cream whips quickly and holds its shape.
If you can't find mascarpone, use 250 g cream cheese (such as Philadelphia) instead and increase the whipping cream to 300 ml.
If you're using sweetened pistachio cream (spread), start with half the powdered sugar and taste before adding more.
Dust the cocoa and add the pistachios only just before serving, because the cocoa soaks up moisture in the fridge and the pistachios lose their crunch.