Kaki Towers with Espresso Cream

Ingredients

• 4 sheets white gelatin
• 125 ml hot espresso
• 100 ml milk (3.5% fat)
• 30 g Honey (2 tbsp)
• 80 ml whipping cream
• 390 g kaki or Sharon fruit (3 kakis)
• 15 g ground almonds (1 tbsp)
• 4 g espresso beans (1 tbsp)
• 30 g raw cane sugar (1.5 Tbsp)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Soak gelatin in cold water according to package instructions, then squeeze out excess and dissolve in hot espresso.

2. 2.

   Stir in milk and honey while whisking. Cool the espresso mixture for about 1 hour until it begins to gel.

3. 3.

   Whip cream to stiff peaks, fold into the espresso mixture with a whisk, and refrigerate.

4. 4.

   Wash, peel, and slice kakis or Sharon fruit horizontally into at least 20 slices each about 5 mm thick.

5. 5.

   Place ground almonds on a plate. Gently press each fruit slice into the almonds one by one and lay them almond-side up on a platter.

6. 6.

   Fill an ice‑cube tray with the espresso cream, cut off a small corner, and spray the cream onto the fruit slices. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes until firm.

7. 7.

   Crush espresso beans finely in a mortar and sprinkle over parchment paper.

8. 8.

   Heat raw cane sugar in a saucepan until it caramelizes to light brown. Immediately spread the hot caramel in thin strips over the crushed espresso beans on the parchment, then let cool.

9. 9.

   For each dessert, stack four fruit slices with the cream side up on a plate. Cover each tower with a fifth slice.

10. 10.

    Cut remaining fruit slices into small cubes and scatter them over the plates.

11. 11.

    Remove caramel strips from the parchment and place them beside or atop the towers. Sprinkle leftover crushed espresso beans over the plates. Serve immediately.