Mr. Robot 2016 Emmy Nominations
Mr. Robot: Espresso Semifreddo with Chocolate Cake and Biscotti
I’ll have Marcel make a reservation. You’ve never had semifreddo until you’ve had it there.
Phillip Price, Mr. Robot, 2016
Mr Robot: Espresso Semifreddo Recipe
I’ll be honest and admit that Angela was not my favorite character in the first season of Mr. Robot but holy cow, her character has been on a roller coaster ride this season. I’m so excited to see where her character goes at the end of season two and whether or not she might turn into a new Elliot.
This recipe is for Price’s favorite semifreddo had introduced to Angela in episode four of season two. He didn’t go into detail of what the dessert consisted of so I decided to compose a dish myself. The bottom is a flourless chocolate cake topped with espresso semifreddo and garnished with spiced biscotti pieces. This was honestly so good that I mixed together the leftovers and froze it like ice cream. It was fantastic.
Mr. Robot: Espresso Semifreddo
A recipe for an espresso semifreddo with flourless chocolate cake and spiced biscotti inspired by the USA Network show, Mr. Robot.
Ingredients
- FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 3 / 60 g / 2oz - egg yolks large
- 35 g / 1.2oz - granulated sugar [1]
- 4 / 125 g / 4.5oz - egg whites large
- 70 g / 2.5oz - granulated sugar [2]
- 40 g / 1.5oz - dark chocolate melted, cool
- 20 g / 0.7oz - cocoa powder sifted
- ESPRESSO SEMIFREDDO
- 15 g / 0.5oz - ground espresso beans
- 1 1/2 cup / 340g / 12oz - heavy cream
- 4 oz - pate a bombe
- 6 oz - italian meringue
- -PATE A BOMBE-
- 85 g / 3oz - granulated sugar
- 28 g / 1oz - water
- 3 / 60 g / 2oz - egg yolks large
- -ITALIAN MERINGUE-
- 1/2 cup / 100g / 3.5oz - granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup / 112g / 4oz - water
- 2 / 60 g / 2oz - egg whites large
- 1/2 tsp - cream of tartar
- SPICED BISCOTTI
- 70 g / 2.5oz - all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp - baking powder
- 1/8 tsp - baking soda
- 1/4 tsp - ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp - ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp - ground cinnamon
- large pinch of salt
- 42 g / 1.5oz - granulated sugar
- 1 - egg large
- 1/2 tsp - vanilla extract
Instructions
- To prepare the semifreddo, prepare an 9x9 inch square pan with parchment cut to fit the bottom of the pan. Leave the parchment long enough to hang on two sides to help unmold the semifreddo later. Set the pan aside.
- Heat half of the heavy cream in a saucepan with the ground espresso. Bring the cream to a simmer and let the espresso steep for 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the pate a bombe by combining the water and sugar in a saucepan. Place it over medium high heat and bring to 240F. Meanwhile, place the yolks in a stand mixer and whisk the yolks until frothy. Once the sugar reaches temperature, turn the mixer to high speed and stream in the sugar from the side of the mixer. Mix until cool. Set aside.
- Prepare the meringue by combining the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium high heat. Place the whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer and whisk on medium speed until frothy. Once the sugar reaches 240F, stream in the sugar from the side of the mixer bowl on high speed. Mix until the mixture is cool. Set aside.
- Combine the heavy cream in a stand mixer bowl with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until you achieve medium peaks. Fold in the pate a bombe and then the meringue. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and freeze until it sets.
- To prepare the cake, prepare the oven to 350F. Prepare a 9x9 inch pan with parchment cut to fit the bottom of the pan with enough parchment on both sides to lift and unmold the cake when ready. Set aside. Whisk the egg whites and first amount of sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed until you achieve medium peaks. Set aside.
- In a clean stand mixer bowl, combine the egg yolks and first amount of sugar. Whisk on medium speed until you achieve a three second ribbon stage. Mix the melted chocolate into the yolk mixture. Fold in half of the meringue with a rubber spatula. Fold in the sifted cocoa powder and then the rest of the meringue. Mix thoroughly without losing too much air. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes. It is normal for the edges of the cake to crack a bit. Let the cake cool completely before slicing.
- To prepare the spiced biscotti, preheat the oven to 325F. Prepare a half sheet pan with parchment and set aside. Combine all the dries for the biscotti in a bowl. Whisk together the egg and sugar until pale in color. Add the vanilla extract. Add the egg mixture to the dries and mix just until the mixture comes together. Form the dough into a log (2" wide) and bake for 20 minutes. Let the dough cool slightly and slice on a severe bias. I sliced mine very thin but feel free to slice yours according to what you prefer. Bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Unmold the chocolate cake and trim off the edges. I sliced mine into 1.5" by 4" rectangles. Set aside and portion the semifreddo in the same sizes. Top the pieces of cake with the semifreddo and keep frozen until needed. Top each piece with the spiced biscotti and serve.
