Flourless Belgian chocolate cake, almond milk anglaise, espresso sorbet and armagnac flamed Italian meringue

Serves 4
Prep time 1 hour + 20 minutes infusion time

espresso sorbet
200ml strong espresso
100ml water
100g caster sugar
1 tbsp honey
6 egg yolks

almond milk anglaise
50g almonds, roasted
100ml milk
100ml cream
75g sugar
2 egg yolks

to serve
150g egg whites
150g caster sugar
zest from 1 lemon, grated
200g flourless chocolate cake, readymade or store-bought
4 tbsp Armagnac

equipment
Thermomix
Pacojet / ice cream machine
KitchenAid

• To make the espresso sorbet, combine espresso, water, sugar and honey into the Thermomix and set the temperature to 110°C. Let the machine run until the mixture comes to a boil. Insert the butterfly attachment and set temperature to 72°C on speed 4.
• Drop in egg yolks, one at a time, and mix until fully incorporated. Remove mixture and cover to cool at room temperature before freezing in an ice cream machine. Alternatively, place mixture in a pacojet container and freeze.
• For the almond milk anglaise, bring almonds, milk and cream to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to infuse for 20 minutes. Strain and bring the mixture back to a boil.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk sugar and egg yolks until pale and fluffy. Add half of the boiling almond milk into the beaten yolks, and then return the mixture back to the pot. Continue to cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain and set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then refrigerate.
• In the meantime, whisk egg whites with a KitchenAid until soft peaks form. Slowly add in sugar and continue whipping until light, fluffy and glossy. Fold in lemon zest and transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
• To assemble, churn the sorbet in an ice cream machine or Pacojet. Slice chocolate cake to individual servings and scoop sorbet on top. Cover the chocolate cake and sorbet with piped meringue and using a blow torch, torch gently to toast the meringue.
• Drizzle almond milk anglaise around the plate. To finish, gently warm the Armagnac, making sure it never reaches a boil. Set alight with a flame and carefully pour over the meringues to serve.

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