Chef Anne Croy of Clayton, Missouri’s Pastaria knows how to indulge a sweet tooth. Her Baked Cake Donut Sundae uses a Sicilian pistachio butter doughnut and adds a scoop of cool mascarpone gelato in the center topped with a local strawberry coulis with notes of orange and star anise throughout. Chef Croy finishes the gelato doughnut hybrid with a honey salted pistachio wafer pierced at the top. The dish is the perfect end to an Italian meal.

Sicilian Pistachio Cake Donut
Pastry Chef Anne Croy

142 g. unbleached flour
4 g. baking powder
1.25 g. baking soda
2.5 g. salt
78 g. light brown sugar
50 g. unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
5 g. vanilla extract
107 g. buttermilk

Cream butter, pistachio butter and brown sugar together until light.  Add egg and vanilla extract.  Combine all dry ingredients and alternate with buttermilk, ending with dry mixture.

Place batter in pasty bag and pipe into donut pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.  Turn out onto wire racks until cool.  Dip into vanilla glaze and return to racks.
 

Vanilla Glaze

60 grams whole milk
10 grams vanilla
453 grams powdered sugar
Whip together until smooth consistency.  Cover until using.


Mascarpone Gelato

1440 g. whole milk, reserving 240 grams
1008 g. heavy cream
102 g. milk powder
500 g. sugar, reserving 100 grams
100 g. glucose
58 g. cornstarch
338 g. mascarpone
10 g. vanilla extract
2.5 g. salt

Combine first five ingredients in medium stock pot.  Whisk to combine.  Heat until boiling.  Make a slurry out of reserved milk, reserved sugar and cornstarch.  Whisk to remove all lumps.  Add to hot mixture and continue cooking until bubbling again.  Remove from heat.  Add mascarpone, vanilla extract and salt.  Chill overnight.  Spin in gelato spinner and serve.
Makes 2 1/2 gallons, so there will be reserve.


Strawberry Compote

 500 g. fresh organic strawberries, rough chopped
zest of one orange
1 whole star anise
25 g. glucose syrup
100 g. sugar
15 g. cornstarch dissolved in 2 T. fresh orange juice
250 g. fresh organic strawberries, rough chopped (reserved)

 Combine first five ingredients in medium saucepan.  Cook over low heat until berries release juices and begin to simmer.  Add slurry of cornstarch and orange juice and continue to cook until just bubbling.  Remove from heat and cool.  Fold in fresh berries.


Honey Salted Pistachio Wafer

 40 g. unsalted butter, melted
27 g. raw honey
1 large egg white
35 g. unbleached flour
38 g. confectioner's sugar
30 g. chopped, toasted and salted pistachios

Whip butter and honey until light.  Add egg white and mix until combined.  Add flour and powdered sugar and continue mixing until smooth.  Add chopped nuts.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  


To assemble doughnut sundae, place cake donut on plate, top with one scoop of mascarpone gelato, drizzle strawberry compote over the top and pierce top of scoop with pistachio wafer.
Serve immediately.


--Claire