This is an Australian dessert or afternoon event recipe for caramel espresso ice-cream and panela syrup dumplings. It does require making ice cream starting from either whipping or heavy cream, so it has to be made at least an hour and a half before guests arrive to give it time to freeze.
Benefits
By comparison to other sugars, panela sugarcane is not refined or bleached and tastes incredibly complex with tones of molasses. Not to be confused with brown sugar which is just white sugar with molasses poured onto it, panela sugarcane is the real deal, direct from the cane. It has a crumbled sticky duality. Sugarcane is thought to help with anemia and rickets and can provide a balsamic and expectorant effect in cases of colds; prevents joint diseases and said to help with osteoporosis in adulthood.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 finely grated lemon rind
6 tbsp butter, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
Espresso-Caramel Ice-Cream
1 2/3 cups + 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup strong espresso
6 egg yolks
1/3 panela sugar
Panela Syrup
1 2/3 cup panela sugar
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp + 1 tsp espresso
3 tbsp butter, cut into cubes
Juice of 1 lemon
Preparation & Cooking Instructions
1. For the caramel espresso ice-cream, bring espresso, cream, and milk to the simmer set over a medium to high heat. Meanwhile, whisk sugar and yolks in a bowl until pale caramel color. After whisking continuously, add in cream mixture and whisk to fully combine. Return mixture to the pan and stir continuously until mixture thickly coats the back of a spoon. Strain mixture into a bowl and place it over ice, stir occasionally until nicely chilled. Freeze it in an ice-cream machine, then freeze until needed for later.
2. Sift baking powder and flour into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, and the lemon rind. Add in the butter and rub in with fingers. Whisk egg, buttermilk, and yolk into a bowl. Make a well in the middle of dry ingredients, add the buttermilk mixture and mix completely.
3. Stir espresso, sugar, maple syrup, lemon juice, butter, and 1 and ⅓ cups plus 1 tbsp water in a saucepan over medium to high heat until sugar completely dissolves, then lower to a simmer. Add the batter, covering and simmering, turning occasionally, until the dumplings are puffed and cooked thoroughly. Serve dumplings and the syrup with caramel espresso ice-cream.
