The Eye of the Mountain by Mirko Giuseppe Frustaci

This dessert is a tribute to the mountains, evoking the purity and balance of their ecosystem. With elements like hay panna cotta, chestnut cream and apple gel, the dish reflects the synergy of nature—flavors born from flora, fauna and humanity’s touch. A delicate balance of textures and aromas recreates the soul-warming essence of the high peaks.

Yield: 6 portions

Equipment: Silkomart® Kit the Ring mold and cutter set (model 25.268.99.0065)

Hay Panna Cotta

• 35 g hay
• 504 g heavy cream, 33% fat, plus more as needed
• 45 g forest honey
• 8 g hazelnut butter
• 7 g silver gelatin sheets, bloomed

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place the hay in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
2. Once it is cool enough to handle, place the baked hay in a cheesecloth sachet.
3. Heat the heavy cream to a simmer and steep the baked hay for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the sachet and re-weigh the cream, adding fresh cream as necessary to reach 504 g of cream.
5. Add the honey and the hazelnut butter to the infused cream and bring the mixture to a light boil.
6. Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender.
7. Add the bloomed gelatin to the warm cream mixture, stirring until dissolved.
8. Pour the mixture into the Silkomart® mold and freeze.

Apple Gel

• 67 g Ponthier apple purée
• 100 g apple juice
• 10 g fresh lemon juice
• 10 g water
• 1/4 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 0.1 g ground cinnamon
• 0.93 g agar agar
• 0.93 g gellan gum
• 16.7 g granulated sugar

1. Strain the apple purée through cheesecloth to extract the juice.
2. Discard the solids or reserve them for another use.
3. Heat the apple juice, lemon juice, water, vanilla and cinnamon to 104°F (40°C).
4. Mix the agar agar, gellan gum and sugar, then add to the liquid.
5. Simmer for 1 minute.
6. Cool and refrigerate for 1 hour.
7. Blend in a Thermomix® until smooth.
8. Transfer to a piping bag and fill the Silkomart® insert molds.
9. Freeze until solid.
10. Reserve the remaining gel in the piping bag for the assembly.

Dwarf Pine Namelaka

• 93 g whole milk
• 202 g heavy cream, 35% fat
• 5 g glucose, DE 45
• 1 g fine sea salt
• 4 g silver gelatin sheets, bloomed
• 170 g Valrhona Ivoire 35% White Chocolate
• 65 g Ponthier chestnut purée
• 1 drop dwarf pine essence

1. Heat milk, cream, glucose and salt to 203°F (95°C).
2. Add the bloomed gelatin.
3. Pour the warm cream mixture over the white chocolate and chestnut purée; emulsify with an immersion blender.
4. Add the pine essence.
5. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
6. Transfer to a piping bag and reserve in the cooler until ready to assemble the dessert.

Chestnut Cream

• 225 g chestnuts, raw, shells on
• 77 g whole milk (3.5%)
• 30 g forest honey

1. Peel the chestnuts, place in a vacuum bag and seal it.
2. Cook the chestnuts in the bag in an oven with steam at 176°F (80°C) for 1 hour.
3. Allow the chestnuts to cool slightly, then remove from the bag and weigh out 150 grams. Reserve any extra chestnuts for another use.
4. Heat the milk and honey and pour the warm mixture over the chestnuts.
5. Emulsify. Then strain twice through a chinois to ensure smoothness.
6. Set aside 100 grams of the Chestnut Cream for use in the Chestnut Sauce (below). Transfer the remaining amount to a piping bag.

Chestnut Sauce

• 67 g whole milk (3.5%)
• 5 g forest honey
• 1/2 Tahitian vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 25 g hazelnut butter
• 1 g fine sea salt
• 100 g Chestnut Cream (from above)

1. Heat the milk, honey, vanilla bean, hazelnut butter and salt until dissolved.
2. Pour over the Chestnut Cream and blend with an immersion blender.
3. Serve warm.

Chestnut Tuile

• 70 g chestnut flour
• 10 g confectioners’ sugar
• 0.5 g fine sea salt
• 92 g egg whites
• 50 g hazelnut butter

1. Mix the chestnut flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt.
2. Add the egg whites and hazelnut butter, mixing until smooth.
3. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Cast in Pavoni® twig molds and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 8–10 minutes.

Hay Powder

• 80 g organic hay

1. Bake the hay in the oven at 175°F (80°C) for 2 hours.
2. Blend and then sift to obtain a fine powder.

Hay Butter

• 500 g unsalted butter
• 40 g organic hay

1. Place the butter and hay in a vacuum bag.
2. Seal and cook in a bain-marie at 131°F (55°C) for 1 hour.
3. Strain through a cheesecloth, then set aside to cool.
4. Emulsify and refrigerate until ready to use to make the Chestnut Sablé.

Chestnut Sable

• 122 g Hay Butter (from above), room temperature
• 1.5 g soy lecithin
• 1 g fine sea salt
• 70 g chestnut flour
• 105 g T45 flour
• 0.5 g baking powder
• 75 g brown sugar
• 26 g almond flour
• 70 g Valrhona® Andoa Lactée 39% Milk Chocolate, melted

1. Cream the Hay Butter, lecithin and salt in a stand mixer.
2. Add the chestnut flour, T45 flour, baking powder and brown sugar, and mix until sandy.
3. Add the almond flour and melted chocolate and mix just until a dough forms.
4. Roll to 2 mm thick.
5. Cut ring shapes with the cutter provided in the Silkomart® kit. Cut the rings in half to create half-moon shapes.
6. Use the remaining dough to cut 4.3-inch x .8-inch (11 cm x 2 cm) rectangles.
7. Bake at 330°F (165°C) for 5–6 minutes.

Brown Butter Ice Cream

• 51 g cider vinegar
• 200 ml whole milk (3.5%)
• 35 g brown sugar
• 10 g forest honey
• 40 g egg yolks
• 27 g hazelnut butter

1. Reduce the cider vinegar to 5 grams.
2. Make a crème anglaise with the milk, brown sugar, honey and egg yolks.
3. Emulsify with the hazelnut butter and add the reduced vinegar.
4. Process in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s directions.
5. Reserve in the freezer until needed.

Assembly

• Edible chamomile flowers

1. Place the Hay Panna Cotta on the plate.
2. Place a ring of the Apple Gel on top of the panna cotta.
3. Place one piece of the Chestnut Sablé vertically on one side of the panna cotta and another piece horizontally right next to it.
4. Pipe dots of the Apple Gel, Dwarf Pine Namelaka and Chestnut Cream on the dessert, placing most of the dots on the sablé.
5. Top with a quenelle of the Brown Butter Ice Cream.
6. Pour a small amount of the warm Chestnut Sauce in the groove of the panna cotta.
7. Garnish with a Chestnut Tuile, edible chamomile flowers and a dusting of the Hay Powder.

Photos by Philipp Wirthensohn @Phils_cookery

(This recipe appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)