Sometimes I think I am in over my head asking chefs for their recipes. Last week I had a dream that I asked Gordon Ramsay for his Caesar Salad recipe and he screamed at me. He said there was no way he was going to give it to me and I should just wait for the release of his next book where I could find it! I swear, I woke up in a sweat and my heart racing.
Howard from Eat Show and Tell and another friend had Dared Me to get Sepia‘s famous Mango and Vanilla Weiss Bar and so I approached the restaurant for the recipe. I made contact with Vicki Wild not only who manages the front of house but is also partner to Head Chef, Martin Benn. I thought, if anyone could charm Chef Benn into parting with such a coveted recipe, it would be her. And luckily, Vicki Wild is much more charming and accommodating than Gordon Ramsay.
Sepia is a two hat restaurant in Sydney run by Martin Benn, Vicki and George Costi of De Costi Seafood. Martin also has the distinction of winning the prestigious Chef of The Year for 2011 from the Good Food Guide Awards. It’s also worth noting that Martin was also once head chef at Tetsuya Restaurant. So you can imagine, that the calibre of desserts that they serve is enough to make someone like me panic at the thought of recreating one of them.
There are no less than six components to this dessert and the recipe also calls for the use of fancy gadgets like a thermomix and a pacojet. But luckily, a food processor and ice cream maker will do just fine. I have written down the recipe as it was originally given to me but have put in bold font when I have changed something to suit the equipment I have. I have also halved the recipe and used individual cylindrical stainless steel molds.
Would it be too melodramatic if I told you it looked and tasted like summer? A refreshing sorbet paired with an unbelievably creamy vanilla ice cream a top a macadamia sable and finally topped with poached pineapples and lime air – it is indeed a beautiful dessert. Lovely to look at and even better to devour!
Thank you very much to Vicki Wild and Martin Benn for providing me with the recipe.
Chef Martin Benn – Sepia
Mango and Vanilla Weiss Bar
For the Mango Sorbet:
1000g Mango Puree (I used Boiron Fruit Puree)
200g Sugar Syrup
200g Glucose
1-2 Lemons, juiced (to taste)
Method:
Combine all the ingredients together and then pour into a Paco jet container.
Freeze for 24 hours and then process in the Paco Jet.
Leave in the freezer until required.
For the syrup, mix equal quantities sugar and water (100 grams sugar and 100 grams water and bring to a boil to dissolve sugar, remove from heat and cool). To make the sorbet I combined the above ingredients, poured over an ice cube tray, and froze. Then I used the thermomix to create the sorbet (20 seconds on speed 10, use the spatula to assist).
For the Vanilla Ice-Cream:
2 L Milk
2 Vanilla Beans scrapped
400g Sugar
400g Sugar
720g Yolks
1200g Cream @35%
Method:
Make the ice cream base as you would a normal Analgise.
Bring the milk, first 400g of sugar and vanilla to the boil.
In the meantime cream together the remaining amount of sugar and egg yolks.
Slowly add in the boiled milk and whisk to combine.
Bring the egg mixture to 80c to cook out, allow the mixture to cool over an ice bath.
Once cold add in the cream and then pour the custard into Paco containers and freeze for 24 hours. (Once cold, churn the ice cream as per your ice cream maker’s instructions)
Process in the Paco jet and then return to the freezer until ready for use.
For the Macadamia Sable:
44g Macadamia Nuts, toasted
76g Plain Flour
36g Icing Sugar
44g Butter, cold, diced
30g Olive Oil
Blend macadamia nuts in Thermo mix until quite fine. (You can use a food processor)
Combine flour, sugar and butter and mix until a sandy consistency.
Spread the macadamia crumb out on a tray.
Bake @160’C until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow the crumb to cool.
Blend in the Thermo mix with the olive oil until it comes together.
To Make the Weiss Bars:
Spread out the sable mix into 30 x 20cm lined trays about 5mm thick and freeze.
Once frozen add in a layer of the vanilla ice cream and freeze again.
Follow this with a layer of the mango sorbet and freeze again.
Once well frozen turn out the Weiss and cut into 5cm x 20cm bars.
Place back in the freezer until required.
For the Lime Air:
400ml Sugar Syrup @100%
200ml Lime Juice
50ml Yuzu Juice
350ml Water
4g Lecithin
Method:
Mix all the ingredients in a cylinder and then blend with a hand blender to foam the bubbles.
Lemon Sherbet
6 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Citric Acid
½ tsp Bi Carb Soda
Powdered Dried Lemon Zest to taste
Poached Pineapple
150ml Sugar Syrup @ 100%
80ml White Wine
Mint Sprigs
Peel the skin off of the pineapple and cut into ¼ s and remove the core.
Shave the pineapple on a slicer very thinly.
Poach the slices in the syrup and leave to cool until required.
To Finish the Weiss:
Make a line with the sherbet at the base of the plate.
Place a bar of the Weiss in the centre of the plate.
Drain the poached pineapple and place on top of the Weiss.
Using a hand blender, blend the lime foam until light and airy.
Spoon the air on top of the Weiss bar and then finish with Nasturtium Petals.
© COPYRIGHT MARTIN BENN
If you’re looking for a recipe that you really love – then dare me to find it for you. Just drop me an email or a comment at the end of this post and I’ll turn your craving into a fun challenge and get you that coveted recipe!
Well done Trissa, it looks like Summer 🙂
wow, i’m really impressed…..i don’t think i could find time to make anything.it is a lot of work , i hope i could taste it.
Wowow…the flowers with the mango make such a stunning presentation. I’m in awe of this dessert. Hope I get to try that restaurant one day :).
You are amazing, Trissa! Seriously. That dessert looks so beautiful and delicious.
that is SO very pretty, trissa! seems like a lot of steps involved, but dang–it’s gotta be worth it!
I really enjoyed this dish when I dined at Sepia, the mango weiss is such a classic dessert. Y from Lemonpi as a dessert chef will definitely be missed.
This is amazing Trissa, thanks for answering the challenge! You did a great job, looks fantastic. Excellent to have the recipe on hand when I am up for making it, but I might leave it to Linda instead 🙂
OH MY, Trissa! I cannot wait until you do the Heston Blumenthal’s Black Forest Cake for me. This is definitely a keeper. I appreciate you breaking down the recipe and making it “doable”. I cannot wait to try this one.
XO
Valerie
(However…. it is summer there, and winter here – so it will wait!)
How beautiful!! This looks really tempting, well done!
Galing naman! this mango weiss bar looks fantastic!
This absolutely beautiful and, I have to agree, summer on a plate!
I think we can certainly agree that it looks like summer, I wish I could have an experience to comment if it tastes that way also…
it’s gorgeous! love sorbet. hey, I won’t be surprised if one day, you persuaded gordan ramsay to give you his recipe given your charm and wit 😉
Oh Trissa, this is just wonderful! I think it would be the perfect summer dessert!
Amazing work – and after reading the recipe the closest ill ever get to making it is buying a weiss bar and smashing it into a ramekin. You are my dessert hero!
Oh wowwww!! Just as good as the restaurant ones! Now if only I could taste it mmm
I love these bars! They used to have a coffee macadamia one that was so delicious! I’m saving this recipe for summer!
I’m very impressed you could go up to them and ask for the recipe! Very daring and congrats you got it! I’ve got a ref full of mangoes and that’s what I’ll do if kids don’t finish them on time 😉
LOL! Only you could ask a 2 hat restaurant for a recipe and get it!!!!! And what a splendid job you did of recreating this Trissa…I think Weiss have some new competition on their hands!
Hey Trissa, Your mango Weiss bar looks even prettier than Sepia’s. I just wish I could have a taste of it to have a proper comparison!
Dreams of Gordon Ramsay…..and a stunning dessert to follow. That’s the life and times of a real foodie. I love the flower decoration and you know the mantra I live by? ‘ Ask, you just might get it, don’t ask and you’ll never get it’. Well done.
looks beautiful Trissa
Everything looks great. This is a must do recipe for me.
Oh wow!!!!!! Delicious and gorgeous! I am a Toowoomba girl – Toowoomba is the home of the Weiss fruit bar, so this one is close to my heart.
I’ve been eating mangoes lately like there’s no tomorrow and this dessert looks so delicious right now! That looks so professional and perfect Trissa!
Oh wow that mango Weiss bar looks elegant and sounds luscious! I wish I could create anything this beautiful in my kitchen 🙂
This is so beautiful! I bet it tastes amazing, too! How do people come up with this?? Thanks for scoring the recipe – I love your presentation 🙂
Wow! Amazing recipe! Amazing execution! I don’t think you exaggerate when you say it tasted like summer, because it sure looked it!
What an absolutely gorgeous dessert. So glad you got dared as I adore mangoes. I’ll have to save an entire weekend to making this, but I am sure the result will be worth all the time.
yummmm!! it looks soo yummy!
Hey, nice score! Recipes like that are usually trade secrets. Did you make that one? The one in the picture? It looks really nice!
@ Marvin – yes I made it myself!
Yep, I think Gordon Ramsay might bite your head off LOL.
This turned out to be a stunning desert. The Nasturtium petals on the top really make it look over the top divine daaaaahling.
*kisses* HH
Wow Trissa, I’m impressed – you’ve got a real winner here. I can imagine it would taste like summer too.
Trissa, great recipe for summer ( if it stops raining…) and nice photos too; love the flowers 🙂
Dario
This sounds like an amazing recipe!
Something tells me my lazy arse would find it easier to walk up to the corner shop & buy the packet variety. Not that this isn’t a stunning and elegant version. Trissa, I’m in awe
Hi Trissa!! This is one of my most favourite dessert. I’ve been dying to make it. Thank you so much for daring enough to ask Martin for the recipe. I look forward to making it for summer. By the way, your version gives Sepia’s a run for their money.
Trissa this is so incredible! I haven’t been lucky enough to have this dessert at Sepia but the ones I did have were amazing so I can just imagine how good it is. Beautiful!
All hail the queen of getting recipes from top chefs. Sepia is on the list of restaurants to try, mainly for the irresisible desserts but fthe mean time I’ll just have to make this myself. Thanks so much Trissa for getting this recipe. It looks bloody awesome!
Aw, this mango weiss bar is like an artist masterpiece. I’m amazed with the blending of lovely yellow and white colours. It’s got a touch of festive mood too.
Btw, did I read it right? “Martin also has the distinction of winning the prestigious Chef of The Year for 2011 from the Good Food Guide Awards.”? It’s still 2010, right?
@Christine – yes 2011! 🙂