New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based chef Dave Verheul rose through the ranks cooking under Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing at London’s Savoy Grill, then later launched Melbourne wine bar The Town Mouse with business partner Christian McCabe. The pair went on to open Embla, which quickly became one of the city’s essential dining destinations.
Known for its pairing of innovative woodfired dishes with dynamic wines, Embla was even on Barack and Michelle Obama’s dining itinerary on their visit to Australia last year.
Now comes Verheul’s debut cookbook, On Sundays: Long Lunches Through the Seasons, which offers 16 lunch menus tailored to the most relaxed day of the week. In it, you’ll find this brilliant mash-up of a classic tiramisu and a beloved chocolate ripple cake.
“It’s bogan meets Italy,” he writes. “Kind of like driving through Portofino in a VL Commodore, with just as much impact.”
If you want to enjoy this on a relaxing Sunday, Verheul notes: “Get this into the fridge the day before so it has time to do its thing.”
Dave Verheul’s choccy ripple-misu (aka “The Rippa”)
Serves 4
Preparation time: 1 hour, plus resting time
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Ingredients
Chocolate biscuit
150g unsalted butter, softened
300g sugar
1 egg
200g plain (all-purpose) flour
80g cocoa
20g instant freeze-dried coffee powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
Marsala caramel
250g Marsala, plus 25g extra
200g sugar
900g espresso, plus 25g extra
Mascarpone mousse
5 egg yolks
5g gelatine
200g sugar
50g Marsala
Egg whites
5 egg whites
90g sugar
Cream
300g cream
600g mascarpone
50g Marsala
To finish
Cocoa powder, for dusting
Method
To make the chocolate biscuit, preheat a fan-forced oven to 160°C. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and whip until the mix has a creamy consistency. Add the egg and beat until combined. Sieve all of the dry ingredients and add to the mixer bowl, then slowly beat until fully combined. At this point you will need to decide what container you are going to build this in. Divide the dough into four, then roll each piece out to the same size and shape of the final serving dish. The dough needs to be 4mm thick when uncooked. Bake the biscuits on a baking tray lined with baking paper for 6 minutes, then remove to cool.
To make the Marsala caramel, place all three ingredients in a small pot and stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil and skim well. Cook over a medium heat until it has reduced down to a thick caramel consistency, then freshen with the extra measures of Marsala and coffee. Chill.
To make mascarpone mousse, place the yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Place the gelatine sheet in a small metal bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to bloom for 5 minutes, then drain off the water. Place the sugar and 100g water in a small pot and warm over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Turn the mixer to high speed and turn the heat up on the pot. Cook the sugar to 117°C, then slowly pour into the mixer while it is running. Once you have all the sugar in there, knock the speed back to medium. Put the bowl of gelatine over a low flame until it dissolves, then slowly pour into the yolk mix with the Marsala. Turn to low while you make the rest.
For the egg whites, whip the whites to soft peaks while slowly adding the sugar using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or by hand. For the cream, add everything to a bowl and whip to soft peaks. When you have prepared all the elements, very gently fold the mascarpone into the yolk mix, then finally the whites into the rest. Season with more Marsala if needed.
Grab your final dish. Working in layers, start with a layer of mousse, then drizzle the caramel over, then add the biscuit. Repeat until you finish with a layer of the mousse, then chill for a minimum of 4 hours so that the mousse sets and the biscuits hydrate slightly. When you’re ready to serve, dust with good-quality cocoa.
This is an edited extract from On Sundays: Long Lunches Through the Seasons by Dave Verheul, published by Hardie Grant Books, $55, available now.
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