Tippling Club
As a master of cutting-edge cuisine, it’s no surprise that innovative celebrity Chef Ryan Clift has created something totally unidentifiable yet intriguingly scrumptious. The simple-looking “Atra Aero” dessert doesn’t look particularly impressive, but if you’ve ever tried the avant-garde creations from this kitchen superstar, then you know that it is anything but bland.
The dessert is made by mixing a dark beer with a rich, caramelised white chocolate – an unexpected combination indeed. But what is even more unexpected is the complexity of these two ingredients when they work in unison. Chef Ryan has used some of his coolest gadgets to whip these ingredients together, making the combined flavour totally unique. A hint of banana here, a smidgen of vanilla there. All with a tongue-tingling bubbly texture reminiscent of the famous Aero chocolate bar. (www.tipplingclub.com)
Chef Story: Ryan Clift
“This dessert came about when we did some really cool work with an artisan brewery in Treviso, Italy – a beer brand called 32 Via Dei Birrai. The beers are designed to go very specifically with food, but some dishes actually use this beer as part of their recipes. Obviously this isn’t uncommon, but these beers are very specific in their flavours so they are particularly challenging when used for cooking. So it took a lot of experimenting before the Atra Aero was finally born.
We use just two ingredients on the plate: dark beer and caramelised white chocolate. The dark beer is dehydrated to make a dark beer meringue, then we make a gel of white chocolate and beer for the base to add a creamy texture. Next, we place the beer and chocolate into a special vacuum that allows us to freeze the mixture complete with bubbles. When it is served, it looks like a massive cube of air – it really freaks people out.
When you eat it, there isn’t much to it, which is kind of fun. But at the same time, the combination of the two ingredients creates a whole new flavour. As a surprise to both us and the diners, there is a subtle note of banana – the kind of synthetic banana taste that you might find in a lolly. Who knew that dark beer and caramelised white chocolate could transform into something so different?”
