Instructions

First make the cocoa polenta. Dissolve the cocoa in the milk in a pot and add the water. Boil the water, and when it has reached a rolling boil, pour in the cornmeal, stirring to avoid lumps and let it cook (the cooking time of the cornmeal can vary from a few minutes for the pre-cooked kind to 50 minutes for the classic kind. It’s up to you to decide). Polenta is like a risotto. It needs to be stirred constantly. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, brush with a little olive oil and spread polenta with a wet spatula to make a uniform half a centimeter layer. You can also cover it with lightly-oiled foil and roll it out with a rolling pin to give you the thickness you need. Let cool. it makes 4-6 regular rectangles.

Now prepare the foam. Bring milk and cream to 140°F (60 °C). Add the aged Pecorino Toscano PDO – stirring constantly – bring the mixture to 176°F (80 ° C). Put a siphon inside it (compounds that can handle heat) and let it sit. Now all that’s left is the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin into half a centimeter cubes. Heat the extra virgin olive oil with chili in a pan on low heat. Add the pumpkin, and salt. Brown for 2 minutes then add sugar and balsamic vinegar. Let it caramelize for 1-2 minutes and then turn off the heat.

Now it’s time to assemble it on a dish. Put the polenta sticks under a hot grill for 3 minutes until you get a delicious crust. Then load the siphon and cover the crust with a generous portion of Pecorino Toscano PDO mousse. Add the spicy diced pumpkin. Finish off each piece of polenta with 3/4 petals Pecorino Toscano PDO and sprinkle with lightly-grated cocoa beans.