ZERO GEORGE TRES LECHES WITH FRESH YOUNG COCONUT & HONEYCOMB CANDY

Courtesy of Chef Vinson Petrillo, Zero Restaurant

My favorite chef in Charleston, Chef Vinson Petrillo, heads Zero Restaurant in the elegant boutique hotel, Zero George. His dishes are inventive and gorgeous, and the service is impeccable. He was generous not only to share his heavenly tres leches recipe with me, but with you, through my site. I love making this for dinner parties because it’s unique and you can prepare it the day before.

HONEYCOMB CANDY:

1 cup cane sugar

1/4 cup corn syrup

2 tablespoons clover honey

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons baking soda

Candy thermometer

CAKE:

6 large eggs, separated

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CREAM TOPPING:

14-ounce can coconut milk

14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup heavy cream

GARNISH:

The white flesh of a fresh young coconut

INSTRUCTIONS:

HONEYCOMB CANDY: Line an 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the sugar and water and shake until sugar is moistened. Add the corn syrup and honey. Turn the heat to medium high, and watch closely as the sugar starts to dissolve and the ingredients start to meld together.

Cook the mixture to 300 degrees, which should take about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the baking soda for about five seconds, and once it has stopped foaming up, immediately pour the mixture onto the parchment paper. Let cool for one hour until hardened, then whack the honeycomb with a knife to break into pieces. This can be made three days in advance. Store the pieces in an airtight container immediately after it cools, otherwise it will soften.

CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually with the mixer running and peak to stiff peaks. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after the addition of each.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. (Do this quickly so the batter does not lose volume.) Add the vanilla. Bake until golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.

CREAM TOPPING: In a blender, combine the coconut milk, condensed milk and heavy cream. Blend on high speed.

Remove the cake from the oven and while still warm, pour the cream mixture over it. Let sit and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

ASSEMBLY: Add two scoops of cake artfully on each individual plate. Garnish with pieces of coconut and sprinkle with pieces of honeycomb candy.

Yields 10 servings.