The coupe brésilienne recipe
for your table
Make the brésilienne first. Briefly roast 40 grams of hazelnuts in a dry pan until fragrant, sprinkle a generous tablespoon of sugar over them, and let it melt over medium heat without stirring. Shake the pan occasionally so the nuts become coated in caramel all around, and remove it from the heat as soon as the sugar is golden brown.
Immediately pour the mixture onto a sheet of baking paper and spread it into a thin layer with the back of a spoon. Let it cool completely, then chop it coarsely. Spread out, the caramel cools and hardens quickly; in a heap, it stays warm and becomes chewy instead of crisp.
Whip the cream until softly whipped and leave out the sugar, because the ice cream and caramel already provide enough sweetness. Place the coupes in the freezer half an hour before serving and leave the ice cream there until the last moment.
Scoop the three balls into the chilled coupe, pour the coffee liqueur over the ice cream, and top with the whipped cream. Sprinkle the brésilienne over it at the table. This isn’t a matter of style: in the refrigerator or on the ice cream, the caramel draws in moisture and the nuts soften within ten minutes.
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The story
Every Dutch ice cream parlor knows the coupe brésilienne, and almost no one can say where that word comes from. It is neither a flavor nor an indication of origin: brésilienne is the name of the nut mixture itself, caramelized hazelnut or almond pieces sprinkled over cream pastries and ice cream in pastry-making. So the idea that the name refers to Brazil is incorrect, and anyone ordering a coupe brésilienne gets vanilla with nuts, not coffee ice cream. Exactly how the name became attached to that mixture is unclear, and the stories vary. It still appears on menus alongside the dame blanche and the advocaat coupe, which is exactly the family it belongs to.
The right glass
A coupe brésilienne belongs in a wide footed coupe, and that is not a matter of taste but simple arithmetic. The nuts need to be able to fall across the entire surface, because the crunchy layer on top is what this dessert is all about. In a narrow, tall glass, half of them land against the sides and the rest slide down past the scoops, leaving you to eat the last spoonful without any nuts. A wide bowl also gives you room to place the three scoops next to one another instead of on top of each other, with the whipped cream between them. The stem keeps your hand away from the bowl, so the ice cream does not start melting from underneath, and raises the coupe high enough to slide a long spoon underneath. According to the description, the first coupe below is a wide, shallow, footed coupe with a capacity of 28 cl, with room for an ice cream dessert with sauce, chopped nuts, and a wafer alongside it. The second is made of French pressed glass, holds 26 cl, and has a wavy rim and faceted relief on a short, sturdy stem; it is slightly smaller, so two scoops work better than three. More models can be found among the dessert glasses.
Royal Leerdam Fun 4 Food Ice Cream Coupe 28 cl Primavera (6 pieces)
La Rochère Venus Ice Cream Coupe 26 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 67,90.
The right tools
For a coupe brésilienne, alongside the glass you use a jigger to measure the two centiliters of liqueur precisely and a long bar spoon to arrange the scoops at the bottom of the coupe. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you'll find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 51,85.
What will you pour alongside it?
The splash poured over the ice cream is coffee liqueur: Kahlúa or Tia Maria, both dark and sweet. For an alcohol-free version, pour a shot of espresso over the scoops, just like with an affogato. Of the bottles alongside it, amaretto and cognac pair well with the roasted nut. On each drink page, you can read the ABV, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Almond works perfectly instead of hazelnut and is just as common in pastry-making: almond is sweeter and softer, while hazelnut is firmer and more roasted, and a 50/50 mix works too. Leave out the liqueur and pour a shot of espresso over it, and you get close to an affogato. Leave out the nuts entirely and pour warm chocolate sauce over it, and it's called a dame blanche. A spoonful of caramel sauce under the scoops carries the caramel from the nuts down through the dessert. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Store the brésilienne in a tightly sealed jar at room temperature, never in the refrigerator: the caramel attracts moisture there and becomes sticky within an hour. Add the last spoonful at the table over the whipped cream, so everyone can hear it crackle. Provide a long-handled spoon, because in a stemmed coupe you cannot reach beneath the scoops with a teaspoon.
Good to know
What brésilienne actually is
Brésilienne is the nut mixture, not the flavor of the coupe. It consists of finely chopped hazelnuts or almonds caramelized in melted sugar, spread out to cool, and then broken into coarse pieces. In pastry-making, you sprinkle it over whipped-cream pastries, chocolate éclairs and ice cream. So the coupe is named after its topping, just as a dame blanche is named after its chocolate sauce. The dessert has nothing to do with Brazil, even though the name sounds that way.
Hazelnut or almond
Both are common, and you can taste the difference clearly. Hazelnut is firmer, slightly bitter and distinctly roasted; it goes well with coffee liqueur and espresso. Almond is softer and sweeter and leans toward marzipan, which pairs nicely with amaretto. Half and half gives you both. Toast the nuts in a dry pan until fragrant before adding the sugar, because they will not brown further in the caramel.
Making caramel yourself: where it goes wrong
At three points. Stirring as soon as the sugar has melted, causing it to crystallize again: only shake the pan. Cooking it too long, causing the caramel to go beyond golden brown and turn bitter: take the pan off the heat earlier than you think, because it continues cooking. And leaving the mixture in a pile, causing it to stay warm inside and become tough: spread it out immediately on baking paper, never on a plate or in a bowl.
Why the nuts are added at the last moment
Caramel attracts moisture. On cold ice or in the refrigerator, the pieces become soft and sticky within ten minutes, and then that very element you made them for is gone. So sprinkle them at the table over the whipped cream instead of directly onto the ice, because the dry cream keeps them crisp for a few minutes longer. Store any leftovers in a sealed jar at room temperature.
Kahlúa, Tia Maria or espresso
The two coffee liqueurs you find in most bars are Kahlúa and Tia Maria; both are dark and sweet and pair well with the caramel. Allow for two centiliters per coupe, poured directly over the ice. If you want no alcohol, use a shot of strong espresso: it provides the same bitter counterpoint but melts the ice faster, so pour it at the table.
The difference between a dame blanche and an affogato
All three are based on vanilla ice cream. A dame blanche is topped with warm chocolate sauce, a coupe brésilienne with caramelized nuts, and an affogato with nothing but a shot of hot espresso over one scoop. The first two are served with whipped cream in a coupe, while an affogato is served in a small glass and eaten or spooned up immediately.
Frequently asked questions
What does brésilienne mean?
Brésilienne is the name of the nut mixture: caramelized hazelnut or almond pieces sprinkled over pastries and ice cream in pastry-making. The word therefore says nothing about Brazil and nothing about the flavor of the ice cream. A coupe brésilienne is simply vanilla ice cream with that mixture, whipped cream, and usually a splash of coffee liqueur.
How do you make brésilienne yourself?
Briefly roast hazelnuts in a dry pan, sprinkle sugar over them, and let it melt without stirring until golden brown. Shake the pan so the nuts are coated in caramel all around, tip everything onto baking paper, and spread it into a thin layer. Let it cool completely, then chop it coarsely. In a pile, the caramel stays warm and becomes chewy; spread out, it becomes hard and crunchy.
What is the difference between a coupe brésilienne and a dame blanche?
The topping. Both consist of vanilla ice cream with whipped cream in a coupe. A dame blanche is topped with warm chocolate sauce, while a coupe brésilienne has caramelized hazelnut or almond pieces and often a splash of coffee liqueur. The same base, a different layer on top, and that is where each of their names comes from.
Which glass do you use for a coupe brésilienne?
A wide stemmed coupe holding approximately 25 to 30 centiliters. It should be wide so the nuts stay spread across the entire surface rather than sinking along the scoops, and stemmed so you hold the glass by the stem and the ice cream does not melt from underneath. Stick to clear glass: the layers of cream and nuts should be visible.
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