07 Juni 2011

Lemon & Blood Orange Gelée


½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon gelatin
puree from 3 blood oranges or use 150 grams of ravifruit blood orange puree

Combine the sugar, lemon zest, and ¾ cups of water in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool. Stir in the lemon juice. Measure 1/3 cup of water into a small bowl and slowly sprinkle over the gelatin. Place the bowl of gelatin over a small pan of simmering water and heat until melted. Stir into the lemon mixture. Chill the lemon mixture over an ice bath until just beginning to thicken. This will allow the bits of lemon zest to stay suspended in the mixture. Divide the puree along with their juices among 6 ramekins or individual molds and then divide the lemon mixture among them. Refrigerate for about 4 hours, or until set.

Mixed Berry Mousse & Gelée

10 ounces raspberries puree
10 ounces blackberries puree
10 ounces blueberries puree
8 ounces strawberries puree
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 ¾ teaspoons gelatin
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Chambord
1 cup heavy cream

combine all the berry puree.Divide evenly the berrys puree among 2 large bowls.

Stir ¼ cup of the sugar into ½ of the berry puree. Slowly sprinkle 2 ½ teaspoons of the gelatin over ¼ cup of the Chambord. Place the bowl of the gelatin mixture over a small pan of simmering water and heat until melted. Stir into the berry mixture. Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Stir 1/3 of the cream into the berry mixture, then fold in the remaining cream. Divide the mixture among 6 dessert cups. Refrigerate for about an hour, or until set.

Stir the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of Chambord into the remaining ½ of the berry puree. Measure ¼ cup of water into a small bowl and slowly sprinkle over the remaining 2 ¼ teaspoons of gelatin. Place the bowl of gelatin over a small pan of simmering water and heat until melted. Stir into the berry mixture. Divide among the dessert cups. Refrigerate for about an hour, or until set.

Serves 6. Serve topped with additional fresh berries, if desired. Can be made up to a day ahead of time and kept covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Matcha azuki entremet


Chocolate Sponge Cake
160g egg whites
90g castor sugar
80g baking chocolate, chopped
45ml whipping cream
45g cake flour

Beat the egg whites in a standing mixer until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat till stiff peaks. Heat the cream until it boils, remove from heat and pour over chopped chocolate. Stir till smooth. Fold in half of the meringue into the chocolate mixture till well-blended. Fold in the sifted cake flour, followed by the rest of the meringue. Pour into two 8"x8" greased and lined pans and bake at 170°C for 12-15 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache with Red Bean
80g bittersweet chocolate (I used 70% Valrhona)
125ml whipping cream
100g chunky azuki bean paste

Heat the cream until almost boiling and pour it over the chopped chocolate. Stir till smooth.

Matcha Mousse (* start preparing only after step 1 of assembly)
160ml whole milk
10g matcha powder
50g castor sugar
6g gelatin sheets
125ml whipping cream

Soften the gelatin sheets in ice water and set aside. Combine matcha powder and castor sugar and whisk to mix. Heat the milk until it boils, remove from heat and pour over the matcha sugar mixture. Stir till smooth. Add the softened gelatin to the mixture. Stir till the gelatin sheets dissolve. Whip the cream until soft-stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the matcha mixture until combined.

Matcha Whipped Cream (* start preparing only after step 2 of assembly)
200ml whipping cream
20g castor sugar
5g matcha powder

Combine matcha powder and castor sugar. Gradually add the whipping cream and mix with electric mixer on low. When all the cream has been added in, whip on med-high speed until soft-stiff peaks.

Assemble
1.Place one layer of chocolate sponge into the mousse ring and pour the chocolate ganache over it. Spread a layer of chunky azuki bean paste on top and top with the second chocolate sponge layer. Press down to make sure layers are even and there are no "air gaps". Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Pour the matcha mousse over the set chocolate base. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Pour the matcha whipped cream over the matcha mousse. Refridgerate overnight. Dust a layer of icing sugar over the cake, before dusting a layer matcha powder. Slice into individual portions and decorate with mini matcha macarons

Citrus & Caramel Verrines


¾ cup sugar
1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon water
1 orange, cut into 1/8-inch slices
2 ½ teaspoons (1 envelope) gelatin
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¾ cup milk
¾ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon grated Meyer lemon zest
½ vanilla bean
puree from 1 orange
puree from 1 Meyer lemon
puree from 1 grapefruit
puree from 2 tangerines
1 tablespoon orange liqueur, optional

Preheat the oven to 250˚F. Combine 2 tablespoons of the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the water in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Dip the orange slices into the sugar syrup to coat and arrange them about an inch apart on a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for 35 minutes. Using a spatula, turn the slices and bake another 35 to 40 minutes, or until dry but not brown. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Meanwhile, slowly sprinkle 1 ¼ teaspoons of the gelatin over the orange juice. Combine ½ cup of the sugar and 3 tablespoons of the water in a small, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, brush down the sides of the pan with water, and boil for 5 to 6 minutes, or until caramelized. The sugar will be fragrant and a deep amber color when it is caramelized. Remove the pan from the heat and dip the bottom into an ice water bath for a second or two. Slowly stir in the remaining 1 ¼ cups of water. Return the pan to low heat and stir until smooth. Increase the heat to medium and heat to a bare simmer. Whisk in the gelatin mixture and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Chill over an ice bath until just beginning to thicken. Divide the mixture among 6 juice or dessert cups. Refrigerate for about an hour, or until set.

Measure ¼ cup of the milk into a small bowl and slowly sprinkle over the remaining 1 ¼ teaspoons of gelatin. Combine the remaining ½ cup of milk, remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, cream, orange zest, and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add both the pod and the seeds to the pan. Heat to a bare simmer. Whisk in the gelatin mixture and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Chill over an ice bath until just beginning to thicken. Divide among the dessert cups. Refrigerate for about an hour, or until set.

Pomegranate and Honey Yogurt Verrines


Makes 6 Servings

For the Pomegranate Jelly:

2 cups pomegranate juice
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs powdered gelatin
¼ cup cold water
1tbs lemon zest

Pour the water into a small container, sprinkle the gelatin over it and set aside. In a small saucepan set over medium high, heat together the juice and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon zest and remove from the stove. Add the gelatin and stir until it is completely melted. Let cool to room temperature. Divide evenly among glasses and position them at an angle in an empty egg carton. Let set a couple of hours in the fridge.

Honey Yogurt Gelee:

1 ½ tsp gelatin
2 tbs water
2 cups Greek yogurt
½ cup honey

Pour the water into a small container, sprinkle the gelatin over it and set aside. In a small bowl, heat half the yogurt in the microwave for one minute. Microwave the gelatin for 12 seconds. Quickly mix the two together, add the rest of the yogurt and the honey. No need to let it cool, layer it on top of the tea layer and position it at the opposite angle in the egg carton. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.