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Through the Mist
Recipe by Therese Lum
Try this deliciously intricate dish featuring the best of sweet and savoury flavours
- Steps
- Ingredients
Ingredients
Raspberry Gel
Basil Cremeux
Tempered Dark Chocolate Twigs
Chocolate Soil
Vanilla Mousse Mushroom Dome and Stalk
Pistachio Sponge
White Chocolate Coating
Coloured Mirror Glaze
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Steps
- Preheat oven to 165C fan-forced.
- For the Raspberry Gel, place raspberry puree and lemon juice into a medium saucepan and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix sugar and agar agar together. Add to the raspberry mixture and place saucepan over medium-low heat. Boil for about 2 minutes stirring the mixture constantly.
- Remove from the heat and pour through a fine sieve into a medium shallow tray. Tilt the tray to allow mixture to spread thinly across the whole surface. Allow to set for 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer the jelly into a small hand blender and blend until the mixture is smooth.
- Pour raspberry gel into six 35mm x 55mm x 60mm silicone dariole mould. Place in freezer until set, about 3-4 hours.
- For the Basil Cremeux, bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a small bowl.
- Blanch basil leaves for 10 seconds until bright green. Remove leaves with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice bath. Once ice cold, strain through a sieve and squeeze out excess water using several sheets of paper towel.
- Combine milk and cream in a small saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and add to the saucepan along with vanilla bean. Bring mixture to simmer then remove from the heat.
- Place egg yolks, sugar and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Discard vanilla bean then gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to the saucepan and stir over low heat until mixture reaches 80C.
- Remove from the heat and pour into the canister of a stick blender. Add the drained bloomed gelatine and basil leaves. Process with a stick blender until smooth and combined.
- Pass through a fine sieve into a jug then pour into six 40mm silicone dome moulds and place into freezer until solid, about 3-4 hours.
- For the Chocolate Twigs, place the chocolate into a plastic microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts until the chocolate is 75% melted. Remove from the microwave and stir until completely melted then transfer into a piping bag.
- Prepare an ice bath in a medium bowl. Snip the end from the piping bag and pipe chocolate lines over the icy water. Let the chocolate set, then carefully transfer to a tray lined with paper towels.
- Let twigs dry off slightly, then lightly dust with cocoa powder. Set aside in the fridge.
- For the Chocolate Soil, place almond meal, caster sugar, flour and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined. Add butter and mix to a sandy consistency. Add egg yolk and mix until a soft dough forms.
- Divide the mixture between 2 bowls. Mix cocoa powder into one bowl and matcha powder into the other bowl.
- Roll each out between 2 sheets of baking paper. Place onto trays and remove the top layer of baking paper. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool then break into shards and crumble in small a large crumbs. Set aside in an airtight container.
- Once the Raspberry Gel and Basil Cremeux is frozen, prepare Vanilla Mousse for the dome and stalk. Combine milk, 60ml cream and scraped vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Remove from the heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolk, caster sugar, cornflour and salt until pale and creamy. Discard the vanilla bean then gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to the saucepan and stir until mixture reaches 80C.
- Strain mixture through a fine sieve and add whisk in gelatine until dissolved. Set aside to cool.
- Whip remaining 160ml cream to soft peaks, and fold through cooled custard mixture.
- Pour vanilla mouse into six 60mm wide dome silicone moulds until halfway and place a small dome of frozen basil cremeux in the centre. Cover with a little more vanilla mousse and level the surface.
- For the mushroom stalk, unmould frozen raspberry gel. Trim the gel so that it is a little narrower. Pour vanilla mouse into the silicone dariole mould until halfway. Place a trimmed frozen raspberry gel into the centre. Cover with a little more vanilla mousse and smooth the top of the surface.
- Transfer filled dome and dariole mould in freezer to set, about 3-4 hours.
- For the Pistachio Sponge, place all ingredients into the canister of a stick blender and process until combined.
- Strain into a siphon gun and charge twice with NO2.
- Puncture the base of 2 disposable coffee cups with a few holes. Dispense the sponge mixture from the syphon gun until cup is half full. Cook one at a time in the microwave for 45 seconds. Once cooked set upside down onto a wire rack to cool. Remove the sponge from the cups and place into an airtight container until required.
- Once mousse is frozen in the dome and dariole moulds, prepare the white chocolate mushroom coating. Melt the white chocolate and cocoa butter in a double boiler until temperature is 35-40C. Remove from the heat and pour mixture into a small canister. Allow to cool slightly.
- Remove domes from silicone mould which has been setting in the freezer. Working quickly, use a pastry brush to brush white chocolate onto the flat surface of each dome. Return to the freezer to set.Unmould mushroom stalk from silicone mould which has been setting in the freezer. Push a skewer into the flat side of each stalk and then fully submerge into the chocolate stalk coating. Working quickly, use a firm pastry brush to create brush strokes in the chocolate lines to resemble the stem of a mushroom. Allow to set. Repeat with remaining stalks.
- Using a clean dry pastry brush, brush coated stalks with cocoa powder. Remove skewers and seal the hole with a clean finger. Set aside, flat side down, onto a sheet of baking paper.
- For the White Chocolate Mushroom Coating, melt white chocolate and cocoa butter in a double boiler until temperature is 35-40C. Remove from the heat and pour mixture into a small canister. Allow to cool slightly.
- Unmould mushroom dome from silicone mould which has been setting in the freezer. Working quickly, use a pastry brush to brush white chocolate onto the bottom of each dome. Repeat with remaining domes.
- Unmould mushroom stalk from silicone mould which has been setting in the freezer. Push a skewer into the flat side of each stalk and then fully submerge into the chocolate stalk coating. Working quickly, use a firm pastry brush to create brush strokes in the chocolate lines to resemble the stem of a mushroom. Allow to set. Repeat with remaining stalks.
- Using a clean dry pastry brush, brush coated stalks with cocoa powder. Remove skewers and seal the hole with a clean finger. Set aside, flat side down, onto a sheet of baking paper.
- For the Coloured Glaze, bloom gelatine in cold water. Sprinkle gelatine over cold water and set aside until a gel forms.
- Bring 75g water, caster sugar, condensed milk and vanilla in a saucepan over low heat to a gentle simmer. Turn off heat and stir through bloomed gelatine.
- Transfer white chocolate to a medium bowl. Pour sugar mixture over the white chocolate through a sieve to remove any lumps. Stir white chocolate until it is melted and mixture is incorporated together, about 5-10 minutes.
- Fully submerge a stick blender into the chocolate liquid to avoid introducing air bubbles. Blend until smooth and homogenous. Add in a few drops of brown gel food colouring to achieve desired mushroom colour and process until evenly combined.
- Allow glaze to cool to 28C, stirring occasionally to prevent a film from forming on the surface.
- Unmould frozen domes and place chocolate side down onto a 4 cm round cutter, on a wire rack set over a tray. Pour mirror glaze over the domes, making sure all surface is covered. Set aside in the fridge. Once glaze has set, trim excess with a sharp paring knife.
- To serve, gently re-melt a little of the melted white chocolate coating and spoon into the centre of each plate. Place a Mushroom Stalk on top, flat side down and dot with a little melted coating. Top with a glazed dome, flat side down. Spoon the soils around the mushrooms, and sprinkle some on top of the glazed mushroom. Arrange some torn pieces of pistachio sponge. Arrange chocolate twigs around the mushroom and garnish with some micro basil leaves.
