BERRY MONTAGE

Technique: SPHERIFICATION, GELIFICATION 
Food additives: CALCIUM LACTATE, SODIUM LAGINATE, AGAR-AGAR

INDGREDIENTS 

  • a few currants 
  • a few blueberries
  • 2/3 cup (170 ml) almond liqueur
  • 2 cup (500 ml) water
  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) CALCIUM LACTATE
  • 1 sachet (2 g) SODIUM LAGINATE
  • 2 cups (500 ml) raspberries 
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar
  • 1/2 lemon 
  • 1/2 orange 
  • 1 tbs (15 ml) lemon juice
  • 10 basil leaves 
  • 1 sachet (2 g) AGAR-AGAR
  • sunflower shoots to taste 
  • mache to taste 
  • olive oil to taste 
  • zest to taste 
  • cheese to taste 
  • croutons to taste 

DIRECTIONS 

ALMOND LIQUEUR SPHERES 

Warm up 1 tbs (15 ml) of water and combine with calcium lactate. Stir until the calcium lactate is fully diluted, then combine with almond liqueur. Place currants and blueberries in small, demi-spherical molds (1 piece of fruit per mold). 
Pour mixture into prepared molds and let sit in the freezer for 1 hour or until the spheres are frozen. (While you wait, make raspberry & basil jam.)
In a rectangular, flat-bottomed bowl and using a hand blender, dissolve sodium alginate in the remaining water. Let sit for 15 minutes, then warm briefly in a microwave oven. 
Unmold frozen liqueur spheres in alginate bath. Let sit for 3 minutes while gently stirring once in a while to prevent the spheres from touching.  
Fill a medium-sized bowl with water. Using a slotted spoon, delicately collect the spheres and briefly rinse them in the water, then remove excess water from each sphere by applying a piece of paper towel on the bottom of the spoon. Reserve.

RASPBERRY & BASIL JAM

First, zest lemon and orange (you will not need the actual fruit) save about a teaspoon’s worth (5 ml) for the next part of the recipe and use the rest in this section. 
In a pot, bring all ingredients except for the basil to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Finely chop basil while you wait. After 10 minutes, remove from heat, add in basil and blend with a hand blender until homogenous. Sprinkle in agar-agar and blend for 5 more seconds, then put back on the heat, bring to a boil and remove from heat immediately.
Pour mixture into small plastic containers or molds and refrigerate for 20 minutes, then unmold.

ASSEMBLY 

Serve jam on a bed of shoots, mâche and zest with a drizzle of olive oil. Top with a liqueur sphere. Serve alongside a cheese platter and croutons.

 

 

PRODUCTS USED TO CREATE THIS RECIPE

BERRY MONTAGE