Strawberry and Elderflower

In the springtime elderflowers cover Arrowtown in the South Island, this along with new season strawberries are the perfect match.

If you find an elderflower bush in the garden centre, buy it! The flowers are so fragrant and the elderberries in the autumn are amazing too. Pairs well with Champagne

Ingredients

 

Parfait for 20cm square frame

180g sugar
80g water
10 egg yolks
4 sheets gelatine (bloomed)
5g Vanilla paste
1 lime zested
½ orange zest
500g cream

Strawberry and Elderflower consommé

1kg strawberries
250g elderflower (includes stalks)
160g sugar
Pinch citric acid

Meringue

240g egg white
600g icing sugar
10g lemon juice

Lemon balm oil

Large handful of fresh Lemon balm
200mls grapeseed oil

Sugar Syrup base

750g water
300g sugar
150g dextrose
10g stabilizer
250g elderflower

Strawberry & elderflower sorbet

1kg Fresh strawberries
1kg Dextrose base (recipe above)
2g xanthan gum

Macerated strawberries

500g strawberries

Vegan chocolate mousse

300g silken tofu (room temperature)
125g part dark chocolate, melted
Agave to taste

Directions

Parfait for 20cm square frame

  1. Whip the cream to soft peaks. Put the zests and vanilla on top of whipped cream but don’t mix.
  2. Whisk the yolks in the Kitchenaid. In the meantime, heat the sugar and water to 116 degrees.
  3. Pour the sugar and water slowly into the yolks.
  4. Melt the gelatine in the same pot and add to the yolk mixture.
  5. Whisk on high speed until cool. Fold in cream after you whisk together.
  6. Freeze in a square cake frame.

 

Strawberry and Elderflower consommé

  1. Put everything in a stainless bowl and cook over a pot of boiling water, baine marie style for 1 hour. Strain through a fine sieve.

 

Meringue

  1. Whip all ingredients until soft peaks. Spread out thinly on greaseproof paper and dehydrate at 45℃.

 

Lemon balm oil

  1. Blanch lemon balm for 20 seconds, then refresh in ice water.
  2. Squeeze out the water from the lemon balm and blitz with the oil
  3. Leave to infuse.

 

Sugar Syrup base

  1. Bring all of the ingredients to a boil.
  2. Cool down and then pass.
  3. Leave to cool for the sorbet base.

 

Strawberry & elderflower sorbet

  1. Blitz strawberries in a blender. Add sorbet base.
  2. Emulsify with a pinch of xanthan.
  3. Pass then churn

 

Macerated strawberries

  1. Dice the tops of 500g strawberries and quarter the bottoms. Put in a bowl wrapped in clingfilm with some strawberry consommé, leave for 20 mins.

 

Vegan chocolate mousse

  1. Blitz tofu in blender
  2. Slowly add melted chocolate and agave.
  3. Set in the fridge

 

To Assemble

  1. Cut the parfait into 3cm x 8cm fingers and place on the plate
  2. Place a spoon of silken chocolate mousse next to it.
  3. Garnish with the macerated strawberries over the chocolate.
  4. Spoon some strawberry and elderflower sorbet on to the macerated strawberries.
  5. Garnish with the meringue and fresh elderflowers.
  6. Pour the consommé over the top to serve.

Latest Stories

Ben experiences the art of cheese making. He learns about the provenance of the onion and meets a capsicum producer.
Ben meets a Gin maker, an Italian chacutier and celebrates a wine maker committed to sustainable farming.
Ben checks out a sustainably farmed Green Shell Mussel Farm and visits a peanut butter factory.