Taking a detour from the normal Cantonese dishes, I am going to present a dessert this time. Summer is in bloom in New York right now and upstate farmers are peddling extremely fresh produce every Saturday in Union Square Market. So I go there every now and then for inspiration. Just this past weekend, I saw some fresh, plump strawberries that just gush upon pressing them. So I thought, wouldn't it be a great idea to create a strawberry-based dessert to reflect the season?
There are three parts to this dessert, four if you include the fruits as garnish. The steps for each element are broken down below and can be done in no particular order. Assembly instructions are at the very end.
Strawberry Mousse
Ingredients
The following makes 2 mousses of 8 centimeters in diameter:
- 2 tablespoons of gelatin
- 150 grams of strawberries, halved
- 100 grams of sugar
- 120 mL of whipping cream
Procedures
- Place the gelatin in enough whipping cream so that it starts to soften and clump up.
- Puree the strawberries and sugar together on high.
- Strain the pureed strawberries through a fine sieve into a saucepan.
- Combine the softened gelatin with the strained strawberry juice and cook on medium heat until all the gelatin has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Beat the remaining whipping cream with an electric mixer on high, until stiff peaks form.
- Combine the cooked strawberry juice with the whipped cream. Mix well.
- Line a tray with either a Silpat mat or parchment paper. Place the ring molds on top.
- Transfer the mixture in a pastry bag and pipe them into the molds. Refrigerate until set.
Strawberry, Rose, Chrysanthemum Gastrique
Ingredients
The following makes about 300 mL of gastrique:
- 400 grams of strawberries, halved
- 100 grams of sugar
- 15 grams of dried chrysanthemum buds (can purchase at tea shops)
- 30 mL of strawberry liqueur (Crème à la Fraise des Bois)
- 1/2 teaspoon of rose water (can purchase at baking shops)
- 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
Procedures
- First step is to make chrysanthemum tea as this will be the base of the gastrique. Bring 5 cups of water to boil.
- Add in the chrysanthemum and let steep for at least 20 minutes. Strain and preserve the tea.
- Measure out 350 mL of tea and add the sugar and liqueur in. Bring to boil until sugar has dissolved.
- Turn heat to low and add in the strawberries, rose water and balsamic vinegar.
I particularly like this brand of strawberry liqueur for its depth of flavors and without it being too sweet.
- Turn the heat up again until it starts to boil. Once the mixture is boiling, reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer and cook out. This will take around an hour.
- Once the gastrique has thickened, remove from heat and let cool.
- Strain with a fine mesh strainer and preserve the liquid for use.
Milk Crumbs and Malt Crumbs
Ingredients
- 40 grams of milk powder
- 20 grams of all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon of corn starch
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- Sprinkle of salt
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted.
- 20 grams of milk powder.
- 90 grams of white chocolate.
- 50 grams of malt powder (either Ovaltine or Horlicks works. Horlicks is used in this recipe.)
Procedures
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Also line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
- Mix the first five ingredients together and stir to combine.
- Add the melted butter into the mixture. Mix well with a spatula, until large crumbs are formed.
- Spread the crumbs thinly on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Be sure not to brown the crumbs.
- Melt half of the chocolate (45 grams), either with a microwave or bain-marie. If a microwave is used, be sure not to burn the chocolate.
- Place the baked crumbs in a bowl and add in the remainder of the milk powder.
- Add in the melted white chocolate and stir strongly to combine well. Let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to set.
- Set aside 1/4 of the mixture. This is the milk crumbs.
- Melt the other half of the chocolate, either with a microwave or bain-marie.
- Add in the malt powder to the remaining 3/4 of the mixture. Also add the melted chocolate and stir to combine well.
- Let it sit for another 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to set. This is the malt crumbs.
Assembly
Procedures
- Remove the mousse from the ring mold by gently warming the exterior with a blowtorch or hot towel.
- Brush the top of the mousse with the a layer of gastrique.
- Using the flat edge of the knife as a boundary, cover one half of the mousse with milk crumbs, and the other half with malt crumbs.
- Place the mousse in a bowl and decorate the perimeter either with hulled strawberries or lychees. Can even top with edible flowers as an optional garnish.
- Finally, pour in a thin layer of gastrique around the edge, taking care not to disturb the plating. Garnish with flowers as necessary.
Edible flowers used here are phlox and runner beans.