Intro:
Method:
Passionfruit Insert:
1. Let’s begin with the very core of the dessert the liquid insert. Ideally you want to make this a day or two before as it needs time to freeze. In a small pan add 120ml passionfruit puree, 50ml water and 80g of sugar. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves. Now add 5g of agar agar and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and place to one side to cool.
2. Whilst the liquid is cooling, remove the seeds from two passionfruit and place into a bowl. Finely bruniose (small dice) 1 mango and mix into the passionfruit seeds. Mix well then when the passionfruit liquid has cooled add to the chopped mango and passionfruit seeds and 1 tbsp of olive oil then mix. Now that the insert is ready to go, divide into a small half sphere silicone mould to freeze. Freeze the insert for 4-6 hours or until frozen. The insert can be made way in advance as it will last at least a month frozen.
Passionfruit White choc mousse:
3. While we wait on the passionfruit insert to freeze we can now move onto the mouse. This way of making a mousse is based on a white chocolate ganache that’s stabilised with agar agar then whipped when chilled to soft peaks. Start by creating a ban Marie by placing a pan approximately 1/4 full of hot water onto a medium heat then place a mixing bowl over the top. Add 160g of white chocolate to the bowl and slowly melt, whilst we wait for the chocolate to melt also place 200ml of cream and 100ml coconut milk into a pan and heat to just before boiling point. Add 6g of agar agar to the hot cream and coconut then mix well until the agar is dissolved. Cook the cream for 1 minute on a low heat then remove from the heat.
4. Now to bring the mousse together, in a small but deep plastic container add the melted white chocolate, hot cream, coconut and agar mix, 100ml of chilled cream, 100ml of passionfruit puree and optional yellow food colouring. Use a stick blender to blend taking care not too incorporate too much air into the mousse by keeping the nozzle down. When silky smooth pass the mouse through a fine sieve into a mixing bowl to remove any excess air in the mouse. Chill the moose for at least 4 hours in the fridge. At this point in the recipe we need to wait on the insert to freeze and the mousse to chill before moving onto the next step.
5. When the mousse has chilled it should now be slightly thicker in consistency and we now want to make it more mousse like by whipping. Place into a mixing bowl and whisk until soft peaks are formed. Take care not to over whisk the mousse then use a spatula to add to a large piping bag.
6. Now we are ready to build the spheres, ideally you need to use a large silicone half sphere mould to make the spheres. Start by piping the mousse into each sphere so that they are just above 3/4 of the way full. Smooth out the top by using an offset spatula then add the frozen passionfruit insert directly into the middle of the mousse. Gently press the insert into the mousse so that the entire sphere mould is filled to the top. Clean carefully smooth out the top again by using an offset spatula making sure to leave the insert exposed. When all the spheres are made freeze again until the half spheres are frozen (at least 4 hours).
7. When the half spheres are completely frozen we now need to stick them together to create our spheres. To do this place a dry pan onto the heat and warm through. When hot remove 2 of the half spheres from the mould and place directly into the pan to lightly melt the core. After literally 5 or so seconds, carefully connect the two half spheres together and smooth out the crease by hand. When the spheres are ready freeze again to set.
Coconut soil:
8. The purpose of the soil element is to add texture and an extra layer of coconut. To make the soil begin by melting 40g of white chocolate over a ban marie. Now in a large mixing bowl add 80g of plain flour, 70g white sugar, 40g desiccated coconut, 55g soft unsalted butter and the white chocolate once melted. Mix all the ingredients well until a sand like consistency is made. Place the mix onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and spread the mix out evenly until it becomes roughly 1/2 an inch in thickness. Bake in an oven set at 160°c for 8-10 minutes until the soil becomes crumbly. When cooked place the soil into a bowl and allow to cool.
Mirror Glaze:
9. Last thing to make before finishing the dish is the mirror glaze for the spheres. In a small pan add 170g white sugar, 145ml water and 115g of condensed milk. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and stir continuously until the sugar dissolves. Now add 12g off agar agar and continue to simmer for 1-2 minutes to ensure the agar is incorporated into the liquid. When ready remove from the heat and place into a small but tall plastic container then add 220g of white chocolate. Allow the liquid to sit in the chocolate for 1 minute so that the chocolate melts.
10. Now use a hand blender to blend until smooth and silky taking care not to incorporate too much air into the mirror glaze. When ready pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a fresh container and allow to cool. The temperature of the glaze is crucial for the glaze, therefore, use a thermometer. We want the core temp of the glaze to be between 25-28°c. (It may take a while for the glaze to cool therefore you can use a bowl of ice to speed things up).
11. Now to finally glaze the spheres, when the temperature of the glaze reaches between 25-28°c we are good to go. Use a strong bamboo skewer and insert it into the frozen spheres then dip the sphere into the glaze for a few seconds making sure a good coat of the glaze covers the spheres. When glazed dip the sphere into a bowl of desiccated coconut then cafefully remove the skewer and place onto a wire rack to dry. Repeat this process for each sphere then allow them all to thaw at room temperature.
12. We are now ready to serve, spoon some of the coconut soil into the centre of the plate then place the sphere on top. Grate over some fresh lime zest, grated white chocolate and some yuzu pearls if you can get hold of some. Take a deep breath and nourish! Hope you like this intense but yet incredibly rewarding desert!
Additional notes
This recipe contains many different recipes, therefore, if you do not wish to make the whole sphere then use this recipe as a guide to making chocolate mousse, soil or mirror glaze. I hope you like this recipe and have fun!
