L'Éclipse de Mûre (Smoked...L'Éclipse de Mûre (Smoked Honey Goat Cheese Mousse with Blackberry-Yuzu Gel and Pistachio Sponge)

An avant-garde plated dessert featuring velvety smoked honey goat cheese mousse, vibrant blackberry-yuzu fluid gel, and an ultra-airy microwave pistachio sponge.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Bloom the gelatin sheets in a bowl of ice-cold water for 5-10 minutes until soft. In a small saucepan over low heat, gently warm 50ml of heavy cream with the smoked honey until warm to the touch. Squeeze excess water from the gelatin and whisk it into the warm cream mixture until fully dissolved. Remove from heat.

2. 02

   In a medium bowl, whip the softened goat cheese until smooth and free of lumps. Slowly pour in the warm honey-cream mixture while whisking constantly. In a separate chilled bowl, whip the remaining 150ml of heavy cream to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the goat cheese mixture in three stages. Transfer the mousse to a piping bag, pipe into silicone dome molds, and freeze for at least 2 hours to set completely.

3. 03

   For the blackberry-yuzu gel: In a small saucepan, combine the blackberry puree, yuzu juice, and 30g of superfine sugar. Whisk in the agar-agar. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, and let boil for 1 full minute to activate the agar. Pour onto a shallow tray and refrigerate until completely set and firm (about 20 minutes).

4. 04

   Once the gel is set, chop it roughly and transfer to a high-speed blender. Blend on high until a perfectly smooth, glossy fluid gel forms. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve, transfer to a squeeze bottle or piping bag, and refrigerate until ready to plate.

5. 05

   For the pistachio sponge: Blend the pistachio paste, egg whites, egg yolks, remaining 30g of sugar, and flour in a blender until completely smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, then pour into an iSi whipping siphon. Charge with 2 N2O charger bulbs, shaking vigorously after each charge. Pierce 3 small holes in the bottom of 4 paper cups. Siphon the foam into each cup until 1/3 full. Microwave each cup individually on high for 40 seconds. Immediately invert the cups onto a wire rack to cool. Once cool, gently tear the sponge out of the cups into organic, moss-like fragments.

6. 06

   To plate: Demold the frozen mousse domes onto the center of each plate and let them temper at room temperature for 15 minutes. Pipe varying-sized dots of the blackberry-yuzu gel around the plate. Artfully arrange pieces of the pistachio sponge and halved fresh blackberries alongside the mousse. Garnish with micro-basil leaves and a delicate sprinkle of bee pollen over the mousse dome.