Gabriel WaterhouseCamomile, honey and Sauternes poached apricots, filo crustade, honey and yoghurt sorbet
This dish needs to be prepared 24 hours in advance to allow the ice-cream to freeze and the mousse to set.
What you’ll need; piping bag, ice cream machine
For the Brillat-Savarin mousse
270g Brillat-Savarin (or the cream cheese)
300ml double cream
150g white chocolate
Zest of 1 lemon
For the poached apricots
10 apricots (halved and de-stoned, ripe but not overly so)
15g dried camomile
175g sugar
250ml water
15g honey
50ml sauternes (plus 25ml to finish)
For the honey and yoghurt ice cream
250ml milk
250ml cream
150g honey
90g egg yolk
25g trimoline
100g Greek yoghurt
For the filo crustade
50g filo pastry finely sliced
50g unsalted butter
50g sugar
50g pistachio crumb (pistachio blended finely into powder)
10 mint leaves (finely diced)
For the Brilliant-Savarin mousse
In a small sauce pan bring the cream to a gentle simmer.
2. Add the Brillat Savarin and break it up using a whisk, stir over a low heat until the cheese and cream are incorporated together.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the white chocolate and lemon zest. Once smooth store in piping bags and leave to set in the fridge for 24 hours.
For the poached apricots
4. In a sauce pan bring the water, sugar, honey, camomile and sauternes to a boil then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 5 minutes. Pass the liquid through a fine sieve to remove the camomile flowers and transfer the poaching liquid into another pan large enough to hold all the apricots.
5. Place the apricots into the liquid and simmer very gently for around 10 minutes or until tender. Be careful not to over cook the apricots or they will lose their shape and disintegrate. Once cooked, leave to cool in the liquid and transfer to a sealed container in the fridge, with the poaching liquid covering the fruit. (It’s important to cover the apricots as any exposed skin will oxidise and the flesh will turn brown)
For the honey and yoghurt ice cream
6. In a mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks, trimoline and honey until pale. (Trimoline is used in this recipe as it’s a refined sugar which is less sweet than ordinary sugar. Because the honey is very sweet I use trimoline, which helps give the ice cream its soft texture when churned) Pour the boiled cream and milk over the eggs while whisking.
7. Return to the pan to the store and heat to 81°C. You can do this by eye, when the custard is thick enough too cover the back of a spoon.
8. Pass the mixture through a chinoix or fine sieve into a bowl, whisk in the yoghurt and leave to cool. Once cool churn in your ice cream maker.
For the filo crusade ( To be made on the day)
10. Melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Slice the filo pastry into thin strips the thickness of matchsticks and place in a mixing bowl. Allow the sugar and butter mixture to cool slightly then gently pouring it over the filo pastry. Mix carefully to ensure the filo is coated in the butter but also so that the filo does not break up.
11. Spoon the filo mix into metal rings set on a tray lined with parchment paper. Using the back of a spoon push the filo to a 1cm thickness. Bake at 180°C until golden brown then remove the rings instantly and cool the crusades on a wire rack.
To serve
1. Place 3 apricots around edge of each bowl and then pipe a dome of Brillat Savarin mousse into the centre of each bowl. Pour some of the reserved poaching liquid mixed with the additional sauternes around the edge of the bowls then scatter the mint brunoise. Place a filo disk on the top of the mousse. Finish with a roche or boulle of ice cream resting on top of the filo crusade and a then add a pinch of pistachio crumb.