Ben Bayly’s Strawberry and Elderflower

Serves 8

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

Tip: 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.

Ingredients & Methods

Parfait

  • 500g cream
  • zest of 1/2 orange
  • 5g vanilla paste
  • 180g sugar
  • 80g water
  • 10 egg yolks
  • 4 sheets gelatine (bloomed)

Strawberry and Elderflower Consommé

  • 1kg strawberries (hulled)
  • 250g fresh elderflowers (including 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
  • 200ml grapeseed oil

Sugar Syrup Base

  • 750g water
  • 300g sugar
  • 150g dextrose
  • 10g stabiliser
  • 250g elderflower

Sorbet

  • 1kg fresh strawberries
  • 2g xanthan gum

Macerated Strawberries

  • 500g strawberries, quartered

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

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

Parfait

    1. Whip the cream to soft peaks. Put the zests and vanilla on top of whipped cream but don’t mix.
    2. Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat until it reaches a temperature of 116°C on a kitchen thermometer.
    3. Whisk the egg yolks in a stand mixer. Slowly pour the sugar syrup into the yolks, continuing to whisk. (Keep the pot you cooked the sugar in handy as you’ll need it to melt the gelatine in the next step).
    4. Bloom the gelatine by placing in a bowl of cold water. Melt the gelatine in the pot you cooked the sugar in and add to the yolk mixture.
    5. Whisk on high speed until cool. Fold in the whipped cream mixture.
    6. Pour mixture into a 20cm square cake tin and place in the freezer overnight.

Strawberry and Elderflower Consommé

    1. Combine all the ingredients in a stainless-steel bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 1 hour. Strain through a fine sieve.

Meringue

    1. Preheat oven to 50℃. Combine egg white, sugar and lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip to form soft peaks. Line a tray with baking paper and spread the mixture out on the tray. Place in the oven and bake for 6-12 hours (or overnight) until completely dehydrated.

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 in a blender with the oil.
    3. Leave to infuse.

Sugar Syrup Base

    1. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil.
    2. Remove from heat, then leave to cool. Pass through a sieve.

Sorbet

    1. Blitz strawberries in a blender. Pour in 1kg of the Sugar Syrup Base and combine.
    2. Emulsify with a pinch of xanthan.
    3. Pass the sorbet mixture through a fine sieve, then chill down in the fridge overnight. Churn the mix in an ice-cream machine, following manufacturer’s instructions, to make the sorbet.

Macerated Strawberries

    1. Put strawberries in a bowl and add some of the strawberry consommé. Set aside for around 20 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.

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.