Yuzu-Matcha Stone with Black...Yuzu-Matcha Stone with Black Sesame Praline & Shiso Gel

A multi-textured avant-garde dessert mimicking a Zen garden stone, featuring a tart yuzu core, earthy matcha mousse, and a charcoal-dusted cocoa butter finish.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the Yuzu Core: Whisk yuzu juice, 40g sugar, and egg yolks over a double boiler until thickened. Stir in one bloomed gelatin sheet. Pour into small silicone hemisphere molds and freeze until solid.

2. 02

   Create the Black Sesame Praline: Caramelize 50g sugar in a pan, add sesame seeds, then pour onto a silicone mat to cool. Once hardened, blitz in a processor with feuilletine and a pinch of salt. Press into thin discs and chill.

3. 03

   Infuse the Shiso Gel: Blanch shiso leaves, then blend with 100ml simple syrup. Strain, add agar-agar, bring to a boil for 1 minute, then chill until set. Blend the set gel until smooth and transfer to a piping bag.

4. 04

   Make the Matcha Mousse: Melt white chocolate with 100ml cream and matcha powder. Stir in remaining gelatin. Fold in 200ml of softly whipped cream. Pipe into stone-shaped silicone molds, filling halfway.

5. 05

   Assemble: Press a frozen yuzu hemisphere into the mousse, add a dot of shiso gel, then seal with the sesame praline disc. Smooth the top and freeze for at least 4 hours until rock-solid.

6. 06

   Velvet Coating: Melt cocoa butter and 100g white chocolate together. Stir in charcoal powder. Strain into a spray gun. Unmold the frozen 'stones' and immediately spray with the mixture to create a matte, stone-like texture.

7. 07

   Plating: Allow the stones to defrost in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Serve on a bed of toasted black sesame 'sand' with a single micro-shiso leaf for garnish.