Lavender-Smoked Honey Mousse with...Lavender-Smoked Honey Mousse with Blackberry-Yuzu Gel and Pistachio Soil

An exquisite contemporary dessert featuring a velvety goat cheese and lavender-infused smoked honey mousse, balanced by a vibrant, tart blackberry-yuzu fluid gel, and anchored by a texturally complex pistachio soil.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   In a small saucepan, bring 180ml of the heavy cream and the lavender buds to a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the lavender, and refrigerate the infused cream until completely cold.

2. 02

   Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). For the pistachio soil, pulse the pistachios in a food processor until they resemble coarse sand. Transfer to a bowl and mix with the almond flour, 15g of superfine sugar, melted butter, and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Spread onto a baking sheet lined with silicone and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden. Let cool completely to crisp up.

3. 03

   Soak the gelatin sheets in a bowl of ice-cold water for 5-10 minutes to bloom.

4. 04

   To make the blackberry-yuzu gel, combine the blackberries, yuzu juice, and remaining 30g of sugar in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes until the berries break down. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve back into the saucepan to remove seeds.

5. 05

   Whisk the agar-agar into the warm blackberry-yuzu puree. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 1 minute to activate the agar. Pour onto a shallow plate and refrigerate until completely set into a firm sheet.

6. 06

   Once the blackberry gel is set, chop it roughly, place it in a high-speed blender, and blend on high until it transforms into a perfectly smooth, glossy fluid gel. Transfer to a piping bag and chill.

7. 07

   In a medium bowl, whip the room-temperature goat cheese and smoked honey together until completely smooth and aerated. Gently warm the remaining 20ml of heavy cream. Squeeze excess water from the bloomed gelatin and dissolve it completely into the warm cream, then fold this mixture into the goat cheese base.

8. 08

   Whip the chilled lavender-infused cream to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the goat cheese mixture in three stages to maintain a light, airy volume. Transfer the mousse to a piping bag fitted with a plain round tip.

9. 09

   To assemble, spoon a neat strip of pistachio soil across the center of each serving plate. Pipe three elegant mounds of the lavender-smoked honey mousse onto the soil. Artfully dot the blackberry-yuzu fluid gel around the mousse. Garnish with halved fresh blackberries, micro-basil or edible flower petals, and serve immediately.