Smoked Rosemary Honey Mousse...Smoked Rosemary Honey Mousse with Blackberry-Yuzu Gel

An elegant avant-garde dessert featuring a light, rosemary-infused smoked honey mousse, balanced by a sharp blackberry-yuzu gel, and anchored with a crunchy hazelnut sablé crumble.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Infuse the cream: In a small saucepan, gently heat 150ml of the heavy cream with the bruised rosemary sprigs until scalding. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 20 minutes, then strain and discard the rosemary.

2. 02

   Bloom the gelatin: Soak the gelatin sheets in ice-cold water for 5-10 minutes until soft and pliable.

3. 03

   Make the mousse base: Whisk the egg yolks and smoked honey in a heatproof bowl until combined. Slowly stream in the warm rosemary-infused cream while whisking continuously. Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water (double boiler) and stir constantly with a spatula until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon (reaching 82°C/180°F).

4. 04

   Finish the mousse: Remove from heat, squeeze excess water from the gelatin sheets, and stir them into the warm custard until completely dissolved. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Whip the remaining 150ml of heavy cream to medium peaks and gently fold it into the cooled custard in two additions. Pour into silicone semi-sphere molds and freeze for at least 4 hours to set.

5. 05

   Create the Blackberry-Yuzu Gel: In a small saucepan, combine the 200g of blackberries, yuzu juice, and superfine sugar. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes until the berries break down. Purée the mixture, strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds, and return the liquid to the clean pan. Whisk in the agar-agar, bring to a boil for 1 full minute, then pour onto a tray and refrigerate until completely set. Once firm, blend the gel in a high-speed blender until perfectly smooth and glassy, then transfer to a piping bag.

6. 06

   Bake the Hazelnut Sablé: Preheat your oven to 160°C (325°F). In a bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, hazelnut flour, demerara sugar, and Maldon sea salt. Rub in the cold cubed butter with your fingertips until clump-like crumbs form. Spread the crumble onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes until deep golden brown. Let cool completely.

7. 07

   Assemble and Plate: Place a neat circle of the hazelnut sablé crumble in the center of each plate. Unmold the frozen mousse domes and carefully place one on top of each crumble mound (allow them to temper for 15 minutes before serving). Pipe precise dots of the blackberry-yuzu gel around the plate. Garnish beautifully with halved fresh blackberries, micro-basil leaves, and delicate flecks of edible gold leaf.