Smoked Tonka Bean Mousse...Smoked Tonka Bean Mousse with Bay Leaf Fluid Gel and Compressed Blood Orange

An avant-garde plated dessert marrying the warm, aromatic complexity of smoked tonka bean and roasted white chocolate with the bright, herbaceous sharpness of bay leaf gel and vacuum-compressed blood orange.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F). Spread the chopped white chocolate over a silicone baking mat and roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until deeply caramelized and golden blonde.

2. 02

   In a small saucepan, bring 100 ml of cream and the grated tonka bean to a simmer. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for 20 minutes. Optionally, introduce applewood smoke under a cloche for 3 minutes for additional depth.

3. 03

   Reheat the tonka infusion, whisk in the squeezed bloomed gelatin sheets until dissolved, and pour over the roasted white chocolate. Emulsify with an immersion blender until glossy. Cool to 30°C (86°F), then whip the remaining 200 ml of heavy cream to soft peaks and gently fold through. Pipe into silicone quenelle molds and freeze for at least 3 hours until set.

4. 04

   Place the blood orange segments in a chamber vacuum bag along with the reserved juice and Campari. Seal at 100% vacuum pressure to compress the cellular structure, turning the fruit translucent; chill until plating.

5. 05

   For the bay leaf gel: Combine the water, 40 g sugar, and fresh bay leaves in a saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes to extract the herbal aromatics, strain, whisk in agar agar, and bring to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Pour onto a shallow tray to set firm in the refrigerator, then blend on high speed until glassy and smooth; transfer to a piping bottle.

6. 06

   For the hazelnut tuile: Whisk the browned butter, egg whites, flour, remaining 20 g sugar, and crushed toasted hazelnuts into a smooth batter. Spread thinly through a leaf stencil onto a silicone mat and bake at 170°C (340°F) for 6–8 minutes until crisp and golden brown.

7. 07

   To assemble: Unmold the tonka bean mousse onto the center of a chilled slate or shallow ceramic plate. Arrange compressed blood orange segments around the base. Dot with bay leaf fluid gel, perch the crispy hazelnut tuile atop the mousse, and finish with micro-planed tonka bean and a flake of Maldon salt.