Coming up Roses

. February, 2017
Photography by Armelle Habib.
Coming up Roses

Chocolate, raspberry and rose combine to create a luscious harmony of flavours.

 

Serves: 5

INGREDIENTS

half a quantity chocolate syrup

baby herbs, to garnish

edible flowers, to garnish

Chocolate Syrup

90 grams cacao powder

140 ml coconut nectar

100 ml filtered water

place all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until smooth and shiny.

Chocolate, Raspberry and Rose Mousse

100 grams raspberry purée, deseeded

45 grams bar of Pana Chocolate Rose, broken into pieces

1 teaspoon coconut oil

120 grams coconut butter, melted

100 grams cashews, soaked

90 mls coconut water

90 grams coconut sugar

2 tablespoons coconut nectar

Beet Chia Crisp

2 tablespoons chia seeds

¼ cup filtered water

1 teaspoon beetroot (beet) powder

2 teaspoons coconut sugar

1 teaspoon cacao powder

Raspberry Granita

60 grams raspberry purée, deseeded

1 tablespoon coconut water

3 tablespoons coconut sugar

Equipment

fine sieve, bain-marie, high-speed blender, five

11 cm (4¼ in) metal rings, dehydrator, non-stick sheet, piping bag, 4 cm (1½ in) metal ring cutter

Here, flavours come together to make a rich dessert that looks as beautiful as it tastes. Don’t be daunted by all the components, just take it one step at a time – it will be worth the effort. 

 

METHOD

To make the raspberry purée, blend the raspberries in a high-speed blender until smooth, then strain with a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together over a bain-marie.

Blend all the remaining ingredients in a food processor or high‑speed blender until very smooth.

Add the chocolate mixture and blend until all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour the mixture into the five metal rings and set in the freezer. Keep frozen until needed.

Beet Chia Crisp

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until all the chia seeds are coated with liquid.

Cover and leave at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes, or until the chia seeds have absorbed most of the liquid.

Spread (not too thin) onto a non-stick sheet and dehydrate overnight at 40°C.

Break into shards and store in an airtight container at room temperature until needed.

Raspberry Granita

To make the raspberry purée, blend the raspberries in a high-speed blender until smooth, then strain with a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Set aside.

Whisk all the ingredients together until the coconut sugar dissolves, then freeze in a bowl.

After about 4 hours, or once the granita has frozen solid, scrape with a cold fork to break up the crystals.

Note: Place the granita on a frozen plate and keep frozen until ready to serve – it will melt quickly.

To assemble: Chill your serving plates and cutlery in the freezer or fridge. Use a 4 centermetres (1½ in) metal ring cutter to cut out the centre of the mousse (bonus – you can eat this for a snack).

Pop the mousse out of the metal ring and place it in the middle of a cold plate. Pipe dots of chocolate syrup and extra raspberry purée around the top of the mousse ring.

Scatter a few shards of the beet chia crisp among the syrup and purée. Scrape the granita over the top of the mousse. Garnish with fresh baby herbs and edible flowers for a little extra colour and freshness, then serve immediately.