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Saffron domes with date and orange

by Graham Hornigold
  1. Saffron domes with date and orange
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Inspired by the exotic luxury of saffron and the sticky dates and juicy oranges crowning the marketplaces in Abu Dhabi, Graham Hornigold's stunning dessert is a fragrant tribute to the Middle East. Graham has created the mousse domes in a variety of different sized moulds, but it may be easier to stick to ten of the same size when making at home. As some of the elements (such as the oranges, saffron mousse and ice cream) need to be made the day before, it may be easier to make all the elements in advance – simply reheat the glaze to 30°C then continue plating as below.

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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Caramelised oranges

Saffron mousse

  • 160g of milk
  • 160g of cream
  • 1 pinch of saffron
  • 40g of honey
  • 40g of egg yolks
  • 8g of gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water
  • 240g of whipping cream, whipped

Orange ice cream

  • 400g of milk
  • 400g of cream
  • 4g of orange zest
  • 80g of egg yolks
  • 40g of caster sugar
  • 6g of orange blossom water
  • 10g of glycerine
  • 30g of ice cream stabiliser

Date compote

Saffron cream

  • 125ml of whipping cream
  • 1 pinch of saffron

Crystalised pistachios

Orange glaze

Orange confit

  • 2 oranges, zest cut into julienne
  • 300g of sugar
  • 150ml of water

Garnishes

SAVE RECIPE

Equipment

  • Ice cream maker
  • Piping bag and nozzle
  • Silicone dome moulds 10
  • Blender
  • Hand blender

Method

1
First make the caramelised oranges as these need to marinate overnight. Add the caster sugar to a pan and place over a moderate heat. Allow to caramelise slightly, then gradually add in the orange juice to form a syrup
2
In a separate pan, add the honey and heat this through until starting to smoke. Pour in the orange syrup and bring to the boil. Place the orange segments in a bowl and pour over the hot orange and honey syrup. Allow to cool, then cover and leave to marinate overnight
  • 100g of honey
  • 1 orange, segmented with each segment cut into thirds
3
For the saffron mousse, add the milk and cream to a pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, then add the saffron and leave to infuse for 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blitz until the mixture is an even yellow colour
  • 160g of milk
  • 160g of cream
  • 1 pinch of saffron
4
In a separate pan, heat the honey until it starts to caramelise and pour in the saffron cream. Stir well to deglaze the caramel from the bottom of the pan, then increase the heat slightly and bring the mixture up to the boil. Lightly whisk the egg yolk in a bowl and pour over the hot saffron cream, whisking continuously to combine
5
Return the mixture to the pan and heat to 83°C, then remove from the heat. Squeeze any excess water from the gelatine leaves and add them to the pan, leaving the mixture to cool to 35°C. Gently fold in the whipped cream until well combined, then carefully spoon or pipe the mousse into the dome moulds and freeze for at least 8 hours
  • 8g of gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water
  • 240g of whipping cream, whipped
6
Meanwhile, make the ice cream. Place the milk, cream and orange zest into a large pan and bring to a boil over a moderate heat. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve, then measure out 800g and set aside
7
Whisk together the egg yolks, caster sugar, orange blossom water, glycerine and ice cream stabiliser in a large bowl. Pour a quarter of the hot cream over the egg yolk mixture and whisk well to combine, then pour the mixture back into the pan along with the remaining hot cream
  • 80g of egg yolks
  • 40g of caster sugar
  • 6g of orange blossom water
  • 10g of glycerine
  • 30g of ice cream stabiliser
8
Place the pan back over a moderate heat and, stirring continuously, heat until the mixture reaches 83°C. Pass through a sieve into a sealable container and chill in the fridge overnight – this will allow the mixture to thicken. Once chilled, transfer to an ice cream maker and churn, reserving in the freezer until ready to serve
9
To make the cookie crumb cream together the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a bowl and mix in the egg yolk and milk. Sieve in the flour and baking powder together, then stir well until fully incorporated
  • 60g of butter
  • 75g of soft light brown sugar
  • 5g of golden syrup
  • 10g of egg yolks
  • 7g of milk
  • 90g of plain flour
  • 1g of baking powder
10
Mix in the chopped pecans and dates and bring the mixture together on a floured surface to form a dough. Wrap well in cling film and chill in the fridge for an hour to firm up
  • 50g of dates, chopped
  • 45g of pecan nuts, chopped
11
While the dough is chilling, make the date compote by placing all the ingredients into a pan and placing over a moderate heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes until soft, taking care not to let the mixture boil, then leave to cool and refrigerate until ready to serve
12
For the saffron cream, add the cream to a small pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the saffron, leaving the mixture to infuse for 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blitz until it turns a consistent bright yellow colour, then leave to cool and refrigerate until required
  • 125ml of whipping cream
  • 1 pinch of saffron
13
For the crystalised pistachios mix together the sugar and water in a pan to form a mixture with a similar consistency to wet sand. Place over a moderate heat and shake the pan while the sugar starts to dissolve, continuously moving the pan so the sugar keeps re-crystalising as the water evaporates
  • 20g of sugar
  • 10ml of water
14
Add the pistachios to the pan and toss to coat in the sugar mixture. Once the sugar looks to be drying and crystalising around the nuts, remove from the heat and tip out on to a piece of greaseproof paper to cool. Store in an airtight container until serving
15
Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3
16
Once the cookie dough is firm and chilled roll it out on a floured surface to form a thin sheet, then place on a lined baking tray and bake for 15 minutes until crisp and golden. Allow to cool, then roughly chop or crumble the cookie to form a chunky granola-like consistency. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve
17
For the orange confit, place the zest into a small pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then drain and repeat twice more to soften the zest. Combine the sugar and 150ml of water in another pan and allow the sugar to dissolve over a moderate heat
  • 2 oranges, zest cut into julienne
  • 300g of sugar
  • 150ml of water
18
Add the zest to the syrup and simmer until the zest is very tender and almost translucent, but still holding its shape. Strain off the syrup and spread out the zest strands on greaseproof paper to cool until required
19
Just before serving make the orange glaze. Add the 50g of sugar to a pan with 50ml of the water. Place over a moderate heat and allow the sugar to dissolve to create a syrup. In a separate pan, heat the remaining 100ml of water and add the gelatine leaves. Heat until dissolved, then mix with the sugar syrup and set aside
  • 50g of sugar
  • 150ml of water
  • 8g of gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water
20
In a separate pan, add the honey and cook until starting to caramelise, then pour in the orange juice and passion fruit purée and stir well to deglaze the pan. Add the gelatine syrup, mix well and bring everything to the boil. Remove from the heat and blend in the ultratex and orange blossom water, then pass through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and allow to cool to 30°C
21
While the glaze is cooling slightly, remove the saffron cream from the fridge and whip until firm. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Remove the mousse domes from the freezer, run under cold water and carefully remove the domes from the silicone moulds. Place on a wire rack with a tray underneath
22
Blitz the glaze with a hand blender until really smooth. Spoon the glaze evenly over the mousse domes to coat completely, letting it run down the sides until you have an even layer. Leave the glaze to set for a few moments while you gather the ice cream and garnishes ready for plating, then transfer the domes carefully to serving plates
23
To serve, spoon a little of the compote across each plate and top with the crumble, sprinkling a larger circle of crumble next to the dome. Top this with a quenelle of the orange ice cream and pipe small mounds of the whipped saffron cream around the plate. Dot with pieces of the caramelised oranges, orange confit and crystalised pistachios, garnishing with a few toasted pine nuts, date slivers and edible flowers
First published in 2015
Graham Hornigold

Graham Hornigold’s expert pastry skills have been refined in some of the best restaurants and hotels in London, effortlessly adding delicate, refreshing touches to dessert menus. Today, he runs gourmet doughnut brand Longboys, which has three sites and stocks the likes of Harrods and Selfridges.

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