The sunflower

5.00

Sunflower seeds are the star of the show in this dessert by Tom Tsappis. Namelaka is a creamy ganache lightened with whipped cream, which pairs perfectly with a sunflower seed gelato. Sambal brings a salty note to the dish alongside a punchy sunflower and miso caramel.

First published in 2025
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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

For the sunflower seed gelato

  • 210g of sunflower seeds
  • 680g of water
  • 7g of salt
  • 3g of locust bean gum
  • 2g of guar gum
  • 100g of vegetable oil

For the chocolate namelaka

For the sunflower seed fudge

  • 100g of sunflower seeds
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 225g of sugar
  • 200g of double cream
  • 50g of unsalted butter
  • 20g of liquid glucose

For the lime jelly

For the sunflower seed miso caramel

For the sambal

For the sunflower seed crumble

Equipment

  • Thermomix
  • Pacojet
  • Spice grinder
  • Piping bags

Method

1

For the sunflower seed gelato, soak the sunflower seeds in enough water to cover for 30 minutes

  • 210g of sunflower seeds
2

Whilst the seeds are soaking, add all the remaining ingredients to the Thermomix excluding the vegetable oil. Heat to 60°C on speed 2

  • 680g of water
  • 7g of salt
  • 3g of locust bean gum
  • 2g of guar gum
3

Drain the seeds after 30 minutes and add to water and gum mixture in the Thermomix

4

Add in the vegetable oil and blend on high until as smooth as possible. Do not worry about getting it perfectly smooth

  • 100g of vegetable oil
5

Pour the mixture into a pacojet container and freeze overnight

6

For the chocolate namelaka, weigh out the powdered gelatine into a small bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of water and leave to rehydrate into a thick paste

  • 2.2g of powdered gelatine
  • 1 tsp water
7

Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl

8

Add the milk and glucose to a saucepan and place over a low heat. Whisk until the glucose is dissolved and then bring the milk to scalding point (just beginning to simmer)

  • 85g of whole milk
  • 20g of liquid glucose
9

Pour the milk over the chocolate, then add the gelatine. Whisk until thick, shiny and smooth

10

Add in the double cream and fold through until combined

  • 180g of double cream
11

For the sunflower seed fudge, line a heat-proof container with greaseproof paper

12

Toast the sunflower seeds in a pan, stirring frequently, until deep brown in colour. Add to a spice grinder and blend with a pinch of salt until they start to release their natural oils. Once they resemble peanut butter set aside

  • 100g of sunflower seeds
  • 1 pinch of salt
13

In a deep pan, add the sugar, double cream, butter and glucose. Bring to 116°C

  • 225g of sugar
  • 200g of double cream
  • 50g of unsalted butter
  • 20g of liquid glucose
14

Remove from the heat and whisk in 40g of the sunflower seed butter, being careful to stand back as it might spit. The remainder of the sunflower seed butter can be used like peanut butter in other recipes

15

Pour the mix into the lined container and set aside in the fridge to cool

16

For the lime jelly, bring the lime juice and agar to a simmer, whisking all the time. Pour into a 1 litre plastic container and leave to set, about 15 minutes for a thin layer, or more like 30 minutes for a thicker layer

17

Once set, dice in ½ cm cubes and set aside

18

For the sunflower seed miso caramel, add the sugar to a deep pan and slowly caramelise over a low heat, swirling the pan occasionally to keep the colour even. Once it is the colour of maple syrup, carefully (it will bubble up a lot and spit) add in the milk, double cream, butter and miso, whisking off the heat until incorporated into a thick caramel sauce. Set aside to cool, then transfer to a piping bag

19

For the sambal, pour boiling water over the dried shrimp and kaffir lime leaves and leave for 15 minutes to rehydrate

20

Add all remaining ingredients to a food processor and blitz

21

Drain off the shrimp and kaffir lime leaves and add to the food processor. Blitz again until you have a smooth paste

22

Add the paste to a dry frying pan and fry until the colour darkens, the mix dries out a little and it starts to smell fragrant. Set aside

23

For the sunflower seed crumble, preheat the oven to 130°C fan

24

Add the sunflower seeds to a pan over a high heat with 60g sambal and a splash of cold water. As the water and sambal heats it will begin to coat the seeds. Cook off all the liquid

  • 100g of sunflower seeds
25

Tip the seeds out onto a tray in a single layer and dry in the oven for 20-30 minutes

26

Once dry, cool and mix with the other ingredients. Season to taste with the Maldon salt

27

To plate, pour 16g of the chocolate namelaka into each bowl and set in the fridge for an hour

28

Pipe a spiral of caramel sauce onto the set chocolate

29

Around the outside of the chocolate, sprinkle the sunflower seed crumble. In the middle of the chocolate namelaka sprinkle one teaspoon of lime jelly cubes, and 5 pieces of fudge

30

Blitz the gelato in the pacojet, and top the namelaka with a quenelle. Finish with another drizzle of caramel sauce

First published in 2025
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From a South London supper club to one of Scotland’s most unique restaurants, Tom Tsappis’ journey as a chef has been short, vibrant and accomplished. Alongside his wife Matilda – who he credits with being his biggest influence – he’s created Killiecrankie House, a singular restaurant in Scotland quietly becoming one of the country's most important destinations. And the story is just beginning.

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