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.
For the sunflower seed gelato, soak the sunflower seeds in enough water to cover for 30 minutes
Whilst the seeds are soaking, add all the remaining ingredients to the Thermomix excluding the vegetable oil. Heat to 60°C on speed 2
Drain the seeds after 30 minutes and add to water and gum mixture in the Thermomix
Add in the vegetable oil and blend on high until as smooth as possible. Do not worry about getting it perfectly smooth
Pour the mixture into a pacojet container and freeze overnight
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
Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl
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)
Pour the milk over the chocolate, then add the gelatine. Whisk until thick, shiny and smooth
Add in the double cream and fold through until combined
For the sunflower seed fudge, line a heat-proof container with greaseproof paper
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
In a deep pan, add the sugar, double cream, butter and glucose. Bring to 116°C
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
Pour the mix into the lined container and set aside in the fridge to cool
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
Once set, dice in ½ cm cubes and set aside
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
For the sambal, pour boiling water over the dried shrimp and kaffir lime leaves and leave for 15 minutes to rehydrate
Add all remaining ingredients to a food processor and blitz
Drain off the shrimp and kaffir lime leaves and add to the food processor. Blitz again until you have a smooth paste
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
For the sunflower seed crumble, preheat the oven to 130°C fan
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
Tip the seeds out onto a tray in a single layer and dry in the oven for 20-30 minutes
Once dry, cool and mix with the other ingredients. Season to taste with the Maldon salt
To plate, pour 16g of the chocolate namelaka into each bowl and set in the fridge for an hour
Pipe a spiral of caramel sauce onto the set chocolate
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
Blitz the gelato in the pacojet, and top the namelaka with a quenelle. Finish with another drizzle of caramel sauce
Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.