This beetroot pre-dessert recipe from Stuart Ralston is a beautiful fusion of savoury and sweet. It also uses just about every tool in the professional chef's kitchen – liquid nitrogen, steam ovens, pacojets, dehydrators and more. While it's not one for the faint hearted, it's certainly a showstopping dish.
Combine all the ingredients for the blackberry sorbet together and cook out the locust bean gum to 85°C
Season with citric acid to taste. Either freeze and then churn in a pacojet before service, or chill overnight and then churn in an ice cream maker and freeze for a few hours to set
For the beetroot glass, mix all the ingredients and heat in a Thermomix at 60°C until the sugars are dissolved. Alternatively, heat to 60°C on the hob
Spread on a silpat lined tray and dehydrate at 70°C in a dehydrator or oven until hard – keep an eye on it, as if it’s too hot it will start to cook and discolour
Cut out into discs and set aside
Place the beetroots and caster sugar in a vacuum bag and seal it
Steam at 85°C in a steam oven until the beetroots are fully cooked, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. They should be reduced in size and chewy in texture. You can alternatively cook them in a simple sugar syrup (250g sugar and 250g water for example) until they are really cooked down and soft and chewy
Chill until ready to use
Melt all the ingredients for the yoghurt snow together until warm, then add the gelatine and stir until it’s dissolved
Add the yoghurt snow to an espuma gun with two gas charges
Fill a container with liquid nitrogen
Disperse the yoghurt snow into the liquid nitrogen and then use a rolling pin to smash it into crumb or ‘snow’ consistency
To serve, scoop blackberry sorbet onto each plate bottom, then use the back of the ice cream scoop to make a well. Fill the well with candied beetroot and some aged balsamic. Cover the whole thing with around 2 tbsp of yoghurt snow then finish on top with the beetroot tuile and the sorrel
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