Plum, Honey, Melissa Cress, Pumpkin Seed and Mascarpone Cream Vacherin

Ingredients for 4 portions

Ingredients for the Vacherin Casing

• Requires 5cm diameter x 5cm height metal cake or mousse rings
• 50g egg white
• Pinch cream of tartar
• 100g caster sugar
• Melted (non-tempered) cocoa butter for brushing
• Rectangular stencil for meringue at right size for the cylinder (used here, outer edges are 7.5cm top to bottom and 23cm left to right. Inner rectangle to fit the ring is 15 x 5cm).
• Decorated cocoa butter transfer sheet cut to size to suit stencil - mine were 15cm x 7.5cm. Pattern can be matched to the flavours/season.

Ingredients for the roasted plums

• 4 fresh plums – slightly firm
• 75g honey
• 1 punnet Melissa Cress

Ingredients for pumpkin seed shortbread

• 50g butter
• 50g pumpkin seed flour
• 25g cornflour
• 25g caster sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon

Ingredients for the mascarpone and honey cream

• 50g mascarpone
• 25g double cream
• 5g coconut sugar
• 10g honey
• Seeds from 1 Koppert Cress Black Vanilla pod

Ingredients for the sandy pumpkin seeds

• 50g pumpkin seeds
• 15g sugar for the caramel
• 5g water
• 1g cocoa butter
• 8g caster sugar for coating
• sea salt flakes to season

Ingredients for the decoration

• 2 punnets Melissa Cress
• 2 teaspoons bee pollen granules
• 1 fresh plum for slicing

Method

Method for the vacherin casing

• Preheat the oven to 90C
• Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until at soft peak
• Add the sugar in 2 stages whisking well between each addition
• Keep whipping until the meringue is at stiff peak stage.
• Secure the transfer sheet on a worksurface with a couple of dots of meringue at one side (I secure at the left because I work towards the right). Make sure you have the rough side of the sheet facing up.
• On top of that, lay on the rectangular stencil, again secured with tow dots of meringue. The left hand edge of the transfer sheet must be lined up with the inner left edge of the stencil.
• Spread an even layer of meringue approx. 4-5 mm thick) right across the stencil and transfer sheet.
• Lift the stencil up gradually from a corner and you’ll have a neat rectangle of meringue left on the transfer sheet.
• Lift the transfer sheet up and sit inside the metal ring you are using.
• Bake for 1.5-2 hours until crisp and dry (time will depend on the oven and thickness of meringue).
• Carefully remove the transfer sheet with the meringue from the cylinder while is it still warm, without breaking (if it cools the pattern may be damaged).
• Once cool, use a microplane grater to plane down any rough edges. Gently paint the inside of each of the vacherins with cocoa butter (to prevent them being affected by moisture in the filling). Let cocoa butter set, and store vacherins in an airtight container with food safe silica gel until required.

Method for the roasted plums

• Halve and stone each of the plums. Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Place in a roasting pan, drizzle over the honey and sprinkle on 1 punnet of the Melissa Cress. Sprinkle on a small amount of sea salt flakes.
• Roast at 180C for 10-15 minutes until lightly cooked but still firm enough to cut (adjust time/temp to suit ripeness and firmness).
• Let plums cool and cut in to dice. Reserve the roasting juices as a syrup for the plate.

Method for the shortbread

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor, bring together, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat oven to 160C.
• Roll out to 5mm thick cut in to 4cm discs (or the relevant size to fit inside the vacherins) and place on a silicone air mat. Chill briefly then bake 15 mins until just starting to colour.
• Cool and reserve in an airtight box.

Method for the mascarpone and honey cream

• Whip the cream to soft peak and beat in to the mascarpone, stir in the honey, coconut sugar and vanilla.
• Refrigerate until required.

Method for the sandy pumpkin seeds

• Boil water with sugar until 115˚C (syrup), stir in the pumpkin seeds and continue cooking on a medium heat until sugar starts to caramelise. Stir in cocoa butter and sugar and stir until coated.
• Tip the seeds on to a tray to cool.

Method for assembly and decoration

• Only assemble directly before serving.
• Place the vacherin on the plate with a pumpkin seed shortbread at the base.
• Pipe in some of the mascarpone cream, fill with the diced roasted plum and some fresh Melissa Cress. Top with more of the mascarpone cream, the sandy pumpkin seeds, Melissa Cress and finely sliced fresh plum.
• Sprinkle with some bee pollen granules and drizzle with the reserved roasting juices and more honey if required. Serve immediately.

Chef: Shona Sutherland