CHERRY BLOSSOM
Serves 6
Here we again explore the insane brilliance of Claire Crenshaw’s mind. In Japan, cherry blossom season is a big deal. People travel from all over the country to Kyoto to see the trees bloom. They bloom for days or even weeks, and then the blossoms are gone until the next year. In this dessert, Claire creates edible cherry blossoms and serves them on a bonsai tree. Cherry tuiles form the petals of the flower, and the stamens are made with candied orange peels. Cherries are glazed and piped full of a coffee mousse. Each guest receives one edible cherry blossom plucked from among the branches and then the tree is removed from the table, mirroring the transient nature of the cherry blossoms in nature.
CANDIED ORANGE PEEL:
1 orange
50 grams sugar
50 grams water
CHERRY BLOSSOM TUILES:
15 grams egg whites
20 grams sugar
30 grams all-purpose flour
Salt to taste
20 grams unsalted butter, melted
10 grams heavy cream
3 grams vanilla extract
Liquid glucose (see Sources, here)
GLAZED CHERRIES:
500 grams fresh cherries
5 grams ascorbic acid (see Sources, here)
1.25 grams agar (see Sources, here)
10 grams sugar
COFFEE CREAM:
200 grams whole milk
8 grams ground coffee
40 grams sugar
4 grams cornstarch
40 grams (about 2 large) egg yolks
COFFEE MOUSSE:
½ sheet silver gelatin (see Sources, here)
200 grams Coffee Cream
50 grams heavy cream
TO FINISH:
Bonsai Tree
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Cherry blossom stencil (see Sources, here)
Masticating juicer
Dehydrator (optional)
CANDIED ORANGE PEEL:
Line a dehydrator tray or sheet pan with a silicone mat. Use a peeler to peel the outside of the orange, reserving the peel. Cut the peel into 1-inch matchsticks. Put the sugar and water in a small saucepot set over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and add the orange peels. Cook for 2 minutes. Strain out the peels, discarding the syrup, and lay them out on the prepared sheet pan in a single row, making sure that the individual pieces of the peel are not touching each other. Dehydrate at 140°F for 4 hours. Alternatively, dehydrate in your oven at the lowest setting until the peels are crisp. Store in an airtight container until ready to plate.
CHERRY BLOSSOM TUILES:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Mix the egg whites and sugar on low speed in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until the mixture becomes foamy. With the mixer still going, slowly add the flour, a spoonful at a time, and a tiny pinch of salt. Once the flour has been absorbed, slowly pour in the melted butter, heavy cream, and vanilla extract and continue to mix on low speed until incorporated.
Line a sheet pan with a silicone mat. Place a stencil of a cherry blossom on top of the mat and spread the tuile mixture over the stencil in a thin, even layer. Lift the stencil, move it over, and repeat the process until you have covered the mat with cherry blossoms. You need a minimum of 12. Bake for 2 minutes. Rotate the tray and use a cherry pitter or the flat end of a chopstick to punch out ¼-inch holes in the center of each tuile. Bake 1 minute more. Remove from the oven and, while the cookies are still hot, shape them into a flower by pulling the edges of the petals up on 6 of the tuiles and curling them inward, leaving the other 6 cookies flat. Use a few drops of liquid glucose to glue the curled tuile on top of the flat tuile, making sure the holes in the center line up. Once completely cool, store the Cherry Blossom Tuiles in an airtight container until ready to plate.
GLAZED CHERRIES:
Line a sheet pan with a silicone mat. Remove the pits from the cherries with a cherry pitter. Set aside the 6 most beautiful cherries to glaze. Put the ascorbic acid in the catch container and juice the cherries in a masticating juicer until you have 125 grams of juice. The ascorbic acid will keep the juice from oxidizing and turning brown. Put the cherry juice, agar, and sugar in a small pot set over medium heat and bring to a boil. Allow the cherry juice to cool slightly so as not to pucker the cherries. Using wooden skewers, pierce the sides of the remaining cherries and dip them into the cherry juice mixture. Gently place each cherry on the prepared sheet pan and carefully remove the skewer. Refrigerate, uncovered, to allow the glaze to cool and set around the cherries.
COFFEE CREAM:
Put the milk and ground coffee into a medium saucepot set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Strain the milk through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepot. Put the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Whisk the mixture into the coffee milk and set the pot over low heat. Put the egg yolks in a small bowl and whisk to break them up. Slowly drizzle them into the coffee milk, whisking constantly, and heat the mixture until it reaches 160°F, whisking the whole time. Prepare an ice bath. Strain the Coffee Cream into a stainless-steel bowl and cool it in the ice bath. Once cooled, reserve at room temperature until ready to make the Coffee Mousse.
COFFEE MOUSSE:
Soak the gelatin in ice water for 3 minutes until it softens. Remove from the water, gently squeeze off any excess water, and reserve in a small bowl.Put the Coffee Cream in a small saucepot set over low heat, stir in the gelatin, and cook until the gelatin dissolves completely. Remove from the heat, transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool completely.
Whip the heavy cream in a medium bowl until medium peaks form. Use a rubber spatula to fold the whipped cream into the coffee mixture. Transfer the mousse to a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip and fill the glazed cherries with the mousse, inserting the tip into the hole left by the wooden skewer.
TO FINISH:
Rest the Cherry Blossom Tuiles securely on the branches of a bonsai tree. Pull 5 threads of Candied Orange Peel through the hole in the center of each tuile to create the thistle of the flower. Set a Glazed Cherry in the center of each thistle. Serve to your guests, allowing each one to pluck a Cherry Blossom from the branches of the tree. Enjoy.
