British strawberries, elderflower, aerated white chocolate, strawberry sorbet

Paul Foster

Paul Foster

18th November 2018
Paul Foster

British strawberries, elderflower, aerated white chocolate, strawberry sorbet

Strawberries are one of the best fruits that we produce in Britain. It is always a shame to see imported strawberries in supermarkets in Autumn and Winter because they have no flavour or aroma. I don’t have them at home until they are good quality. Strawberries are a perfect example of when a product that is worth waiting for because once it’s in season, it’s so good it shouldn’t be messed around with. In this recipe, peak condition summer strawberries are simply dressed and turned into a sorbet.

Ingredients

  • Strawberries
  • 20 British strawberries
  • Elderflower syrup
  • 10 heads of elderflower
  • 1 litre water
  • 500g caster sugar
  • 50g citric acid
  • 2 limes
  • Caramelised white chocolate crisp
  • 200g white chocolate
  • Aerated white chocolate
  • 500g white chocolate
  • 30g sunflower oil
  • Lacto fermented strawberry pureé
  • 1 kg strawberries
  • 200g whey
  • Strawberry sorbet
  • 1 kg lacto fermented strawberry pureé
  • 100g sugar
  • 100g pro sorbet
  • To finish
  • 1 purple elderflower head

Method

Lacto fermented strawberry pureé
Hull the strawberries and mix with the whey. Vacuum pack tightly and leave in a warm room at around 28C for 48 hours. Remove from the bag and blend until smooth.
Strawberry sorbet
Whisk the ingredients together well and taste to check the flavour and sugar levels. Freeze in paco jet containers until solid. Churn in the paco jet before needed to check the consistency.
Elderflower syrup
Slice the limes into 5/6 round slices. Place into a large container with the elderflower and citric acid. Mix the water and sugar together and bring to the boil, poor over the elderflower and leave to cool. Cover with a tight fitting lid and keep in the fridge for 12 hours. After this time pass the syrup though a muslin cloth and store in the fridge until needed.
Caramelised white chocolate crisp
Spread the chocolate out evenly on a lined baking sheet and bake at 160C until lightly golden. Place in a blender and blend until a smooth golden pureé is achieved. Roll out to 2mm thickness between two sheets of parchment paper and set in the fridge.
Aerated white chocolate
Melt the chocolate with the oil and poor into an isi gas canister, charge with two gas chargers and shake well. Keep warm until needed. Turn the canister upright and squirt into a lined plastic vacuum container about 1-2 cm high. Place the lid on and set to vacuum. Place the container into a vacuum pac machine and close the lid to remove the air. Carefully watch the white chocolate rise as the air is removed and press stop when the chocolate is around 5 cm high. Place the whole container in the fridge for 2 hours to completely set.
To finish
Cut the green tops off the strawberries and dress with the elderflower syrup. Leave to macerate for 5 minutes. Cut the aero into small blocks, and snap the white chocolate crisp into small flat pieces. Arrange on a plate, finish with a scoop of the sorbet and sprinkle with the purple elderflower.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.