Spiced plums with Meantime Porter sabayon, ginger crumble and iced yoghurt - Nigel Mendham

Nigel Mendham's evocative dessert revels in the mellow flavours of autumn, featuring plums, an inventive Meantime Porter sabayon, ginger crumble and yoghurt sorbet. Most of the elements in this plums with sabayon recipe can be prepared ahead of time

Ingredients

Spiced plums

• 900g of red plums
• 90g of honey
• 50g of maple syrup
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 star anise
• 2 tsp of white balsamic vinegar
• 300g of water

Plum purée

• 790g of plums , pitted
• 120g of water
• 90g of sugar
• raspberry vinegar
• 7g of agar agar

Yoghurt sorbet

• 500g of natural yoghurt
• 200g of water
• 200g of sugar
• 100g of glucose powder
• 5g of sorbet stabiliser
• 50g of lemon juice

Meantime London Porter sabayon

• 570ml of Meantime London Porter
• 5 egg yolks
• 150g of sugar
• 1 tsp of orange zest

Ginger crumble

• 2 knobs of stem ginger , peeled and grated
• 125g of butter, melted
• 125g of dark brown sugar
• 150g of porridge oats
• 100g of self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp of mixed spice

Ginger crumble topping

• 30g of dark brown sugar
• 5g of ground ginger

Method

1.

Preheat a water bath to 85°C

2.

To prepare the spiced plums, cut each plum in half and remove the stones. Sear the plums in a hot pan until caramelised, then set aside

3.

Add the remaining ingredients to a separate saucepan, bring to the boil and pour over the plums. Allow to cool, then place in a vacuum bag, seal on high and cook in the water bath for 10 minutes. Once cooked, place the bag in a bowl of iced water to chill

4.

For the plum purée, place the plums in a heavy-based pan, add the water and sugar and bring to the boil. Simmer until the plums are soft, this will take 8-12 minutes

5.

Pass the contents of the pan through muslin to extract the juice, then measure out 500ml of the liquid and place in a clean pan. Bring to a simmer, whisk in the agar agar and boil for 2 minutes, whisking continuously

6.

Pour into a tray and refrigerate until set. Remove from the fridge, transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Season to taste with raspberry vinegar and set aside until required

7.

For the yoghurt sorbet, add the water, sugar and glucose to a pan, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and chill. Add the yoghurt, lemon juice and sorbet stabiliser, pass through a sieve and freeze in Pacojet containers. Churn once ready to serve, or use an ice cream maker to churn and freeze until required

8.

For the sabayon, add all of the ingredients to a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until a thick ribbon forms - this can take a little time so be patient and don't stop whisking. Once ready, pass through a sieve into an ice bath, then set aside until required

Ribbon

The ribbon refers to the physical properties of a thickened liquid and its ability to hold on the surface. A thin ribbon will be visible and hold on the surface for 1-2 seconds, a thick ribbon will be visible and hold on the surface for 5 seconds or more. It is often referred to when making batters, custards or creams

9.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4

10.

For the ginger crumble, melt the butter and sugar together in a pan. Chop the porridge oats to a coarse crumb in a food processor and mix with the other dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix in the grated ginger and transfer to a baking tin. Cook for 25 minutes, or until golden brown

11.

Meanwhile, mix the topping ingredients together in a Thermomix or food processor to form a powder. Remove the gingerbread from the oven and sprinkle the powder over the top while still hot

12.

Before serving, remove the spiced plums from the bag and allow to come to room temperature. Spoon the sabayon into small individual bowls and use a blowtorch to lightly blacken the surface. Cut some of the spiced plums into quarters and distribute evenly onto the plates

13.

Break up the crumble and add a little to each plate. Finish with a scoop of the sorbet, the plum purée and a little juice from the poaching bag. Serve immediately

Source: http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/plums-sabayon-recipe