Honey Mousse and Grapefruit Jelly with Tomato Jam

Tomato Jam

Grapefruit Jelly

• 1

  Soften the gelatine in the cold water and dissolve in hot water.

• 2

  Add the sugar and stir occassionally until cold, then add the fruit and juice, also wine if used.

• 3

  Set in freezer for 2 hours or until set.

Biscuit Joconde

Honey Mousse

• 1

  Prepare the cream to whip by placing it in the bowl you intend to whip it in, and placing that in the refrigerator along with the whisk you intend to use.

• 2

  Sprinkle the gelatin in the bottom of the smallest pot you own. (I use my stainless steel 1/2 cup measuring cup, which holds up to the low heat the gelatin is later melted over) Cover the gelatin with the 2 tbsp of water, making sure every granual is covered and can absorb water, using a little more water if needed. Set aside.

• 3

  Making the honey sabayon: Place the yolks, honey, and vanilla in a large stainless steel or glass bowl, and place it over the pot of simmering water you have prepared as your double boiler. With the water simmering, but not boiling rapidly, start cooking the honey mixture while calmly whisking constantly. Continue whisking the honey and eggs over heat until they start to thicken, and lighten in color. This can take as little as 3 minutes, and as long as 10, depending on how much heat is transfering to the bowl from the simmering water in the pot. It is best to cook this slower as you will have a more stable base for your mousse.

• 4

  When the honey sabayon is finished, a little mound will appear on the surface when a small amount is drizzled from the whisk back into the bowl. At this point, remove the bowl from the double boiler and set aside.

• 5

  Place the tiny pot of bloomed gelatin over low heat, and cook until it melts, stirring as needed. Transfer the gelatin to the warm honey sabayon and whisk it until the gelatin is evenly distributed. Set aside and allow the sabayon to come down in temperature. In preparing the sabayon for the incorporation of the whipped cream, it needs to be cool enough that it doesn’t melt the cream when it is folded in, but not so cool that the gelatin sets.

• 6

  While the sabayon is cooling, remove the bowl of cream and whisk from the refrigerator and begin whisking. Whisk the cream to soft, thick, billowy peaks, by hand if possible. If using a kitchenaid mixer, turn the mixer on to speed 6, but no higher. The slower incorporation of air into very cold cream creates a denser whipped product, which adds structure to the delicate mousse, and creates a more luxurious mouthfeel. The more structure we can add from the correct cooking of the sabayon, and whipping of the cream, the less gummy gelatin we need to add making a delicately ballanced mousse.

• 7

  When the cream has been whipped and the sabayon is at room temperature, begin incorporating the two. Place 1/3 of the cream into the sabayon, and whisk to incorporate. Place another 1/3 of the cream into the sabayon, and fold in carefully with a large rubber spatula. Finally, add the remaining 1/3 of cream to the sabayon and again, fold in carefully.

To assemble:

• 1

  Start with biscuit Joconde as the bottom layer and spread a thin layer of tomato jam and a fine layer of the mousse.

• 2

  Place a 2nd layer of biscuit Joconde and repeat the spreading of the jam and the mousse.

• 3

  Continue piling upto eight biscuits.

• 4

  On the final biscuit, place few cubes of the jelly, a dollop of the jam and decorate with a clean segment of a grapefruit and a lemon grass.