Coconut Custard
Toasted Coconut Water
250 grams shredded Coconut
500 grams water
3 grams salt
Spread the coconut on a sheet pan and toast in a 176 degree Celsius oven. Stir the coconut occasionally so it toast evenly. The coconut is done when it is a dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and place in a pressure cooker. Add the water and salt, cover with the lid and cook on high pressure for thirty minutes. When the pressure releases, strain the water through a fine mesh conical strainer and cool down.
Coconut Custard
395 grams coconut milk
150 grams toasted coconut water
3 grams salt
1.35 grams agar agar
0.15 grams Locust bean gum
200 grams white chocolate
Place the coconut milk and toasted coconut water in the blender. Turn the blender on a create a vortex in the machine. Sprinkle the salt, agar agar and locust bean gum into the vortex and blend to evenly disperse the ingredients. Pour the blended ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. When the mixture reaches a simmer, continue to cook for five minutes. While the mixture is simmering, chop the white chocolate into pieces smaller than a centimeter.
When the coconut milk mixture has simmered for five minutes, strain it into a clean blender. Turn the speed on low and begin to add the white chocolate in six stages, allowing it to melt into the mixture between additions. When the white chocolate has been fully melted into the coconut mixture, strain it into a twenty by twenty glass pan. Place the mixture into the refrigerator to cool.
Infused Blueberries
320 grams blueberries
145 grams blueberry juice
35 grams yuzu juice
10 grams agave nectar
3 grams salt
Mix the blueberry juice, yuzu juice, agave nectar and salt together. Pour the blueberry blend over the blueberries and place the ingredients into a vacuum seal bag. Place the bag in a vacuum sealer and seal the blueberries and juices on a liquid setting. Place the sealed bag in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for several hours. Remove the blueberries from the bag. Strain the blueberry juice and reserve. Set aside 28 infused blueberries to finish the dish and coat with a light dressing of the infusion juice. Lay the remaining blueberries on a plastic tray and place into the freezer.
Blueberry Spheres
295 grams infused frozen blueberries
185 grams infused blueberry juice
1.6 grams agar agar
0.18 grams locust bean gum
2 grams salt
115g diced cold whole butter
Place the frozen blueberries and the blueberry juice in the blender. Let the berries thaw for five minutes in the juice, then turn the blender on low. Increase the speed as the berries become pulverized and a smooth blueberry puree is formed. While the blender is running and a vortex has formed in the center of the mixture, sprinkle in the agar agar, locust bean gum and the salt. When the ingredients have been evenly dispersed in the mixure, pour the blueberry puree into a pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for five minutes. After the mixture has cooked for five minutes, turn off the heat and pour the mixture into clean blender top. Turn the blender on low and start adding the cold butter in four additions. When the butter is fully emulsified into the blueberry mixture, strain the base through a fine mesh conical strainer into a bowl. Allow the mixture to cool to seventy degrees Celsius, then fill a squirt bottle with the mixture. Reserve extra puree in the bowl and fill the squirt bottle as needed. Spray the interiors of a two piece, 32 cavity chocolate sphere mold with pan release and wipe out any excess spray. Close the mold and then fill each cavity with the blueberry puree. Once all the cavities are filled pour the remaining puree into a container to cool. Place the sphere molds and the excess puree into the refrigerator to set.
Blueberry Puree
Reserved blueberry base from making blueberry spheres
Place the reserved blueberry base from the blueberry spheres into a blender. It will have set into a solid mass and will need to be broken apart in the blender. Once the set puree is broken, turn the blender on and let the mixture puree for five minutes. The mixture will take on a granular look part way through the blending though the continuous blending will smooth the mixture back out. When the mixture is smooth and glossy, turn the blender off and pass the puree through a fine mesh conical strainer. Reserve in the refrigerator.
To Assemble
Coconut Custard
Blueberry Spheres
Blueberry Puree
Infused Blueberries
Bush Basil
Slice the coconut custard into 4 strips 2cm thick. Cut each strip into 8cm lengths. The coconut custard yields more custard than will be needed. Unmold the blueberry spheres. Place a spoonful of the blueberry puree in the center of each plate. Use an off set spatula to spread the puree in a twenty degree angle towards the top of the plate. Place one piece of custard straight up and down on the plate, just touching the spread of blueberry puree. Place the second piece of custard on the left had side of the spread puree at a 45 degree angle laying on its wider side. Place one blueberry sphere on top of the angled coconut slice. Place one sphere 2cm below the straight up and down slice of custard. Place the third sphere to the top right of the up and down slice of custard. Arrange the blueberries: place one on the angled slice of custard opposite the sphere, one on the top of the straight slice of custard, one between the straight slice of custard and the blueberry sphere, one in the center of the blueberry puree and one a cm below on the plate, the final berry to the right of the sphere below the straight slice of custard. Arrange bush basil leaves and small sprigs on the blueberries and one on the corner of the angled slice of custard.
