F r o m A u s t r A l i A’ s m A s t e r C h e F P e t e r G i l m o r e

Peter Gilmore’s exclusive recipe for the Guava Snow Egg

f o o d i n S P i r E d b y n a t u r EP e t e r G i l m o r e

q u ay

SErVES 8

guava snow eggthis is my favourite dessert. it is an original creation that i first made about three years ago. the flavours change with the seasons; sometimes i make a white peach or a mulberry version, but this guava version is my favourite. Strawberry guavas have a deep pink flesh and an exotic intoxicating scent. the combination of the fool, granita and ice-cream filled poached meringue is a textural treat. Coating the snow egg in a maltose biscuit adds another dimension — as you crack through the toffee biscuit it gives way to the soft meringue filled with the custard apple ice cream. this dessert is incredibly refreshing and, for me, everything a dessert should be.

guava fool

800 g (1 lb 12 oz) strawberry guavas175 g (6 oz) caster (superfine) sugar½ vanilla bean, split and scraped

vanilla cream100 g (3½ oz) vanilla custard base

(basic recipes, page 269) 100 g (3½ oz) double cream (45–50%

fat)

Cut the guavas in half and scoop out the seeds and discard them, then scoop out the flesh from the skin. Weigh out 375 g (13 oz) of flesh.

Put 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) of water in a saucepan and add the sugar and vanilla bean. bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer, add the guava flesh and simmer for 10 minutes. remove the pan from the heat and remove the vanilla bean. drain the guava flesh from the liquid and place the flesh in a blender. add just enough of the cooking liquid to process into a thick guava purée. Pass the purée through a fine sieve and set aside in the refrigerator.

to make the vanilla cream, whisk together the vanilla custard base and cream in a small bowl to form soft peaks. Place 400 g (14 oz) of guava purée in a small bowl and gently fold through the vanilla cream to form a rippled effect. do this just before you are ready to assemble the dessert.

custard apple ice cream

200 ml (7 fl oz) milk 6 egg yolks200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar1–2 large, extremely ripe custard

apples100 ml (3½ fl oz) cream (35% fat)

Put the milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together, then, while whisking, pour the boiled milk onto the egg yolk and sugar mixture. Pour the mixture into a stainless-steel bowl, place over a pan of simmering water, without letting the base of the bowl touch the water, and continually whisk for 10 minutes. Place the bowl of sabayon over ice to cool.

Meanwhile, scoop out the flesh from one custard apple into a fine sieve lined with a double layer of muslin cloth. Gather the muslin at the top and squeeze the ripe custard apple flesh tightly to obtain a clear juice. you will need 300 ml (10 1/2 fl oz) of clear juice (you may need to use the second custard apple). Whisk the juice into the sabayon, along with the cream. transfer the mixture into an ice-cream machine and churn until frozen. Place the ice cream in a container in the freezer for at least 1 hour.

guava granita

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) strawberry guavas100 g (3½ oz) fresh strawberries100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

Cut the guavas in half, scoop out the seeds and flesh and discard the skin. Weigh out 400 g (14 oz) of flesh. roughly dice the guava flesh and strawberries.

Combine the sugar and 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) of water in a large saucepan, bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a slow simmer. add the diced fruit and gently simmer for 10 minutes. remove the pan from the heat and allow to infuse at room temperature for 2 hours. Pass the liquid through a sieve lined with muslin cloth and discard the solids. Pour the guava syrup into a ceramic or stainless-steel container to a depth of 5 cm (2 inches). Place the container in the freezer for a period of no less than 12 hours. Every 2–3 hours, remove the container from the freezer and scrape with a fork to form the granita crystals.

to finish and plate

take eight of the poached half-hemisphere meringues. using a teaspoon, remove a small scoop from the centre of each meringue, being careful not to break through the outer edge. Place a small scoop of custard apple ice cream inside the hole you have just made. Scoop a small hole in the remaining eight meringues and invert them over the ice-cream filled half-hemispheres to form a complete sphere. Place a maltose tuile on top of each sphere and, using a gentle kitchen blow torch, melt the tuile over the sphere. dust all the spheres with icing sugar. next, place a generous spoonful of the guava fool in the bottom of each serving glass. top the fool with the guava granita, then place the ice-cream filled meringue spheres on top of the granita and serve.

poached meringue

300 g (10½ oz) egg white300 g (10½ oz) caster (superfine) sugarpure icing (confectioners’) sugar,

to dust

Preheat the oven to 120°C (230°f/Gas 1/2). for this recipe you will need a 6 cm (2 1/2 inch) diameter half-hemisphere silicone mould sheet. Whisk the egg whites in an electric mixer until they form soft peaks, then slowly add the sugar. once the meringue forms firm peaks and the sugar has dissolved, place the meringue into 16 half-hemisphere moulds. Place the meringues in a bain-marie large enough to hold the silicone mould sheet and cook in the oven for about 15 minutes. allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the water bath to cool completely. unmould the meringues and store in the refrigerator on a tray lined with silicone paper.

maltose tuiles

200 g (7 oz) liquid maltose100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar20 g (¾ oz) flaked almonds

Heat the maltose and sugar in a medium-sized pan until it reaches 140°C (285°f). add the flaked almonds and immediately pour the mixture onto a silicone mat. Put aside to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°f/Gas 4). Line a baking tray with a silicone mat. Process the hard praline in a food processor to form a fine powder. transfer the praline mixture into a course sieve and sift the praline onto the silicone mat in a fine layer, about 1 mm (1/16 inch) thick. you may have to work in batches, depending on the size of your tray. Place in the oven and melt the praline until it forms a clear liquid paste. remove from the oven and before the praline becomes too hard, cut it into eight 15 cm (6 inch) circles using a metal circle cutter. When each circle is hard, store in an airtight container, placing a sheet of silicone paper between each one.