Friday 23 June 2017

Strawberry Delight

 Strawberry Parfait Mousse is one of the prettiest desserts; it also tastes delicious. 
In spite of it being time-consuming, it is simple enough to construct. It is just perfect for any special occasion. It will feed at least 15 to 20 people. 
This is one of my mum's artistic creations that she has shared. I have made this with strawberry, but you can substitute raspberry or even mix both into the equation and make it even more flavorful. Using your favourite seasonal berry always results in the best flavours.



A Strawberry Parfait Mousse with meringues. Lets just call it a Strawberry Delight?

Meringue


Pre-heat the oven to 300 F/ 150 C
Prepare two cookie sheets with two parchment discs ; 10inch/ 25cm in diameter 4inch/10cm deep

1 1/4 cup almonds
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp flour

4 large egg whites
pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
Grind together the almonds, sugar, and flour until fine. Keep aside 

In a bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed, gradually adding the salt and sugar. Once it is firm and glossy, stop the machine. 
With a metal spoon, fold in the ground almond, sugar, and flour mixture into two halves. 
Fill a large piping bag with half the meringue mixture and pipe the meringue on to the parchment, going round in circles starting from the centre point until the entire 9 inch diameter is covered. 
Repeat on the second parchment. 
Place the trays in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until fairly firm. Cool completely.

Strawberry Parfait Mousse
500g/ 1.1 lb of hulled  and chopped strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt


1/4 cup of the strawberry juice
1 tbsp gelatine powder

10 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

4 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cup whipping cream 

In a bowl, put the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Let it macerate and create juices for 2 hours. Now either use an immersion blender or with a fork, break the strawberries down as best as you can. 

Prepare the gelatine blossom; remove a little of the strawberry juice and add the gelatine to it. Leave it for a few minutes. 

With an electric beater, beat the remaining strawberry juice, 10 egg yolks, and sugar until very light over a pan of hot water or on a low flame. This will take 15 minutes. Remove it from the fire and add the blossomed gelatine to it. Mix well. Cool completely. 

In another bowl, beat the whipping cream to soft peaks and fold it into the strawberry mixture. 
Keep cool 

Prepare a sugar syrup with the sugar and water. Put it on a flame to ensure all the crystals are melted. Bring it to a boil and allow it to become thicker. 

In another bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. With the beater running, pour in the hot sugar syrup until the egg whites turn into a glossy, shiny meringue. 
Fold this gently into the strawberry mixture.



Assembly 
In a 33cm/10-inch springform pan, place the ready-cooked meringue disc. 
Pour the strawberry mousse almost to the top, then place the second disc of meringue on top. Press down. Cover it with foil and place it in the freezer. 

Tips
Each stage is important. The Parfait Mousse should not set too quickly when waiting for the cream to be mixed in. It should not be too warm with the egg white mixed in that it melts. Keep ice bowls at hand in case you need them. This really depends on how hot your kitchen is depending on your location. 

Once the dessert is frozen, it is best served when it softens a bit. Keep a jar of warm water to put your cake knife in to get clean, neat slices. 
It is best to do the topping once you are ready to serve. The lines in the picture are made of the juice boiled down to make a coulis, or a teaspoon of jam added to it. It has to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Use an icing gun for neat results. 

While a mousse is not frozen, a parfait does not have gelatine, hence I call it a parfait mousse!



My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on Amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.

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