Serves 4
Ingredients
Beetroot sponge
50ml beetroot juice
½ gelatine leaf
Pinch of salt
Beetroot crumbs
50g panko crumbs
10g beetroot powder
Spinach and onion purée
½ onion, thinly sliced
100ml single cream
100g baby spinach
10g unsalted butter
Salt
Buchu powder
40g dried buchu leaves
Buttermilk labne
100ml buttermilk
Pinch of salt
Cucumber anddill granita
150g cucumber, diced
10g pickled dill
5g white wine vinegar
2g salt
1g xanthan gum
Method
Beetroot sponge
Place the gelatine in a small bowl with ice water and set aside. Place the beetroot juice and salt in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the softened gelatine leaf. Strain the beetroot juice into a medium size bowl, placed over another bowl filled with ice. Whisk the beetroot mixture vigorously and continuously until it is aerated and cold. The gelatin will have set it. Scoop the mixture into a piping bag and pipe into a half sphere flexipan mould. Refrigerate.
Beetroot crumbs
Pre-heat the oven to 100ºc. Mix the crumbs with the beetroot power and lightly toast in the oven for 20 minutes. Leave to cool and place in an airtight container.
Spinach andonion purée
Sweat the onions in the butter until translucent. Season with salt. Add the cream and reduce over a high heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove the spinach with a large slotted spoon and place directly into a blender jug. Blend until very smooth, add the creamed onions and blend again. Pass through a tamis.
Buchu powder
Blend until very fine using a spice grinder.
Buttermilk labne
Hang the buttermilk overnight in a muslin cloth. Once fully drained, discard the excess whey and place the buttermilk in a small piping bag.
Cucumber anddill granita
Blend all the ingredients in a bar blender then pass through a fine sieve, pour into a tray with a wide base, and freeze. Scrape the frozen mixture with a fork to form fine flakes. Keep frozen.
To serve
Scoop the centre out of the beetroot sponges and fill with some of the spinach and onion puree, then take the two halves and stick them together. Carefully roll in the beetroot crumbs. Pipe 1 tablespoon of buttermilk onto the plate and drag across with a small spatula. Place the beetroot ball on the plate, scoop some of the granita next to the ball and sprinkle with some buchu powder.
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