Jonathan Zandbergen’s “Solero”

For the Basil Gel

Ingredients

• 675ml water
• 375ml lemon juice
• 300g sugar
• 14g agar agar
• 1g lemon zest
• 1 bunch basil leaves

Method

1. Cook the lemon juice with the water and sugar for 5 minutes.
2. Add the agar agar and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Place the mixture in a container and let set in the fridge.
4. Put the mixture in a blender, add the basil leaves and the lemon zest and blend until smooth.

For the Carrot Gel

Ingredients

• 650g young carrots peeled
• 1/2 pc star anise
• 1/2 pc vanilla pod
• 2 pc clove
• 1 pc orange peel
• 350ml sugar syrup (1:1)
• 10g agar agar

Method

1. Cut the carrots and place them in a vacuum bag with the spices and orange peel. Steam for 1.5 hours at 95°.
2. Discard the spices and place the carrot in a thermoblender with the sugar syrup and agar agar. Blend at 100°C for 10 minutes, let set in a container and then mix again until smooth.

For the Carrot Jelly

Ingredients

• 650g young carrots peeled
• 1/2 pc star anise
• 1/2 pc vanilla pod
• 2 pc clove
• 1 pc orange peel
• 350ml sugar syrup (1:1)
• 10 leaves gelatin
• 200ml water

Method

1. Cut the carrots and place them in a vacuum bag with the spices and orange peel. Steam for 1.5 hours at 95°.
2. Bloom the gelatin in the water.
3. Discard the spices and place the carrot in a thermoblender with the sugar syrup and gelatin water. Blend at 100°C for 10 minutes and place in a container.
4. Once almost set, pour over the frozen passionfruit mousse (see below) and let set completely.

For the Passionfruit Mousse

Ingredients

• 200g sugar
• 60ml water
• 80ml egg white
• 200ml passionfruit juice
• 100g banana pieces
• 10g gelatin
• 330ml whipped cream

Method

1. Star making a meringue by beating together the egg whites with 20g of sugar.
2. Cook the remaining 180g of sugar with the water until it reaches 115° and then pour the hot syrup slowly into the egg whites while beating continually. Beat until the meringue is cold, fluffy and smooth and set aside.
3. Cook the passionfruit juice with the banana and dissolve the gelatin.
4. Mix this hot liquid into 330g of the meringue.
5. Gently mix in the whipped cream and place the mixture into oval-shaped moulds (so they look like an ice-cream).
6. Let the gelatin set in the fridge for 2 hours, then blast chill the mould.
7. Take the mousse out and put on a rack.
8. Place in the blast chiller again before coating with the carrot jelly.

For the Passionfruit Meringue

Ingredients

• 180g sugar
• 300ml water
• 150ml passionfruit juice
• 100ml egg white
• 24g egg white powder

Method

1. Combine the water and sugar together to make a simple syrup (120%).
2. Mix the egg white with the passionfruit juice and 350ml of simple syrup.
3. Take 100ml of the mixture and mix it with the egg white powder.
4. Place everything together in a kitchen mixer and whip for 2 minutes, then leave to rest for 5 minutes.
5. Whip the mixture again on high speed for 7 minutes.
6. Place the mixture in a piping bag and make small 1cm dots of the mixture on a tray and leave to dry in a dehydrator for 4 hours at 55°.

For the Passion Cremeux

Ingredients

• 300g passionfruit juice
• 50g orange juice
• 3 leaves gelatin
• 300g sugar
• 180g butter
• 500g eggs

Method

1. Place all the ingredients except the butter and gelatin in a thermoblender and mix for 8 minutes at 70°.
2. Add the butter and gelatin and mix gently for 1 minute.
3. Let the mixture set in the fridge and then mix again in a blender until smooth.

For the Inca Berry Gravy

Ingredients

• 50g dried Inca berries
• 50g sugar
• 300ml water
• 2g xantham gum

Method

1. Cook the berries with the water and sugar for 5 minutes.
2. Mix in the xantham gum with a handheld blender.
3. Pass the mixture through a sieve and leave in the fridge.

For the Tropical Sorbet

Ingredients

• 250g pineapple
• 250g mango
• 250g banana
• 250g passionfruit juice
• 250g powdered sugar

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients in a blender and pass through a sieve.
2. Freeze in a pacoject and churn, or churn using an ice-cream churner/machine until set.

To Plate the Dish

Ingredients

• 2pc solero mousse
• 60ml passion cremeux
• 40ml basil gel
• 40ml carrot gel
• 12 pc passionfruit meringues
• 100g pineapple brunoise ½ cm
• 100 g mango brunoise ½ cm
• 20g lime cress
• 4 pc solero meringues (use a food printer to print the solero ice-cream image onto a flat piece of meringue)
• 60ml gravy of Inca berries
• 20g freeze-dried passionfruit pulp
• 4 pc quenelles tropical sorbet

Method

1. Cut the solero mousse in half and put on the plate.
2. Put some passion cremeux next to the mousse and swipe.
3. Put 9 pieces of pineapple and 9 pieces of mango next to each other in the cremeux.
4. Put a dot of basil gel on every pineapple-brunoise and put a dot of carrot gel on every mango-brunoise.
5. Place three passion meringues on the brunoise. And place three lime leaves on it.
6. Put a spoon of freeze-dried passionfruit above the mousse, place a quenelle of tropical sorbet on it.
7. Put some gravy of Inca berries in front.
8. Finish with the solero meringue, break it at the table!!

Recipe Courtesy of Jonathan Zandbergen of Michelin-starred Restaurant Hotel Merlet.