Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro & Eduard Xatruch’s Beetroot and Fruit Salad with Garlic Sorbet

Serves 4

For the Almond Milk

Ingredients:

• 400g almonds
• 500g water

Method:

1. Combine the water with the almonds in a blender and pulse to break up almonds into chunks.
2. Rest mixture in the fridge 24 hours.
3. Blend the almonds and water again and then pass the mixture through a cheesecloth to obtain a smooth and tasty almond milk.

For the Almond Milk Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 400g almond milk (from above)
• Salt
• 50g water
• ½ sheet of 2g gelatin

Method:

1. Melt the gelatin in the warmed water.
2. Add the almond milk and mix.
3. Add salt to taste.
4. Place into a Pacojet container and freeze.

For the Candied Beet Slices

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh beetroot
• 200g water
• 40g sugar

Method:

1. Place the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Peel and cut the beet using a slicer into 0.1cm thick sheets.
3. Place the beet slices into the boiling syrup, then remove from the heat and store in the refrigerator.

For the Cooked Beetroot Purée

Ingredients:

• 200g cooked beetroot
• 200g water

Method:

1. Blend the water and cooked beetroot until you obtain a smooth purée.
2. Pass through a fine sieve and store in the fridge.

For the Beetroot Foam

Ingredients:

• 300g cooked beetroot purée (from above)
• 1.5 leaves of 2g gelatin.
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 load of N2O
• 1 ½ liter capacity siphon

Method:

1. Dissolve the gelatin in 1/3 of the beetroot purée.
2. Add the rest of the beetroot purée and some black pepper to taste.
3. Pass through a sieve and place into the siphon.
4. Close siphon and load with gas.
5. Store in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

For the Beetroot Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 100g cooked beetroot purée (from above)
• 50g of olive oil
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients without emulsifying the oil.
2. Store in the fridge.

For the Garlic Oil

Ingredients:

• 100g extra virgin olive oil
• 6 cloves of garlic

Method:

1. Cut the garlic in half with the skin on and add it to the oil.
2. Confit at 70ºC for 3 hours, then remove from heat and strain.
3. Store at room temperature.

To Serve

Ingredients:

• 40g natural yogurt
• 8 strawberries cleaned and cut in half
• 5g bitter almond oil
• Salt flakes
• 20g of roasted green pistachios, chopped
• 20 beet sprouts
• 20g balsamic vinegar

Finishing and Presentation

1. Pass the almond sorbet through the Pacojet.
2. Place 4 half strawberries on the edges of a circular plate forming a cross.
3. Following the shape of a circle, line the base of the plate with the yogurt and the beet vinaigrette.
4. Next to each strawberry, arrange 2 slices of candied beet, making them appear as voluminous as possible.
5. Dress the strawberries with 1 drop of bitter almond oil and a little freshly ground black pepper.
6. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios evenly around the salad.
7. Arrange 5 beet sprouts between the candied beet slices.
8. Place a 40g quenelle of almond sorbet in the center of the dish and cover it with 10g of garlic oil and some salt flakes.
9. Next to the sorbet, place 5 dots of balsamic vinegar.
10. Finish by filling the holes int the salad with 4 rosettes of beet foam.

Recipe Courtesy of Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro & Eduard Xatruch at 2 Michelin-starred Disfrutar in Barcelona.
Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro & Eduard Xatruch Chef Feature

Image © Francesc Guillamet.