Yuzu Water Mochi by Yves Scherrer
It is not easy knowing if today there are more allergies than ever or if simply they are detected more often. However it may be, it is a factor that food professionals have to take into account when organizing their menus and product offers. Among them we can find the young French man established in Australia, Yves Scherrer (so good #13, so good #15), Head Pastry Chef at Ananas Bar and Brasserie in Sidney. He himself tells us how he faces this situation and how he ends up making his allergen-free desserts into the most on-demand desserts on the menu. Also, we gather two of his most recent creations, which we could classify as ‘suitable for all audiences’.
I’ve got great feedbacks and special thanks from people for considering their allergies. Of course there always is the person that’s allergic but doesn’t want this dessert because they don’t like one of the component… I guess you can never please everyone.
And a part of a few fussy people it was often because of food allergies or intolerance, the most common ones would always be lactose, gluten and nuts.
Being lactose intolerant myself made me consider the issue more seriously. But also I was thinking that it was embarrassing for me to serve beautiful desserts to everyone and just have a sorbet plate for the allergic or intolerant people.
So I started working on one dessert on the menu that would be lactose, gluten and dairy free. However I didn’t want to take a dessert and just change a recipe just to make it that way and to a lower product.
So I made sure that all the component would be great recipes that already had all the requirements and build around it.
People where really receptive about it. And the great thing about having a full real dessert and not a substitute is that anyone can order it and enjoy it and it works. Those desserts are usually on the top sellers.
I’ve got great feedbacks and special thanks from people for considering their allergies. Of course there always is the person that’s allergic but doesn’t want this dessert because they don’t like one of the component… I guess you can never please everyone.
Yves Scherrer
Yuzu Water Mochi
yuzu clarification
- 200 g pure yuzu juice
- 2 g agar
Combine the agar and yuzu juice together and boil for 30 seconds. Let cool down at room temperature and freeze overnight. Let defrost in an oil filter so as to get the clear liquid of the yuzu juice only. This may take around 5 hours.
yuzu water mochi
- 20 g clarified yuzu juice
- 230 g Finé Japanese mineral water
- 45 g sugar
- 1.8 g agar
Combine the sugar and agar together. Heat the water and yuzu in a pot to 40°C and then whisk in the sugar mix. Bring to a boil and simmer for a minute. Pour into half sphere molds and set in the fridge.
wild strawberry sauce
- 75 g sugar
- 105 g wild strawberry purée
- 1 twist of black pepper
Make a dry caramel with the sugar to a light brown color and deglaze with the strawberry purée, reduce until the sauce is slightly thickened. Crack some fresh black pepper on top and reserve.
printed meringues
- 90 g egg whites
- 180 g sugar
- 45 g water
- 20 g pure yuzu juice
- chocolate transfer sheet
Place the egg whites and yuzu juice in a mixing bowl. Cook the sugar and water to 118°C and make an Italian meringue. Pipe small balls of meringue on baking paper and then place some transfer squares on top of each ball to flatten them into small disks. Dry at 60°C for 12 hours.
Assembly
Place a yuzu water mochi on the center of a plate. Cut strawberries into quarters, toss with yuzu juice and space 8 pieces around the mochi. Pipe some strawberry sauce between each strawberry.
Place a printed meringue between every second strawberry. Place big chunks of freeze-dried yuzu chunks between every other strawberry with a baby red shiso leaf on top.
NOTE
The idea started with something quite popular in Japan lately which is the water mochi. Being a see true plain water jelly with kinako powder and black sugar sauce which reminds the flavors of a traditional mochi.
I wanted to keep the idea but make it more playful and flavorful. I clarified some yuzu to add to the jelly and keep it as clear as possible and blended with some strawberries to make a really fresh Summery dessert.
You will find Red Wine and Chocolate Pear’s recipe in so good #15
