Great British Menu ™
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Beetroot and Cherry Dessert
Beetroot and Cherry Dessert with Licorice Mousse and Treacle Crumble
Daniel: "I'm going to start with a treacle crumble, a compote made from these beetroots." Lisa: "It looks like you've cooked and dehydrated them." Daniel: "Yeah. So you get this really chewy texture. There's a licorice mousse and then a cherry and beetroot sorbet with some tuiles to finish." Daniel: "You're either going to love it or you're going to hate it." He makes his mousse by simmering cream with licorice, cooking the custard up to 84 degrees, then setting it with gelatine before whipping. Daniel (on the beetroot): "They've been frozen to change the sugar structure, roasted and then dehydrated really slowly so we get the chewy texture." He mixes the beetroot with fresh cherries and a sweet and sour cinnamon liquor. Daniel had a moment of concern with the mousse: "Just a bit conscious of the texture. Feel that it's split. Just added some fresh cream." The cherry sorbet was more successful: "Really happy, texture is great." Daniel: "It's fresh cherry and preserved beetroot with a sweet and sour cinnamon." Daniel: "Just making sure it looks great and it's complex in its flavour, but it still feels like a big cuddle, like a dessert." He crushes his treacle crumble, demoulds delicate beetroot and cherry butterfly tuiles, plates with the crumble, compote, licorice mousse, a rocher of cherry sorbet, and the butterfly tuiles. The dish is served in miniature vintage suitcases. Lisa: "I think if Daniel focuses on the rest of his elements, like he has done with his compote, he could bring together a really good dish."
Lisa scored the dish 7 out of 10. Lisa: "I love the suitcase presentation and the celebration of the beetroots. I like the texture of the compote. The dehydrated beetroots were chewy, and they added an extra dimension. The licorice flavour in the mousse was well balanced. However, texturally, it needed to be more set, because when the sorbet melted, it became a puddle, which was a shame. This affected the dish." During the tasting: Jack: "The treacle really adds texture. It's not what I expected. I was expecting it to be massively sweet, but it's not, which is really nice." Paul: "The beetroot has got balanced really well. I like the beetroot." Jack: "It's delicious, the licorice, but nothing can really break through it that much." The narrator noted: "The sorbet has melted into the mousse, so you just get a puddle." Paul: "I think if that had a bit more texture, it'd be banging."
Self-scoring: Daniel said he needed a 10; Paul gave a strong 8; Jack said minimum 8.
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