Great British Menu ™
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Chai Masala Millionaire Shortbread
Jack: "I'm working on the flavours, the spices that you would traditionally find if you were going around India. So it's sort of a riff on millionaire shortbread." Jack: "The ice cream is a masala tea ice cream. Underneath it is a chili chocolate, so dark chocolate. And then on top of that, we have a liquid shortbread, aerated chocolate, and then a jeera biscuit, and then cinnamon and orange caramel." He brews a chai tea with toasted spices, infusing it with milk and cream for the ice cream base. Jack: "So I'm adding olive oil to the chocolate. So when I aerate it, it'll bubble more and it'll trap all the bubbles in between the fats." He heats glucose and sugar for an orange caramel with reduced orange juice. Jack: "A little bit of smoked salt gives a different note. Because it's so sweet, you can do sweet and bitter together." He makes liquid shortbread by blitzing crumbled baked biscuits and freezing the paste. Jack: "You know, if you had cookie dough, well, this is the shortbread version." For the cremo, he infuses custard with chili and blends it with chocolate. Jack: "So the thicker the custard, the richer the cremo will be." Jack: "This tuile is going to keep the cremo away from the ice cream." He plates with the cremo first, then tuiles, cinnamon and orange caramel, liquid shortbread, chunks of aerated chocolate, and chai masala ice cream feathered with more caramel. Aromatic spices are set smoking alongside the dish. Jack: "If anything, it's probably better than what I practised." Lisa: "Jack's dish sounds really interesting. It's a huge balancing act with all those big, bold flavours. But if he does it, it could be amazing."
Lisa scored the dish 8 out of 10. Lisa: "The chocolate cremo was rich, delicious, and I like the subtle chili notes that came through. The ice cream was well balanced, and I got those lovely spices from the chai masala. I enjoyed the orange and cinnamon caramel, but I just wanted more of it. You had a tuile on there, but it didn't bring enough crunch. The liquid shortbread was well made. It brought sweetness." Lisa told Jack he needed to dial up the spice element further. During the tasting discussion: Paul: "The chocolate is dominant. Flavour is really indulgent and rich. And I think it may mask the spices a little bit, to be honest." Jack: "Most people like chocolate. So I think it's a nice, elegant way to finish a banquet." Self-scoring: Jack gave himself an 8; Daniel said 9; Paul said 9 but noted the balance needed work.
FINALS JUDGING -- Changes: Double tuiles for extra crunch (Lisa's recommendation). Blindfolded judges before tasting -- to heighten other senses. More caramel. Toasted spices at the table for aroma. Added smoked salt. Orange zest feathering on ice cream.
Tom: "I really enjoyed the smells at the beginning. There's lots of textures and things going on. Lots of flavours. It's not unpleasant. I liked it a lot. It's interesting."
"Still got a chilli kind of spice taste in my mouth, and I'm not sure that I want that with my pudding."
Debbie: "I thought it was absolutely delicious. I particularly like the chocolatey stuff at the bottom."
Phil: "I really like the ambition of the flavours and trying to go for more off the beaten track flavours for a dessert."
Lorna: "The texture was really good. The biscuit was lovely. I didn't particularly like the flavour of the ice cream, but that's a personal thing. My biggest thing is I don't think it's a banquet dessert. I don't think it's spectacular enough for a banquet."
Tom: "If you're comparing this to great British menu banquet winning desserts of the past, it's not up there."
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