Dubai-Inspired Pistachio Nest
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Kataifi Pastry Nest with Pistachio Crème Pâtissière, Saffron Cream and Chocolate Shard
Inspired by Dubai chocolate, Mukul's pistachio celebration: a kataifi (fine pastry) nest topped with pistachio crème pâtissière, saffron cream, and a chocolate-pistachio shard, served with a rose and chilli gel, pistachio crumb, and a raspberry coulis.
Mukul: "There is a very popular chocolate nowadays which is selling like hotcakes — that's Dubai chocolate. So Dubai chocolate is basically a chocolate filled with kadayif, which is a filo pastry, and pistachio. My wife is addicted to it. I'm cooking a pistachio crème pat which will be sitting on a kadayif nest and there will be a saffron cream on top of it. I also have a rose and chilli jelly. I'll be putting some raspberry coulis around it just to balance the acidity."
Mukul: "I don't feel like completely happy about what I did there. I did not think about layering the flavours in one go so everything could be eaten in one bite. I am not very confident at the moment. I am really disappointed and very nervous."
Jimmy: "The pistachio flavour comes through both in that crème pat and the pistachio crumb. The raspberry coulis is great in terms of flavour because it's a sharp bit of contrast, but it's also quite a necessary sauce because it all does feel a bit dry. You've got that huge wadge of fine pastry underneath. And for a riff on Dubai chocolate, it's not really got much chocolate."
Grace: "I don't think this is your best work. The pistachio cream and then the pistachio crumb for me are not sweet enough."
Anna: "Your saffron cream, to me, is very elegant. The flavour of saffron, same with the rose. It's really well balanced with your chilli. You have incredible ideas. I think the presentation ultimately let this down. If you'd used a smaller ring and you filled each layer up, it would mean every spoon had an even distribution of each flavour. But if they are eaten in the wrong ratios, it's falling flat."
(Final discussion) Grace: "Mukul time and again in this kitchen has delivered dishes that have impressed us, but that was the weakest dish ever cooked. It was far too dry. The pistachio not sweet enough."
