Great British Menu ™
Baker:
Season:
Week:
Challenge Type:
Melting Pot
Lewis: "The dish is called "Melting Pot". The main component is a chawanmushi. I'm making that with butternut squash and ackee with just a little hint of Scotch bonnet and pumpkin. Then I'm making a miso and pumpkin jam. And then I'm going to garnish that with a hazelnut furikake. And then I'm going to make a little coconut foam to sort of just sit on top of it."
Notes taken during cooking
Lewis: "I'm going to get my pumpkin jam on the go. Basically going to blanch my butternut squash until it's tender, and then add all my miso, sugar, bit of orange juice, and reduce it down."
With his vegan custard simmering away, Lewis makes a start on his Japanese furikake seasoning.
Spencer Metzger: "What are you worried about?"
Lewis: "The coconut foam. I'm worried that as soon as you put the lid on, it's going to collapse.
Spencer Metzger, speaking to the camera after tasting the furikake ...
"So Lewis's furikake, it tasted great. I think for Lewis, the most important thing is the texture of that chawanmushi."
Plating
Last up with his vegan starter is Lewis, whose jam is causing him grief.
Lewis: “Oh, dang. My miso jam has caught. But I've got enough stuff here. I think I can get another batch on the go.
Later, Lewis layers the remade miso jam on top of his vegan custard.
And tops it with pickled mushrooms and furikake seasoning.
Peer asks: “Feeling confident about the foam?”
Lewis: "I'm a bit worried that it's not going to hold because it's all quite hot."
Spencer Metzger: “So let's start with the chawanmushi. How's that come out?”
Lewis: “Texture. I think it could have been a little bit firmer because it does kind of go just a bit soft, then it’s not very chawanmushiesque.”
Peers, tasting behind the scenes
“Should be a set custard.”
“Yeah, it should be. Have a bit more of a wobble to it.”
Back in the tasting room
Spencer Metzger: “The spiced furikake on top, does it give it a nice contrast between the softness of the chawanmushi?"
Lewis: “Yeah, I think it does. Adds a nice little texture. A bit of crunch. Otherwise it is all just a bowl of mush. Essentially.”
Peers, tasting behind the scenes
“Texturally, it's quite nice. That crunch is coming through all the time.”
Back in the tasting room
Spencer Metzger: “And then you finish off with the coconut foam.”
Lewis: “It gets a bit lost. It's just a bit too wet. I don't know if it actually needs it. So I may rethink that.”
Peers, tasting behind the scenes
“It's somewhere between, like, a savor and a sweet dish.”
“I'm not sure I like how sweet it is.”
Back in the tasting room
Spencer Metzger: “So if you had to score this dish, what would you give it?”
Lewis: “I think a 7. The balance isn't right. It needs a bit of work here and there, I think.”
Final Judging
Spencer Metzger: “Lewis, for your dish. Melting Pot, the presentation was great. It really told the story. The chawanmushi was soft. It didn't have that wobble. The furikake brought texture, and you handled the spicing really well. The pumpkin miso jam, to be honest with you, I didn't really pick this up. I would have maybe just put the miso through the pumpkin puree in the chawanmushi and left that element off. The coconut foam, for me personally, didn't really do anything to the dish. It was really pointless, and I'd just get rid of it. You need to look at these elements again if this is going to be a complete, cohesive dish.”
