Cockles With Lychees and Passion Fruit

By corlear

Ingredients

• To open the cockles:
• 14 oz fresh cockles (24 units)
• For the jellied cockles:
• 24 cockles (see previous step)
• 1 1/2 cup cockle water (see previous step)
• 1 sheet gelatin (previously rehydrated in cold water)
• For the lychee gelatin:
• 1 tin lychees (14 oz)
• 1 1/4 sheet gelatin (previously rehydrated in cold water)
• For the passion fruit reduction:
• 1/2 cup passion fruit juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp glucose
• To finish:
• freshly ground black pepper

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

To open the cockles:
1. Put the cockles in small batches in boiling water for 7 or 8 seconds.
2. Use a skewer to cut the peduncles that link the cockle to the shell, remove them and check the smell of them one by one.
3. Strain the water used to cook them and then keep them on one side in the cooking stock.

For the jellied cockles:
1. Place the cockles at least ½" apart on a rack. Keep in the fridge.
2. Heat ¼ of the cockle water and dissolve the gelatin in it. Remove from the heat and mix with the remaining cockle water.
3. Keep half the water in fridge and stir occasionally until it thickens.
4. Coat each cockle with the gelatin. Be careful with the consistency of the gelatin (stir the gelatin that has been left out of the fridge from time to time), as it will not stick if it is very liquid and if it has become too solid, it will not cover the cockle uniformly.
5. Keep the cockles in the fridge so the gelatin layer sets completely.
6. Repeat this operation at least twice more.

For the lychee gelatin:
1. Drain the lychees and keep the juice on one side.
2. Blend the lychees with half the juice in a food processor.
3. Sieve the mixture and use the back of a spoon to press the pulp and obtain more liquid.
4. Sieve a second time, but this time do not press the pulp.
5. Heat ¼ of the lychee juice and dissolve the gelatin in it.
6. Remove from the heat and mix with the rest of the juice.
7. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 2 h.

For the passion fruit reduction:
1. Reduce the passion fruit juice with the glucose.
2. Reduce the mixture over a gentle heat until you have a thick sauce with the consistency of liquid caramel.

Finishing Touches & Presentation:
1. Break up and work the lychee gelatin until it has the texture of salsa. Put 2 spoonfuls in the center of the dish.
2. Place 6 jellied cockles around the lychee gelatin.
3. Place a drop of the passion fruit reduction on top of each jellied cockle.
4. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper on top of the lychee gelatin.