Hibiscus Flower Sorbet and Cloud with Lychees

By corlear

Ingredients

• For the lychee gelatin:
• 83/4 oz lychees, tinned and with their juices
• 1 sheet gelatin (previously rehydrated in cold water)
• For the hibiscus infusion:
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 2 oz dry hibiscus flower
• For the hibiscus sorbet:
• 2 cups hibiscus infusion (see previous step)
• 1 1/2 sheet gelatin (previously rehydrated in cold water)
• 1 tsp sorbet stabilizer
• 3/4 oz dextrose
• For the hibiscus cloud:
• 1 cup hibiscus infusion (see previous step)
• 2 sheets gelatin (previously rehydrated in cold water)
• For the mint oil:
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 2 oz fresh mint
• For the lychee cubes:
• 2 whole lychees
• To finish:
• Maldon salt

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

For the lychee gelatin:
1. Keep 2 whole lychees on one side to make the cubes.
2. Place the lychees and half their juice in the food processor. Roughly blend the lychees in small spurts.
3. Use a spoon to press the juice and part of the pulp through a sieve. Sieve again without pressing to only obtain the juice.
4. Heat a ¼ of the lychee juice and dissolve the gelatin in it.
5. Remove from the heat and mix with the rest of the lychee juice.
6. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

For the hibiscus infusion:
1. Bring the water to the boil
2. Add the hibiscus flower and stir.
3. Remove from the heat and cover.
4. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes and sieve.

For the hibiscus sorbet:
1. Put 1¼ cup of the hibiscus infusion with the stabilizer and dextrose in a pan. Heat to 186ºF.
2. Remove from the heat. Dissolve the gelatin in it and mix the rest of the infusion.
3. Leave to stand in the fridge for the 12 hours.
4. Process in the sorbet maker and when it begins to thicken, switch off the cold position for approximately 2 minutes to whisk the sorbet.
5. Return to the cold position and process for 1 more minute.
6. Keep in the freezer, making sure that the temperature does not go under -36ºF.

For the hibiscus cloud:
1. Place ¾ of the infusion in the freezer at 34ºF.
2. Heat the remaining infusion in a pan and dissolve the gelatin in it. Keep in the fridge.
3. When the mixture begins to set, put it in a mixer bowl, which should be cold. Begin to whisk at a medium speed.
4. Gradually add the remaining infusion, which should be at approximately at 34ºF when the foam begins to form.
5. Increase the speed and continue whisking until stiff peaks are formed.
6. Spread a 2" layer in a tray.
7. Place the cloud in the fridge to block the gelatin for a maximum of 2 minutes.
8. Leave the cloud out of the fridge for as long as possible.

For the mint oil:
1. Pick off the mint leaves and blanche in boiling water.
2. Plunge into iced water. Drain.
3. Blend with the oil in a food processor. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture through a sieve.

For the lychee cubes:
1. Cut each lychee in half and use the tip of a knife to remove the inside skin.
2. Dice the lychees into cubes that are no bigger than ¼".


Final Steps & Preparation:
1. Put a little diced lychee in a soup dish.
2. Use a soup spoon to make a quenelle of hibiscus sorbet and place it on top on the lychees. Top with a spoonful of hibiscus cloud.
3. Drizzle two soup spoonfuls of lychee soup around the hibiscus and dot the mint oil around it.
4. Place a little Maldon salt on top of the hibiscus cloud.