Grilled watermelon, aubergine, chocolate crumbs, cucumber and ginger sorbet
- Dessert
- Medium
- 8
- 3 hours
PT3H
Andrea Berton highlights the versatility of the humble aubergine in this inspiring dessert recipe. He pairs the earthy notes of the vegetable with a refreshing cucumber and ginger sorbet that brings a delightful lightness to the dessert and pairs beautifully with the sweet nuances of the mint-infused watermelon. The chef also uses an exclusive pepper from Camo in Piedmont, however it can be easily substituted for the more readily available Sarawak pepper.
Ingredients
Aubergine rectangles
- 2 aubergines
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 50g of extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
Cucumber and ginger sorbet
- 50g of Isomalt sugar
- 25g of dextrose
- 2g of stabiliser
- 50g of water
- 250g of cucumber juice
- 6g of ginger juice
- 40g of apple juice, green
- 12g of lime juice
- 12g of lemon juice
- 5 basil leaves , chopped
Aubergine cream
- 2 aubergines , peeled
- 2 bunches of basil
- 1l peanut oil
- 100g of extra virgin olive oil
- flaky sea salt
- black pepper
Chocolate dough
- 125g of plain flour
- 80g of ground almonds
- 130g of butter
- 130g of brown sugar
- 50g of cocoa powder
- 10g of cacao nibs
- 4g of salt
- Sarawak black pepper, in brine, drained and rinsed
Sablé pastry dough
- 220g of plain flour
- 100g of sugar
- 170g of butter, cold
- 1 egg
- salt
Watermelon
- 1/2 watermelon
- 8 mint leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp oil
- salt
Crumble
- 1 lime
To serve
- pea shoots
Equipment
- Water bath
- Pacojet
- Vacuum bags (10)
- Microplane
- Chamber sealer
- Deep-fryer
- Piping bag and nozzle
Method
1
For the aubergine rectangles, slice the aubergines in half lengthways and coat with thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. Cover and leave to marinate overnight
- 2 aubergines
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 50g of extra virgin olive oil
- black pepper
2
For the sorbet, combine the isomalt sugar, dextrose, stabiliser and water together in a pan and place over a high heat. Boil for 1 minute until all of the sugar has dissolved
- 50g of Isomalt sugar
- 25g of dextrose
- 2g of stabiliser
- 50g of water
3
Mix the juices together and whisk in the syrup and the basil leaves. Place the mixture in Pacojet beakers and freeze at -16°C
- 250g of cucumber juice
- 40g of apple juice, green
- 12g of lime juice
- 12g of lemon juice
- 6g of ginger juice
- 5 basil leaves , chopped
4
On the day of serving, preheat the water bath to 90°C
5
Place the marinated aubergine halves in vacuum bags (2 slices per bag) and seal with a chamber sealer. Place the bags in the water bath and cook for an hour and a half
6
Meanwhile, make the chocolate dough. Mix all of the ingredients together until smooth and combined, roll into a cylinder and wrap in cling film. Freeze for approximately 1 hour
- 125g of plain flour
- 80g of ground almonds
- 130g of butter
- 130g of brown sugar
- 50g of cocoa powder
- 10g of cacao nibs
- 4g of salt
- Sarawak black pepper, in brine, drained and rinsed
7
Repeat the above process for the sablé pastry dough
- 220g of plain flour
- 100g of sugar
- 170g of butter, cold
- 1 egg
8
Preheat the peanut oil for the aubergine cream in a deep-fryer to 180°C
- 1l peanut oil
9
Cut the peeled aubergines into 2cm thick slices and fry in the hot peanut oil
- 2 aubergines , peeled
10
Drain the aubergine slices on a piece of kitchen paper, then blend into a purée with the basil and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a piping bag and set aside until needed
- 2 bunches of basil
- 100g of extra virgin olive oil
- black pepper
11
Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3
12
For the watermelon, cut 8 rectangles measuring 4x5x2cm out of the watermelon flesh, place into individual vacuum bags with the mint, oil and salt and seal in a chamber sealer. Set aside to compress for 15 minutes
- 1/2 watermelon
- 8 mint leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp oil
- salt
13
Once the chocolate and sablé pastry doughs have set, grate onto separate baking trays lined with greaseproof paper and place in the oven for 20 minutes
14
Remove the watermelon slices from the bags and set aside to dry on kitchen paper
15
Remove the trays of crumble from the oven and set aside to cool and dry an kitchen paper. Once cool, combine the crumbles and grate over some fresh lime zest
- 1 lime
16
Remove the aubergine halves from the bags and place on pieces of kitchen paper to dry and cool
17
Cut the marinated aubergine halves into 8 rectangles measuring 4x5x2cm and grill on both sides in a hot griddle pan, keeping warm until required
18
Process the frozen sorbet mixture a few minutes before serving. Meanwhile, grill the watermelon slices under a hot grill
19
To serve, place a rectangle of aubergine on each plate and pipe over with the aubergine cream. Place a watermelon slice alongside, sprinkle on the chocolate crumble and top with cucumber and ginger sorbet and pea shoots as pictured above
- pea shoots
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Grilled watermelon, aubergine, chocolate crumbs, cucumber and ginger sorbet
