Chocolate, Chevre & Blackberries
A drunken slug, my dining out rule + an Osip inspired mousse, ice cream & compote recipe
The Slug and Lettuce
When eating out, I have one rule: don’t make the restaurant staff's life unnecessarily challenging. Generally, I think there is a lot to be said for trusting a really good restaurant, especially those establishments in the Michelin guide. In other words, don’t meddle, they know what they are doing. That is, unless you find a drunken slug peering curiously out from a lettuce leaf. How do I know that it was drunk? Well, if its swaying head was anything to go by, I’m pretty sure it had been imbibing the champagne vinaigrette - on my dollar (I was in America at the time)! Although I like to think that I'm a fairly low maintenance guest, on this occasion I was forced to return the offering to the Michelin star kitchen from whence it had been dispatched. Of course, this establishment will remain anonymous, however, I was not best pleased when the waitress, trying to spontaneously lighten the culinary affront, commented: ‘It just shows how fresh our ingredients are!’
Anyway, on to another restaurant, but one that manages to keep their garden friends under control - Osip in Bruton, Somerset.
A Dessert inspired by Osip.
It’s Friday and I need to prise myself away from the kitchen. I change out of my sauce-stained apron, kick off my grease covered Birkenstocks and wash my flour-covered hair. There, I look presentable. Presentable enough, at least, to venture out into civilized society (my kitchen is not civilized!) and go on a date with my long-suffering husband.
‘My goodness, this is just incredible!’ I declared to my husband after the last spoonful of my dessert - the final course of the lunch menu at Osip in Bruton, Somerset. Tasty, very very tasty: 72% pump street chocolate cremeux, blackberries, and fig leaf ice cream with an impossibly thin chocolate tuile topped with flaky salt. Perfect, SO perfect that I needed more! For this, I might just have to break my dining out rule.
Sheepishly I asked our lovely waiter if I could trouble the kitchen for another portion of one of the best desserts I’d ever enjoyed. He looked a little nervous, but graciously agreed to present this request to the chef. Of course, being British, I told him not to worry, after all, better to have loved and eaten than never to have loved at all. Sauntering into the charming little lounge intending to prolong the delightful experience we settled into a cosy nook and ordered coffee. Already reminiscing about the meal, I looked up to see my husband beaming. Following his sight line, lo and behold there was the waiter advancing with none other than the dessert, together with the announcement: ‘From the kitchen’’.
Miracles do happen!
It was then I decided that I would have to re-create this heavenly confection at home. And so I did.
3 recipes in 1, aren't you lucky!
This dish comprises three delicious stand-alone recipes, that are, nevertheless, quite ridiculously good together.
First, there is the chocolate mousse - light, airy and deeply nuanced with the addition of malted milk powder, and espresso. Then, of course, the blackberry and chevre (goat’s cheese) ice cream. On the surface the ice cream appears simple, but following the initial sweetness the flavor of the goat’s cheese slowly emerges: herbaceous like wildflowers in a field yet nutty, and tart, like walking past a lemon tree.
And then, finally there's the simple lemony blackberry compote that adds an extra unctuous layer to the composition of the dessert.
Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients:
200ml milk
20g golden caster sugar (or soft light brown sugar)
2 tablespoons espresso
2 tablespoon of malted milk powder (optional but wonderful)
300g 70% dark chocolate
200ml double cream
A pinch of fleur de sel
3 egg whites (+ 1 tablespoon sugar)
Place the chocolate and fleur de sel in a medium heatproof bowl.
Combine the malted milk powder and hot espresso.
Heat the milk and sugar in a small saucepan over low-medium heat then add the espresso mixture. Stir occasionally whilst bringing the mixture to a gentle simmer.
Pour the milk mixture over the chocolate and salt and allow to rest for 1-2 minutes. Then, with an immersion blender, blend until smooth.
Place the cream in a large bowl and whisk until soft-medium peaks form. Gradually add the chocolate into the cream, folding slowly with a metal spoon until amalgamated.
For the meringue: whisk the egg whites until they are foamy, then slowly add the sugar until medium peaks form. Using a metal spoon gently fold the meringue into the mousse until completely combined.
Refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours before serving.
Blackberry Compote
450g fresh, sweet blackberries
½ cup white sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
A little lemon zest
1 pinch salt
Method:
Place all the ingredients into a small-medium saucepan over low-medium heat. Gently simmer for 15-18 minutes. Stir every few minutes to avoid sticking.
Remove from the heat and cool for a few minutes before serving, or refrigerate for later use. The compote will thicken further as it cools.
Blackberry Ice cream
Ingredients
397g (1 can) sweetened condensed milk, (use half the can for a less sweet version)
500ml heavy/double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
A pinch of fleur de sel
125 g mild goat’s cheese
1/2 cup of blackberry compote, strained (see above for recipe) + tablespoon for optional ripple effect
Method
Set aside two medium-large mixing bowls.
In the first bowl combine the condensed milk and vanilla. Strain the blackberry compote into the bowl and mix thoroughly.
In the second bowl whisk the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Now add the goat’s cheese and whisk gently for a few seconds until combined.
Gradually fold in half the blackberry condensed milk mixture (from the first bowl) to the goat’s cheese cream. Then, gently continue to fold in the remaining mixture.
It may appear that the mixture is not fully combined, in which case whisk with a hand mixer on low speed for a few seconds to incorporate.
Scrape the ice cream into a freezer container or a large loaf tin.
To create a ripple effect, swirl one tablespoon of compote (sieve first if you prefer) through the icecream then cover with cling film and freeze until set.
Tip: Make all three elements 1 - 2 days ahead so all you have to do on the day is assemble.
Note
If you have a dribble of blackberry condensed milk mixture remaining, resist the temptation to lick the bowl. Rather, swirl the mixture through the ice cream, perhaps alternating with the compote.
Fun fact! Merlin, the founder of Osip, has recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to expand the vision for his restaurant - Osip 2.0. You can support the campaign here.