Conor McClean's winning dish, served with amaretto cream, fromage blanc sorbet and blueberry compote.
Ingredients
For the friande:
- 100 g3½ oz icing sugar
- 25 g1 oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 65 g2¼ oz ground almonds
- 3 egg whites
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 85 g3 oz salted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 3 tbsp blueberries
For the Amaretto cream:
- 125 ml4½ fl oz double cream
- 10 g¼ oz icing sugar
- 10 ml¼ fl oz Amaretto
For the blueberry compote:
- 50 g1¾ oz caster sugar
- 1 punnet of blueberries
- ½ tbsp blackcurrant jam
- A dash of Pernod
for the fromage blanc sorbet:
- 100 ml3½ fl oz glucose
- 100 ml3½ fl oz semi-skimmed milk
- 100 ml3½ fl oz double cream
- 10 g¼ oz cornflour mixed with a few drops of milk
- 75 g2¾ oz caster sugar
- 500 g17¾ oz fromage blanc
- Juice of ¼ of a lemon
- A pinch of crushed black peppercorns
for the sorbet garnish:
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 100 g3½ oz caster sugar
- 6 sprigs of mint
For the tuile biscuit:
- 45 g1½ oz salted butter
- 75 g2¾ oz icing sugar
- 60 g2 oz egg white
- 90 g3¼ oz plain flour
- A few drops of vanilla essence
- 1 tbsp blue poppy seeds
Method: How to make Vanilla friande
To make the friande:
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Grease six moulds and dust with flour. Melt the butter.
Sift the icing sugar and flour into a bowl and stir in the almonds.
Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks then gently fold them into the dry ingredients.
Add the lemon zest and fold in the melted butter and vanilla essence. Finally, stir in the blueberries.
Fill the prepared moulds and place the friandes in the oven for around 20 minutes.
To make the Amaretto cream:
Whip the cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks then fold in the amaretto.
To make the blueberry compote:
Make a stock syrup by boiling the sugar with 50ml water.
Add the majority of the blueberries and the blackcurrant jam, bring back to the boil and cook until the blueberries burst.
Pour into a liquidizer and blitz until smooth, then strain. Add Pernod to taste and allow to cool.
Finally, add the reserved blueberries.
To make the fromage blanc sorbet:
Bring together the glucose, the milk, the cream, the cornflour paste, the sugar and 50ml water in a pan. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Add the cooled mixture to the fromage blanc and blend along with the lemon juice and the pepper.
Pour into an ice cream machine and churn until set.
To make the sorbet garnish:
Zest the lemon into julienne strips.
Blanch the zest in boiling water then refresh in iced water. Repeat three times.
Make a stock syrup by mixing the sugar with 100ml water and bringing to the boil.
Cook the zest in the stock syrup for 15-20 minutes then leave to cool.
To make the tuile biscuit:
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Blitz the butter and sugar until creamed.
Gradually add the egg whites, the flour and the vanilla essence and blend until smooth.
Using a template on a silpat mat, spread the paste very thinly to create biscuit shapes. Sprinkle with the poppy seeds.
Bake in the oven until golden then remove from the mat and allow to cool.
Use a chef’s ring to mould the biscuits to shape before they cool completely.
To serve:
Turn out the friande just left of centre of the plate with a ball of sorbet to the right of the friande topped with the candied lemon zest and a mint sprig. Add a quenelle of amaretto cream and a tuille biscuit with the blueberry compote spooned around the plate.
