Feijoa Sorbet with manuka honey mousse, hazelnut praline, berry Meringue and lemon balm

Serves 6

Feijoa Sorbet

Ingredients:
40g caster sugar
40g icing sugar
30g liquid glucose
200g feijoas peeled and diced

Method:

Place all the ingredients for the sorbet in a small saucepan with 60ml of water. Warm through on a low heat, stirring so that the sugar and glucose dissolve. Remove from the heat and set aside until completely cool before transferring to an ice-cream maker. Churn for about 20 minutes, until firm but not completely set. Place in a container and freeze until needed.

Manuka honey mousse

Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
100g caster sugar
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons gelatine powdered
300ml cream
3 tablespoons manuka honey

Method:

Whisk together the egg yolk and sugar until thick.
Add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Place over a pan of simmering water until thick- like mousse.
Remove from heat. Whisk occasionally until cold.
Soak the gelatine in the remaining lemon juice in a bowl.
Place the bowl over a pan of hot water. Stir until dissolved.
Whip the cream until softly stiff.
Whisk the egg white until stiff.
Fold half the cream into the mousse with the gelatin, honey and whisked egg white.

Hazelnut Praline

Ingredients:
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup hazelnuts toasted lightly and skinned

Method:

Lightly oil a baking tray.
In a dry heavy saucepan cook the caster sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork, until melted and cook, without stirring, swirling the pan, just until a golden caramel. Add hazelnuts, stirring until coated well.
Immediately pour the mixture onto baking sheet and cool completely, about 30minutes. Remove praline from baking sheet and break into pieces.
Ground praline in a food processor.

Berry Meringue

Ingredients:
35g raspberry powder
4 egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup caster sugar

Method:

Place oven racks in upper and lower third of oven. Heat oven to 250°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper.
In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on high speed until foamy.
Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form and sugar is almost dissolved, 5 to 8 minutes, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Do not under beat. Add raspberry powder; beat at high speed to blend.
Using a metal spatula spread the meringue mixture into the 2 large cookie sheets flatting the meringue into a thin shape around 3mm

Place both cookie sheets in oven. Bake 15 minutes. Rotate pans to different racks and turn from front to back. Bake 15 minutes more. Turn off oven; leave meringues in oven with door closed 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle over tops of meringues 1 teaspoon raspberry powder . Place trays on cooling racks; continue to cool at room temperature, about 2 hours.

Plating

Using a hot dessert spoon place a honey mousse quenelle in the middle of the plate and then shape in the middle of it a little nest with the bottom of the spoon, sprinkle a bit of the hazelnut praline across.
Using the same hot spoon, using this time the feijoa sorbet, shape another quenelle and place it on the top of the nest in the middle of the honey mousse and hazelnut praline.
Place 2 or 3 pieces of berry meringue around the sorbet and finish with couple small lemon balm leaves.