Chef Adrian Li shares a recipe with us for an amazing dessert currently on the menu at Windsor’s Saigon Sally.
Coconut crème caramels are common in Vietnam. We wanted to modernise the dish by giving it a bit of a Windsor spin – infusing the caramel with goji berries for an earthy sweetness, and adding the yuzu jelly to cut through the richness of the dish. The coconut macaroons are added for some texture and to reinforce that coconut flavour.
Makes 24
Crème caramel
Ingredients:
Part 1
600g sugar
100ml water
Part 2
2L whole milk
2 vanilla beans
1 bottle coconut essence
Part 3
300g sugar
12 eggs
Method:
Preheat oven to 160C. Line a bain marie or deep baking tray with wet chux, and place 24 dariole moulds on top.
To make the caramel, heat the water and the sugar in part 1 together in a saucepan over medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture turns amber. Don’t stir the mixture, just swirl the pan for an even caramelisation.
Pour a small amount of caramel into each mould, just enough to coat the bottom. Save left over caramel for the goji berry caramel later on.
Bring part 2 to the boil, while whisking part 3. Pour part 2 over part 3 while continuing to whisk the mixture. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, then top up the dariole moulds with the mixture.
Fill the bain marie/deep baking tray with just enough hot water to cover one third of the sides of the dariole moulds. Cover with another tray, place in the oven and cook for 30min; rotate and cook for a further 15-30 min.
Goji berry caramel
Ingredients:
200g goji berries
250ml sugar
250ml water
reserved caramel
Method:
Make the sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar in the water in a small saucepan on a low heat.
Bring the sugar syrup and reserved caramel to the boil; take off the heat and add goji berries. Set aside.
Coconut macaron
Ingredients:
100g egg whites
150g sugar
300g fine coconut
Method:
Grease and line a tray with baking paper, and preheat oven to 150C.
Whisk sugar and egg whites together until soft peaks form, and then mix in the coconut.
Roughly shape into finger-sized forms, then place on tray, baking for 30min or until lightly golden.
Coconut praline
Ingredients:
200g coconut
300g sugar
50ml water
Method:
Lightly toast coconut in a pan on a low heat.
Bring sugar and water to boil until it turns a very light caramel colour. Add the coconut, and then pour onto a silicon mat or a tray lined with baking paper, and let it set.
Yuzu jelly
Ingredients:
200ml yuzu
400ml sugar syrup (equal parts water and sugar)
6 gelatine sheets, softened in ice water
Method:
Make sugar syrup as outlined above. Heat half of the sugar syrup, and dissolve the gelatine into it.
Add the rest of the sugar syrup along with the yuzu to the gelatine mixture. Pass through a fine sieve and divide between three takeaway tubs. Place in the fridge to set approximately 40mins.
To assemble:
Turn out the crème caramel onto a plate, by running a knife around the edges of the dariole mould so that the crème caramel keeps its shape, and then squeezing the mould upside down onto the plate. The caramel should ooze out from the tip of the mould onto the crème caramel.
Break off some pieces of macaroon and place around the plate. Pour around a tablespoon of the goji berry caramel over the top. Cut the yuzu jelly into 1cm cubes and then scatter some jelly across the plate.
Blitz the praline or chop up finely and roughly sprinkle around the plate to finish.