Crème fraîche mousse
SERVES 8-10 / PREPARATION 30 MINUTES PLUS OVERNIGHT CHILLING
165g white chocolate
30g rice bubbles (can be replaced with gluten-free
cornflakes, or any other gluten-free alternative) 4½ gelatine leaves
525ml cream
375g crème fraîche
1½ teaspoons vanilla paste
60g caster sugar
TO SERVE
600g berries (I used 500g strawberries, 50g raspberries
and 50g pomegranate seeds)
1 tablespoon sumac (or substitute the zest
of ½ a lemon and a tiny pinch of ground pepper) edible flowers basil leaves
½ tablespoon olive oil (optional)
Line a 29 x 20 x 5cm tin with baking paper, allowing it to hang over the edges so you can easily remove the mousse from the tin (if you don’t have a tin this size don’t worry, you can use any size or shape of tin, it will just change the thickness of your mousse).
Melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of boiling water, stirring to ensure the chocolate does not burn. Once melted, stir in the rice bubbles until completely combined. Pour into the lined tin and spread with a palette knife until you have an even, flat layer of rice bubbles. Set aside.
Soak the sheets of gelatine in cold water. While they are soaking, whip the cream, 300g of the crème fraîche and the vanilla to soft peaks. Once the gelatine sheets are soft and pliable, remove from the water and put them in a pot with the remaining 75g crème fraîche and the sugar. Warm over a low heat until the gelatine is melted and everything is combined. Fold about 1 cup of the whipped cream into this mix to cool it down and then return this all to the bowl of cream and fold gently to combine. Pour into the prepared tin. If the mix is particularly thick, tap the tin on the bench lightly a few times to smooth the top. Put in the freezer to set overnight, or for up to two weeks.
Remove the mousse from the tin by lifting the edges of the baking paper; if it feels like it’s not coming out easily, warm a cloth and use it to warm the base and edges of the tin slightly. Use a warm knife to trim the edges to create a clean-looking rectangular slice and put on a serving plate. Cut the berries as desired and toss with the sumac. If you’re making this a few hours in advance, add some high-quality olive oil to the fruit when tossing, to stop the berries from drying out. Pile the berries on top of the mousse and finish with edible flowers and some baby basil leaves. To serve, leave in the fridge to fully defrost for 1 hour, or 30 minutes at room temperature.