FORAGE AND FEAST PARMESAN AND ROSE PETAL STARS
SERVES 4, TIME: 60 MINUTES
This recipe allows me to entertain and save time, making a gathering easy and stress-free. Follow my lead and top your favourite festive cocktails with one of these canapés. This one is called a rosette — a deep-fried carrier filled with a delicious creamy and cheesy filling. For a magical Christmas touch it’s star-shaped — like the topper on your tree. For this recipe I went with cream and Forage and Feast Parmigiano Reggiano, an Italian cheese with a rich, bold flavour and crumbly texture. For the garnish, I couldn’t resist rose petals.
Tip: It’s perfectly paired with a slightly rose-infused martini.
For the Parmesan Catalan:
3 egg yolks
200ml cream
1 sprig thyme, leaves picked
140g Forage and Feast Parmigiano Reggiano, grated 5ml (1 tsp) Maldon salt
5ml (1 tsp) ground black pepper
10g dried rosebuds
Rosette:
136g (250ml) gluten-free cake flour
15ml (1 tbsp) granulated sugar
A pinch of salt
2 eggs
250ml (1 cup) water
500ml (2 cups) sunflower oil
1 In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until well combined and set aside.
2 In a small saucepan on medium heat, bring the cream and thyme to a gentle boil. As soon as the cream begins to boil, remove it from the heat.
3 Combine the eggs with the warm cream by slowly whisking the cream mixture into the egg yolks. After this, return the entire mixture to the pot and continue to cook over low heat. Stir diligently with a spatula or wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
4 When the mixture starts to thicken, add the Parmesan cheese in batches. Keep whisking until the cheese is completely melted into the creamy concoction.
5 Allow to cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.To make the rosettes, start on the batter the night before. It works best if it rests for at least 6 hours before using. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, sugar and salt together. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and water together using a balloon whisk. Slowly add the liquid mixture to the flour, whisking to ensure no lumps form. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
6 In a medium saucepan, heat the cooking oil to 170°C. Make sure there is enough oil for deep frying.
7 Slightly heat the cast-iron rosette stamp in the oil. Wipe the excess oil on a sheet of paper towel before dipping into the oil. 8 Dip two-thirds of the stamp into the batter and place directly into the fryer. The batter will release on its own once cooked. Fry until golden brown in colour, then remove from the oil and place on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
9 Pipe the Catalan into the vessels of the rosette, garnish with dried rose petals and serve.