Fruit riot

"We do this dish in many variations at Arras. This recipe is a more achievable home version, but no less visual. With the fruits, opt for ones at the height of their season and the dish will explode with flavour." At the restaurant, Adam folds powdered crystallised violets through the cream and uses some to dust the finished dessert.

• serves

  8

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

200 ml thickened cream

½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped

40 g (¼ cup) pure icing sugar, plus extra, to dust

4 cups chopped fruit (such as strawberries, rockmelon, cherries and raspberries)

4 passionfruit, pulp removed

Elderflower jelly

3 (15 g) titanium-strength gelatine leaves (see Note)

125 ml (½ cup) elderflower cordial

½ tsp vanilla extract

Orange-blossom syrup

55 g (¼ cup) caster sugar

2 tsp orange-blossom water (see Note)

2 cm-piece ginger, peeled, sliced

Instructions

Whip cream, vanilla seeds and icing sugar to soft peaks. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

To make jelly, soften gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. Drain and lightly squeeze. Place cordial, vanilla extract and 450 ml water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then remove from heat. Stir in gelatine until dissolved. Pour jelly mixture into a 24cm square pan lined with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.

To make orange-blossom syrup, place all ingredients in a saucepan with 125 ml water and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly reduced. Cool, then strain and discard ginger. Makes 125 ml.

Toss fruit in syrup and stand for 5 minutes. Cut jelly into 1cm-thick slices, then arrange on serving plates with the fruit. Drizzle with passionfruit pulp and any remaining syrup left in the bowl from the fruit, and serve with whipped cream and dusted with extra icing sugar.

Note

Titanium-strength gelatine weighs 5g per leaf. You can substitute bronze (1.5 g) or gold (2 g) leaves so long as the final weight matches the requirements. Gelatine leaves are from delis.

Orange-blossom water is available from delis and Middle Eastern food shops. 

As seen in Feast Magazine, Issue 15, pg97

Photography by Alan Benson

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.