Chewy Beetroot, Kytren Goats Curd, Liquorice, Pear, Muntries - Chef Recipe by Anthony Power

Ingredients

320g Kytren goats' curd
400g chewy beetroot
15mL walnut oil
1 bunch of chopped chives
Pinch of cracked black pepper
Pinch of salt
200g walnut and liquorice crumb
100g sour pear and juniper gel
50g pickled muntries
Small pot picked and washed amaranth

Liquorice and walnut crumb:

50g soft black liquorice finely sliced
50mL water
1 egg
1 yolk
100g caster sugar
100g honey
150mL beetroot juice
50mL grapeseed oil
5 drops black food colouring
Pinch sea salt
100 g plain flour
8 g baking powder
1 g baking soda
200 g roasted and chopped walnuts

Chewy beetroot:

2 kg beetroot
500 g sherry vinegar
15 star anise
10 cloves
10 black peppercorn
2 cinnamon quills
4 sprigs of thyme

Pickled muntries:

50 g muntrie berries
50 g white balsamic
25 g water
20 g caster sugar
Pinch sea salt

Sour pear and juniper gel:

200 g pear juice
10 g juniper berries, crushed
75 g white balsamic
30 g sugar
Pinch sea salt
3 g agar

Method

Liquorice and walnut crumb:

In a small pot simmer the water and liquorice till fully dissolved.

Using a stand mixer beat the egg, yolk, and and sugar till pale and doubled in size.

Whisk in the purée, beetroot juice, honey, food colouring, salt and oil. Sieve the flour, baking powder and soda. Whisk those into the mixture also. Line an 8 cmx 8 cm cake tin with baking paper and bake the batter at 180 C for 50 minutes.

Check the liquorice cake with a skew and when cooked remove from the tin and cool on a cake rack. Chill in the fridge overnight. Slice 5 mm thick and dehydrate overnight at 60 C.

Crush to a rough crumb in a mortar and pestle, mix with the walnuts and store in an airtight container.

Chewy beetroot:

Top, tail and wash the beetroot. Seal all the ingredients in a sous vide bag. Cook sous vide at 95 C for 2 hours.

Strain off the liquid and reserve. Peel the beetroot and cut 1 cm discs. On a baking tray lined with baking paper dry in an oven at 105 C maximum fan. This step takes about 3-4 hours using the reserved cooking liquid baste and turning the beetroot every 45 minutes.

When ready, the beetroot will have shrunken to about half of there original size. They will be very dry outside but not so much in the centre if cut.

Lay flat in a sous vide bag vide vacuum seal, overnight the drier parts of the beetroot will soak up the moisture from the middle and the texture will be homogeneous. Dice into 5 mm cubes, portion to 60g and store in the fridge.

Pickled muntries:

Dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar and water. Chill and vacuum seal with the muntries for an instant pickle.

Sour pear and juniper gel:

Put all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil; simmer for 3 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and set in the fridge.

When chilled, blend until a smooth fluid gel is formed. Pass through a fine sieve, store in a piping bag in the fridge.

To plate in a mixing bowl dress the beetroot with the oil chive salt and pepper. On the centre of the plate place 40g of the goats' curd.

Using a 7 cm ring cutter place 50g of the chewy beetroot. Then using a 7.5 cm ring cutter top with the liquorice and walnut crumb.

Garnish with the muntries, dots of pear gel and amaranth leaves.

Recipe provided by Wild Swan at Mandoon Estate