• This recipe forms part of our feature on Garth Almazan’s eatery, Leeto, in Paternoster, in our October 2018 issue.

    Lemon posset with strawberry gel, biscuit tuile and honey crumbs

    Serves: 6 - 8
    Total Time: 2 hrs

    Ingredients

    • LEMON POSSET

    • 600ml double-thick/thick cream
    • 150g castor sugar
    • zest and juice of 2 large lemons
    • HONEY CRUMBS

    • 90g icing sugar + extra, to dust
    • 85g cake flour + extra, to dust
    • 60g cornflour
    • 30g ground almonds
    • 250g salted butter, cut into cubes + extra, to grease
    • 75g honey
    • 2 drops almond essence
    • BISCUIT TUILE

    • 1 large egg white
    • 60g castor sugar
    • 30g cake flour
    • few drops vanilla essence
    • 30g salted butter, melted
    • STRAWBERRY GEL

    • 250g fresh strawberries
    • 2g (1 tsp) agar-agar flakes (find at faithful-to-nature.co.za)
    • lemon juice, to taste
    • edible flowers, to garnish

    Instructions

    1

    For the lemon posset, place the double-thick/thick cream and 150g castor sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat. Continue to boil for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest. Divide the mixture among 6 – 8 ramekins. Refrigerate to thicken, about 3 hours.

    2

    For the honey crumbs, preheat the oven to 180˚C and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside until needed. Sift the icing sugar, 85g cake flour and cornflour together in a large bowl. Add the ground almonds and stir to combine. Transfer to a food processor. Add the 250g cubed, salted butter, honey and almond essence. Pulse until there are no visible lumps. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use your hands to bring the mixture together until a smooth dough forms. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until light brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once cool, break the slab into pieces and transfer to a resealable bag. Using a rolling pin, smash the pieces to a fine crumb. Set aside until needed.

    3

    For the biscuit tuile, preheat the oven to 180˚C. Place the egg white in the bowl of a hand-held/stand mixer. The bowl must be scrupulously clean and dry or the white won’t reach full volume. Using a fork, lightly whisk the egg white. Add the 60g castor sugar and whisk until frothy. Sift in the 30g cake flour and add a few drops of vanilla essence. Stir in the melted 30g salted butter. Mix until well combined. Spoon 20ml (4 tsp) of the mixture onto a non-stick baking mat, leaving about 5cm of space between each dollop. Spread each dollop a little, using the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven, about 9 – 10 minutes. Remove from heat and, using a palette knife, carefully lift each tuile off the baking mat and drape it over a rolling pin. Set aside until completely cool. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

    4

    For the strawberry gel, line a standard size cake tin with cling film. Set aside until needed. Place the strawberries in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Strain the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan. Sprinkle the agar-agar flakes over the strained purée. Place over low heat until the mixture is warmed through. Once warm, give the mixture a quick stir and continue to heat for 3 – 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and refrigerate to set, about 30 minutes. Once set, place the jelly in a food processor. Add the lemon juice, to taste. Blitz until smooth. The aim is to create a gel-like consistency. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Set aside.

    5

    To serve, divide the lemon posset between 6 – 8 serving bowls. Sprinkle the honey crumbs in a line over the centre of the posset. Pipe dots of the strawberry gel on along both sides of the line of crumbs. Garnish with the tuile and edible flowers. Serve immediately.

    Imka Webb
    Author

    Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine.  www.imkawebb.com