- For the sponge:
- 100g unsalted butter
- 100g caster sugar
- 100g whole egg
- 100g finely ground almonds
- 20g self raising flour
- 2g Maldon sea salt, finely ground
- almond extract to taste
- zest of 1 lemon
- lemon oil
- For the praline:
- 25g caster sugar
- pinch of finely ground Maldon sea salt
- 20g nibbed almonds
- 3g unsalted butter
- 25g caster sugar
- pinch of finely ground Maldon sea salt
- 20g nibbed almonds
- 3g unsalted butter
- For the honey gel:
- 120g orange blossom honey
- 80g bottled water
- 10g sosa vegetable gel
- lemon juice to taste
- To serve:
- 60g clotted cream
- 1 punnet of Westlands tagetes
Lemon and almond sponge, praline, lemon honey gel and Westlands tagetes
Ingredients
Method
For the sponge:
Cream the butter and sugar together and gradually add the egg. Sift together the almond, flour and salt and then fold into the butter mix. Add almond extract to taste. Grate in the lemon zest and add a few drops of lemon oil. Bake in silicone mini bar moulds at 160℃ for 12-15 minutes until risen and golden brown.
For the praline:
In a small pan, heat the sugar, shaking the pan occasionally until melted. Continue to heat until the sugar is a medium caramel colour. Add the salt and almonds and stir over the heat until well coated. Add the butter and stir again until incorporated. Pour out onto a silpat mat or baking parchment. Allow to cool completely and then chop fairly finely.
For the honey gel:
Combine the honey, water and vegetable gel in a small pan and whisk together. Bring up to simmer and remove from the heat. Allow to set and cool to room temperature. Blitz in a food processor to a smooth gel. Add lemon juice to taste. Use enough to balance the sweetness of the honey.
To serve:
Place one sponge just off centre on the plate. Cut second sponge in half diagonally, swipe some honey gel in the centre of the plate and at 1 o’clock and 7 o’clock. Place the sponge pieces on the swipes. Add a quenelle of cream in the centre. Scatter over some praline and add Westlands tagetes shoots over the honey gel.
In these challenging times…
The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.
A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.
Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.
