The Blackcurrant Bush

Luke French

Luke French

1st June 2017
Luke French

The Blackcurrant Bush

My recipe for The Blackcurrant Bush dish as featured on the menu at Joro which has three Rosettes from the AA Restaurant Guide

Ingredients

  • For the brown butter ice cream:
  • 1170g whole milk
  • 400g whipping cream
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 20g trimoline
  • 10g salt
  • 15g iota
  • 80g milk powder
  • 25g dextrose
  • brown butter
  • For the blackcurrants & juice:
  • 1kg blackcurrants
  • 150g blackcurrant leaf sugar
  • For the blackcurrant oil:
  • 300g vegetable oil
  • 100g blackcurrant wood
  • 150g young blackcurrant leaves
  • For the oats:
  • 200g oats, sieved
  • 50g Sheffield heather honey
  • 2g salt
  • 20g vegetable oil

Method

Place all of the ingredients for the ice cream in a thermomix except the iota and butter, and bring to 90°C on speed 4. Once it reaches 90°C gradually add the brown butter (to taste), then add the iota and blend on full speed for 30 seconds, whilst hot pass the ice cream mixture through a fine chinois directly into pacojet canisters and freeze until solid.
Pacotise the ice cream 5 times before using.
Toss the blackcurrants in the sugar to coat them, then vacuum pack on full pressure and cook sous vide at 80°C for 30 minutes. Open the bag and pass through a fine chinois and cool over an ice bath.
Dependant on the flavour of the blackcurrants you may wish to add more sugar or season with citric acid and salt to taste. Keep both the juice and the blackcurrants reserved in the fridge until needed.
To make the oil, crush the blackcurrant wood with a hammer and vacuum seal with the oil and cook sous vide at 85°C for 12 hours, then pass through a chinois and cool, discard the branches and keep the oil. Place the oil and leaves in a thermomix and set to 80°C on speed 8 for 8 minutes, then pass through a muslin over an ice bath, reserve until needed in the fridge.
Combine the oats in oil and salt, warm the honey and then mix it into the oats. Spread the oats out on a silpat and bake them at 155°C until golden and caramelised, mixing the oats every 3-5 minutes so they cook evenly. Let them cool and keep them in an air tight container until needed at room temperature.
Pacotise the ice cream and marinate the blackcurrants in the juice and oil to taste, meanwhile place a small spoonful of the oats in the bottom of a chilled bowl, then a spoonful of the ice cream on top, make a dent in the ice cream and place a large spoonful of the blackcurrants in their own juice and oil in the dent. Place a young blackcurrant leaf and currant flowers on top of the blackcurrants and serve immediately.

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