Chilled Southern Rocklobster Consommé Spheres

Makes 17 portions

Ingredients

For the spheres

1g sea salt
20g caster sugar
300g clarified Southern Rocklobster stock
7g calcium lactate
30g peeled weight young green ginger, very finely sliced on a mandolin

For the alginate bath

1400g water
65g caster sugar
7g sodium alginate

Other ingredients

8 Thai chillies, seeded, scraped back
Very finely julienned basil and mint leaves
Julienned glacé ginger
Approximately 20g ginger syrup

For the spheres

Put the sea salt, caster sugar and 300g Rocklobster stock into a saucepan and whisk in the calcium lactate. Bring to the boil and whisk until the calcium lactate is dissolved - do not reduce.
Pour over the green ginger and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Strain off and fill into 40mm half sphere silicon moulds and freeze.

When the sphere bases are completely frozen, remove from the moulds and store in the freezer in airtight containers.

Put the water sugar and sodium alginate into a pot and incorporate the alginate with a stab mixer/Bamix. Bring to the boil, turn the heat off, allow it to sit for 5 minutes, then process again to ensure the alginate is completely incorporated. Bring to the boil again.

Working a few at a time and keeping the alginate solution very hot, taking care that they do not touch each other, drop the frozen spheres into the alginate and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Very carefully remove them from the bath and drop them into the remaining EcoMil Almond. Repeat the process until all of the spheres have been formed. Store tightly covered in the fridge.

To serve

Carefully place a sphere on chilled spoons, divide the chilli, basil and mint on top of the spheres and then top with the glacé ginger and a drop of ginger syrup. Add a few mls of the stock and serve immediately.

Options

We also serve the spheres in hot clarified consommé, in chilled tomato essence with some cold rocklobster tail and mint chiffonnade and on spoons with many combinations.

Copyright © text, recipes and images Southern Rocklobster Limited and Ann Oliver 2009