Guava Snow Egg by Chef Gilmore

If you know anything at all about modern cuisine in Australia, you've heard of Sydney’s Quay Restaurant and Chef Peter Gilmore. His earthy approach to food inspires him to create dishes that have multiple layers of flavor, respect nature, are enhanced by modernist techniques and have stunning presentations. This particular dessert is balanced with just enough textures and flavors to really highlight the fruity flavors of the guava without being overwhelming.

One of Quay’s most heavenly desserts, the Snow Egg is a poached meringue egg, with a “yolk” of custard apple ice-cream, coated in a crunchy golden praline maltose shell, sitting on a bed of guava granita and a slick of guava fool. The fruit used changes with the season. As Peter Gilmore has said, “The snow egg, really, is my favourite dessert”.

Though there are several different steps to this dessert, the results are outstanding and are sure to impress everybody from the pickiest fine-diner to fun-loving 5-year olds. Plus, though there are many steps, the dessert is fairly simple to make as long as you pay attention to cooking times and have some patience.

Watch the video below from Chef Peter Gilmore describing the Snow Egg dish and how it is made. A huge thanks to Chef Gilmore for being so generous with his recipes!

Ingredients

This dessert has several components, so we’re dividing the ingredients up accordingly. Here’s a list to help you keep track.

Components

- Poached meringue

- Maltose tuilles

- Guava puree

- Guava granita

- Custard apple ice cream

- Vanilla custard base

- Vanilla cream

- Guava fool

Poached Meringue Ingredients

- 300g (10.58oz) egg white

- 300g (10.58oz) sugar

Maltose Tuilles

- 200g (7.05oz) liquid maltose

- 100g (3.53oz) sugar

- 20g (0.71oz) flaked almonds

Guava Puree

- 175g (6.17oz) sugar

- 250ml (8.45oz) water

- ½ vanilla bean

- 375g (13.23oz) strawberry guava flesh

Guava Granita

- 500ml (16.91oz) water

- 100g (3.53oz) sugar

- 400g (14.11oz) strawberry guavas, peeled

- 100g (3.53oz) fresh strawberries

Custard Apple Ice Cream

- 6 egg yolks

- 200g (7.05oz) sugar

- 200ml (6.76oz) milk

- 300ml (10.14oz) clear custard apple juice

- 100ml (3.38oz) single cream

Vanilla Custard Base

- 400ml (13.53oz) single cream

- 2 vanilla beans

- 1 whole egg

- 3 egg yolks

- 80g (2.82oz) sugar

Vanilla Cream

- 100g (3.53oz) vanilla custard base

- 100g (3.53oz) double cream

Guava Fool

- 400g (14.11oz) guava puree

- 200g (7.05oz) vanilla cream

Special Equipment Needed

6 cm half-hemisphere silicone molds

Bain Marie or sous vide water bath

Blow Torch

Preparation

There are several steps to this dessert but it’s worth every minute. Watch the video below from Chef Peter Gilmore describing the dish and how it is made.

Poached Meringue

The first component that you need to make is the poached meringue because it requires some set-up time.

1 – Beat your egg whites until soft peaks begin to form. It will help if your eggs are at room temperature.

2 – Slowly add the sugar, a few tablespoons at a time until it is incorporated and stiff peaks form.

3 – Place the meringue into the 6 cm  diameter half-hemisphere molds, leveling the tops.

4 - Pre-heat oven to 120°C (249°F) and cook in bain marie for about 15 minutes. Don’t let them brown.

5 – Cool completely.

6 – Unmold and refrigerate on a silicon paper-lined tray until you’re ready for them.

Maltose Tuilles

1 – Combine sugar and maltose and cook to hard crack stage,149-155°C (300-310° F).

2 – Add flaked almonds and quickly stir to coat. You’ll need to work fast.

3 – Immediately pour the syrup mixture onto a silicone mat to cool.

4 – Break into pieces and place in your food processor.

5 – Process until it’s a fine powder.

6 – Using a coarse sieve, sift the praline mixture onto a silicone mat in a thin layer.

7 – Place in the oven at a moderate heat and bake until a clear liquid paste forms.

8 – Remove from oven and quickly cut into 15cm (6in) circles using a metal circular cutter before the candy hardens.

9 – Allow to harden then store in an air-tight container in layers separated by silicone paper.

Guava Puree

1 – In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, water and scraped vanilla bean to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and add the guava flesh. Simmer mixture for 10 minutes.

2 – Remove from heat and remove the bean pods. Strain the guava flesh out and add to your food processor with just enough of the juice to make a thick puree.

3 – Process into a puree.

4 – Using a fine sieve, pass the puree through in order to remove fruit fiber.

5 – Refrigerate until needed.

Guava Granita

1 – Dice the strawberries and guava.

2 – In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil.

3 – Reduce heat to a slow simmer and add the fruit.

4 – Simmer gently for a few minutes and remove from heat.

7 – Allow to rest at room temperature for 2 hours so that the fruit infuses the liquid.

8 – Strain through muslin and throw away the solids.

9 – Pour the syrup onto a baking sheet or other stainless steel vessel in a thin layer.

10- Freeze for at least 12 hours, scraping with a fork every 2 hours in order to create crystals.

Custard Apple Ice Cream

1 – In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together.

2 – In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil, then add slowly to the egg/sugar mixture, whisking the entire time.

3 – Scrape the flesh from one extremely ripe custard apple into muslin and squeeze tightly in order to obtain 300ml of the clear juice. If you need more than one apple to get the amount that you need, then use more.

4 – Whisk the juice into the sabayon along with the cream.

5 – Pour into an ice cream machine and freeze. Follow your ice cream machine instructions.

6 – Store in a container in the freezer until needed.

Vanilla Custard Base

1 – In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and scraped vanilla beans just to a boil and remove from heat.

2 – In a stainless steel bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and egg yolks.

3 – While whisking, slowly pour in the hot vanilla cream mixture and combine well. Remove the vanilla pods.

4 – Pour mixture into four large dariole molds so that each is about 5cm (2in) deep.

5 – Place the filled molds into a tray of warm water so that you have a water bath and bake in a pre-heated oven at 150°C (302°F) for about 25 minutes like you would a crème brulee, until the custard is just set.

6 – Remove from oven and refrigerate for 4-6 hours until completely set and chilled.

Vanilla Cream

1 – Beat the cream and vanilla custard together until soft peaks form.

Guava Fool

1 – Put the guava puree into a small bowl. Gently fold the vanilla cream into the puree just until rippling occurs. You don’t want to blend it completely. Do this immediately prior to assembly.

Assembly

1 - Using a teaspoon, scoop a small hole into the center of all 16 of the meringue semi-spheres, being careful not to break through the outside of the shell.

2 – Put a small scoop of the ice cream into the hole in the meringue, then flip another scooped meringue over the top, encompassing the ice cream inside the sphere of meringue. Complete with all spheres.

3 – Put one of the sugar tuille circles on top of each sphere.

4 – Gently melt the candies down over the sphere with a blow torch.

5 – Dust each “egg” with powdered sugar so that it looks snow-covered.

6 – In a dessert glass, add a generous dollop of the guava fool, then place a layer of the granite over top. Place the “egg” gently on top of the granita.

7 – Serve immediately.

This is a recipe straight from the Quay Restaurant kitchens and a creation of modernist cuisine Chef Peter Gilmore.