When planning these desserts, I realized that Ruby and Sapphire’s desserts would have to be complimentary and posted simultaneously. After all, the two are basically inseparable and balance out one another perfectly. Ruby, the hot-headed soldier gem that produces fire under pressure… and Sapphire, the calm and calculated aristocratic gem that’s able to summon ice.
I AM AN ETERNAL FLAME, BABY!
-Ruby
You’re here, too. We’re here together.
-Sapphire
I played with hot and cold by making an ice cream and a warm strawberry dish. They’re designed so that they pair fantastically well… so why not make both and eat them together?
A note about Sapphire’s ice cream: this is essentially a frozen version of German Quarkspeise, a dish consisting of sweetened quark folded together with whipped cream. Quark is a thick, tangy dairy product sort of like a cross between sour cream and Greek yogurt. For those without easy access to quark, I suggest a substitution of full-fat sour cream. I understand the idea of sour cream ice cream might sound a tad strange, but take my word for it… it’s like frozen yogurt, but better. It’s tangy, creamy and addictive. You’ll never see sour cream quite the same way after trying it.
Keep in mind you’ll need an ice cream maker and candy thermometer for these desserts. I’ve linked to the ones I use at the end of this entry, but any kind is fine.
SAPPHIRE’S BLUEBERRY QUARK SUNDAE
Yields: 3 large or 5 small sundaes
Quark Ice Cream
180ml (12 oz) quark (or full-fat sour cream)
100g (1/2 cup) sugar
1 tbsp triple sec
2 tsp lemon juice
250ml (1 cup) heavy cream
1. Blend together all ingredients until smooth. Don’t overmix, as you don’t want to whip the cream. Chill the mixture for 4-8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.
2. Freeze mixture according to your ice cream maker’s instructions until it reaches soft serve consistency, then transfer it to an air-tight container and freeze until firm.
Bubble Sugar
100g (1/2 cup) sugar
80ml (1/3 cup) water
1 tbsp corn syrup
1 tbsp Everclear or other very high proof liquor
Blue food coloring
1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup over medium heat. Cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 155°C/315°F measured with a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in a few drops of blue food coloring using a very clean spoon.
2. While the candy is cooking, line a large cookie sheet with parchment or silicone. Just after taking the candy off the heat, spread the Everclear all over the cookie sheet. Carefully pour the sugar onto your sheet. Tilt the sheet back and forth a bit (wearing oven mits if necessary) to allow the sugar to run over the sheet. The alcohol will cause the sugar to bubble up. Allow to cool completely before breaking into pieces. Store immediately in an air-tight container.
Blueberry Meringues
1 egg white
100g (1/2 cup) superfine sugar
50g (about 1/3 cup) fresh blueberries
Blue food coloring
Powdered sugar
1. In a small bowl, blend or mash your berries into a sauce. Cover the bowl in saran wrap and microwave for 1 minute. Now uncover the sauce and continue to microwave it, 20 seconds at a time, until the sauce has thickened up a bit due to moisture evaporating off. Run sauce through a sieve and allow to cool a bit.
2. Preheat your oven to 100°C/210°F and prep a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Continue mixing on low speed while gradually adding in the sugar. Switch to high speed and beat the egg white until glossy.
3. Add 2 tbsp of the blueberry sauce into the meringues, along with several drops of the blue food coloring. Beat until stiff, glossy and pipeable.
4. Fill the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe small dollops of meringue onto the sheet, lifting up once you’re done to make little points. Since the meringues don’t expand, you don’t need a ton of room between each cookie. Bake for 2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to cool. If you have to store them, place them in an air-tight container immediately after cooling, or else they will absorb moisture from the air and become sticky. Right before you use them for garnish, dust them lightly with powdered sugar.
Sugared Blueberries
1/2 pasteurized egg white, mixed with a fork to loosen
50g (about 1/3 cup) fresh blueberries
50g (1/4 cup) sugar
1. Brush the blueberries lightly with the egg white before rolling them in the sugar. Allow to dry.
ASSEMBLY
1. Using a small ice cream scoop, place 3 scoops of ice cream into a chilled dessert glass or bowl. Garnish with meringues, fresh blueberries and bubble sugar and serve immediately.
Next up… it’s Ruby!
RUBY’S STRAWBERRY FLAMBÉ
Yields: 4 plates
Strawberry Meringues
1 egg white
100g (1/2 cup) superfine sugar
50g (1/4 cup) fresh strawberries
Red food coloring
1. In a small bowl, blend or mash your berries into a sauce. Cover the bowl in saran wrap and microwave for 1 minute. Now uncover the sauce and continue to microwave it, 20 seconds at a time, until the sauce has thickened up a bit due to moisture evaporating off. Run sauce through a sieve and allow to cool a bit.
2. Preheat your oven to 100°C/210°F and prep a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Continue mixing on low speed while gradually adding in the sugar. Switch to high speed and beat the egg white until glossy.
3. Add 2 tbsp of the strawberry sauce into the meringues, along with several drops of the red food coloring. Beat until stiff, glossy and pipeable.
4. Fill the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe small dollops of meringue onto the sheet, lifting as you pipe to make them tall and pointed. Since the meringues don’t expand, you don’t need a ton of room between each cookie. Bake for 2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to cool. If you have to store them, place them in an air-tight container immediately after cooling, or else they will absorb moisture from the air and become sticky.
Strawberry and Pink Peppercorn Flambé
550g (1 1/2 pints) strawberries
1 tsp butter
100g (1/2 cups sugar) split into two 50g portions
Juice of 1 orange
2 tbsp grand marnier
4 tbsp clear rum (another 80 proof or higher liquor is also okay)
1 tsp whole pink peppercorns
1. Pick 12 pretty whole strawberries and set aside. Chop the remainder of the strawberries into a small bowl and combine them with the grand marnier, peppercorn and sugar. Toss together and allow to rest in the fridge for 2 hours.
2. Place a nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped berry mixture along with the orange juice and butter, and cook to combine into a sauce. Take your remaining whole berries and remove the leaves. Take aside a couple of tablespoons of the sauce and brush them onto your berries, then roll the berries in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar.
2. Pour the warm strawberry sauce onto the plate and top with the sugared whole berries. If you don’t plan to light the dish, arrange meringues between the berries. If you are going to light the dish, add the meringues AFTER you flambé to prevent them burning. Warm the rum in a small, long-handled pot. When you’re ready to flambé, light the rum in the pot carefully with a long lighter or match. Carefully pour a small amount over the berries and allow the alcohol to burn off. Top with meringues and enjoy!
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