In this recipe, the crunchy palm kernal goes perfectly with the Chinese guava, the little fruit that is in great demand when in season in Mauritius, as well as with the acidity and freshness of the sorbet. It makes a very refreshing starter.
Constance Belle Mare Plage
Ingredients (Serves 4)
The palm salad:
- 1 fresh palm
- 1 semi-ripe mango
- 1 bunch of chives
- 10g pink ginger confit
- 40ml lemon juice
- 15ml mature olive oil
- Tabasco: to taste
1. With a small paring knife, peel the palm kernel. Just keep the edible portion of the heart.
2.Peel the mango and cut it into cubes of half a centimetre. Save it.
3. Finely chop the chives. Chop the pink ginger.
The Chinese guava sorbet:
- 500g guava puree
- 100ml red wine
- 130g glucose
- 4g cinnamon
- 3g green cardamom
- 4g stabiliset for sorbet
- 150ml water
- 40g sugar
1. After weighing all the ingredients, put them together in a saucepan. Bring them to the boil and remove them from the heat. Let them infuse for 15 minutes and then pass them through a cheesecloth strainer (a Chinois).
2. Allow the preparation to cool in the fridge for 24 hours. Cream the sorbet and store in the freezer.
The vanilla oil:
- 1 pod of Madagascan vanilla
- 50ml olive oil
- salt/pepper
1. Split the vanilla pod in two. Collect the seeds and add them to the olive oil. Cut the rest of the stick into strips and dry it in the over for 24 hours.
Finishing and presentation
Fresh mint: to taste
Sea salt: to taste
Chop the palm heart into 3mm thick pieces. Put in a cap with lemon juice, chopped ginger, mango cubes and chopped chives. Season with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and a dash of Tabasco. Mix it well and serve it up in a cold deep dish. Add a scoop of guava sorbet on top, a sprig of mint and a little chopped vanilla. Finish it off with a few drops of vanilla oil and a little sea salt on the kernel salad.
Sommelier’s suggested wine
Dry white wine:
- Saumur, “L’Insolite”, Domaine des Roches Neuves, 2010 France
- Crozes-Hermitage, Domaine Combier, 2008 France