1 large syringe 12 (8- inch) balloons Nitrogen gas Liquid Nitrogen
Preheat oven to 300 to 315 degrees F.
In a medium saucepan, cook butter over high heat until browned. Reduce temperature to cool slightly then add sugar, walnut puree and salt. Increase heat again so that the mixture comes to a boil. Place chocolate in a large stainless steel bowl. Pour boiling mixture over chocolate. Whisk the new mixture until smooth and emulsified. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Pour mixture into individual (2 1/2 inch) ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large pan filled with enough water to come up to a third of the side of ramekins. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the custard is set. Let cool to room temperature, cover and reserve in refrigerator.
To plate:
After custard is cooled, remove from ramekin. On an oblong plate place the custard on the left side of the plate and the strawberry sphere on the right hand side of the plate. At Moto, Chef Cantu added bright green shiso foam to the custard and some strawberry pastry cream under the sphere, so you can feel free to dress your plate to your taste.
For the strawberries:
Puree strawberries in a blender. Strain strawberries through a fine mesh sieve and season with remaining ingredients.
Using the syringe, fill balloons with 60 cc of strawberry puree. Then inflate the balloons with nitrogen gas to the size of one's fist. Securely tie the balloon. Pour liquid nitrogen into a Styrofoam container, enough to roll the balloons in. Roll each balloon in a circular motion on all sides until completely frozen (1 to 2 minutes). Then hang the frozen balloons freely on a hanger or warm in your hands until the balloon is able to pull away from the ice. Using scissors cut a small incision on one side of the balloon and peel it away from the sphere. Discard the balloon. Refreeze the resulting sphere in liquid nitrogen using the same rolling technique. Wrap in the plastic and store in the freezer until ready to serve.
Cook’s Note
*To make the walnut puree: Toast 1 cup walnuts in a pan. Puree toasted walnuts and 1 1/2 cups water in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Then season puree with salt, to taste.
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This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional. It has not been tested for home use.
Recipe courtesy of Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche, Moto, Chicago, IL
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