left..verrine of sashimi with wasabi sorbet….Eric Johnson, Jean Georges, Shanghai. Eric Johnson is a chef worth following and now has his own restaurant in Seattle.  In 2004 his food at Jean Georges Shanghai stood out for it’s excellence.

A verrine, meaning literally served in a glass is a great way of serving a cold entree or dessert and has the wonderful benefit that it can usually mostly be prepared in advance.

serves 6

2 dozen smoked oysters…click here for the smoked oyster recipe

for lemon mayonnaise you need about half for this recipe
1 room temperature egg (minimum 61g)
15g Dijon mustard
1 lemon, finely grated rind
3g Maldon sea salt
white pepper, freshly and finely ground
125g EV olive oil
250g veg oil
30g strained lemon juice
15g Vine Valley white wine vinegar

for the apple cucumber pearls
250g vegetable oil
75g apple cucumber juice
150g caster sugar
50g Vine Valley white wine vinegar
2g fine salt
50g water
3g agar agar

other
½ bunch Thai basil, leafed and very finely chopped or few sprigs of French tarragon, leafed and finely chopped
1 x 43g tube S&B prepared wasabi[1]
2 apple cucumbers
6 cos leaves

essential
6 glasses
jam funnel
syringe

For the lemon mayonnaise
Put everything except the oils, lemon juice, vinegar and chilli sauce into a food processor and combine. With the motor running, slowly run the oils down the feed tube and when completely incorporated and emulsified add the lemon juice and vinegar. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

For the apple cucumber pearls
Put the vegetable into a glass jar and put it into the freezer at least 3 hours before you want to make the pearls. Put the apple cucumber juice, caster sugar and vinegar into a saucepan and stirring constantly bring it to the boil. The instant the sugar is dissolved turn the heat off and allow it to cool a little.

Weigh out 150g of the syrup and then weigh in the 50g of water. Whisk together and then whisk in the agar agar.  Place the pot on medium heat and whisking constantly bring it to the boil and boil for a minute. Allow to cool until it is about blood temperature (approximately 38°C) and then using a syringe drop it a drop at a time into the chilled oil.

to serve
Weigh out 150g of the mayonnaise and adding wasabi a little at a time deliver a mild wasabi flavour. Stir through the basil or tarragon. Mix the smoked oysters through the mayonnaise, taste and adjust the seasoning as required.

Peel the cucumbers and discarding the seeds cut the flesh into small cubes and then mix it into the oysters. Salvaging the oil, drain the pearls and put half of them into the oyster mix. Roughly chop the cos and mix it through the oysters.

Using the jam funnel to keep the glasses clean divide the mix between the glasses. Mix the remaining pearls with the 10g of Leonardi white balsamic and spoon over the top. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve.

tip — this can be fully prepared in advance but no more than two hours.

[1]Once opened prepared wasabi seems to lose its heat…always date with a texta when you open it keep it in the fridge, and more than a month old you’ll probably need to ditch it.