TriStar Strawberry Consommé with Red Bell Pepper Meringue, Cilantro Oil, and Ricotta Sorbet

METHOD:

For the Ricotta Sorbet:
Combine the ricotta, cream, simple syrup, and salt with an immersion blender. Store overnight to mature, and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions in Bravo’s Trittico 183 Ice Cream Machine.

For the Tri Star Strawberry Consommé:
Combine the strawberries, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest in a bowl and macerate for 1 hour. Put the bowl over a pot of simmering water and allow juices to extract from berries. Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth-lined chinois and cool over an ice bath. Reserve liquid in the refrigerator.

For the Cilantro Oil:
Blanch the cilantro and spinach in salted water. Strain and wring dry. Blend in a VitaMix blender with the grapeseed oil until the greens are finely puréed. Heat the oil in a pot until the liquid splits. Strain twice through a cheesecloth-lined chinois and cool over an ice bath. Store in a squeeze bottle for service.

For the Red Bell Pepper Meringue:
Preheat the oven to 170ºF. Combine the red bell pepper purée, egg white powder, and cream of tartar. Make a French meringue with the bell pepper mixture and sugar, and finish with salt. Spread the meringue to thickness of ¼ inch on parchment paper-lined sheet tray. Sprinkle the meringue lightly with the pepper and dry in the oven until crisp, about 1 hour. Cool, roughly chop, and store in a container with silica.

To Assemble and Serve:
Portion 30 grams of the TriStar Strawberry Consommé into pouring vessels; keep chilled. Thickly slice the TriStar strawberries into coins and plate off center in a small bowl. Spoon a teaspoon of chopped Red Bell Pepper Meringue to left of the berry slices. Drizzle the Cilantro Oil to right of berry slices. Place 1 sprig of micro cilantro alongside berry slices. Plate a small quenelle of Ricotta Sorbet on top of the meringue pieces. Pour the Consommé tableside.