Waterlilies

Waterlilies

A refined plated dessert inspired by the elegance of floating waterlilies. This creation layers textures and flavors with precision: crisp blood‑peach opaline, airy grapefruit meringue, and velvety ruby chocolate coins form the signature decorative “petals.” At the base, a light rice‑vinegar whipped ganache provides gentle acidity, paired with fragrant star‑anise crumble for warmth and texture. A vibrant blood‑peach compote and smooth panna cotta add fruity depth, while a refreshing grapefruit–star anise sorbet brings cool, aromatic brightness. Finished with fresh grapefruit, puffed rice, and a delicate ruby chocolate decoration, this dessert is visually poetic and wonderfully balanced—perfect for fine dining and elegant summer menus.  
Level:
Difficult
Makes:
8
Shelf life:
a la minute
Conservation:
a la minute

Blood peach opaline

Ingredients: Blood peach opaline

  • 3.0 oz
    Blood peach puree
  • 0.2 oz
    glucose powder
  • 1.0 oz
    isomalt
  • 4.6 gr
    salt
  • 0.2 oz
    potato starch

Preparation: Blood peach opaline

1 coin (0.3g)

Stir the starch into the puree until no lumps remain. Add the glucose, isomalt and salt, and bring to a boil until a thick paste forms. Let the mixture cool, then spread onto a 2cm wide circular stencil. Remove it and dry the circles at 110°C for 2 hours. Leave to cool, remove from the mat, and store in a dry place.

Decorations

Ingredients: Decorations

  • 0.5 oz
    Fresh Grapefruit
  • 0.1 oz
    puffed rice

Preparation: Decorations

  1. Fresh grapefruit: 15g per plate / 1 fillet
    Fillet the grapefruit and cut one fillet into approximately 6 equal pieces.
  2. Puffed rice: 2g per plate / 10 pieces
    Roast the puffed rice at 150°C for 10 minutes and store in a dry place.

Ingredients: Decorations

Preparation: Decorations

Ruby decoration: 3 strips per plate (0.1g each)
Pour tempered CARMA® Ruby Azalina 40% onto a transfer sheet and use a 1.8mm wide tooth horn to draw thin strips. Leave to crystallise under a weight. Cut into 10cm long strips, place 3 of them on top of one another in a staggered pattern and secure in place with a dab of chocolate couverture.

Grapefruit star anise sorbet

Ingredients: Grapefruit star anise sorbet

  • 3.5 oz
    grapefruit puree
  • 0.2 oz
    water
  • 0.8 oz
    sugar
  • 0.5 oz
    Dextrose
  • 15.4 gr
    star anise
  • 12.3 gr
    sorbet stabilizer

Preparation: Grapefruit star anise sorbet

12g per plate

Briefly bring the star anise and puree to a boil, and let the mixture infuse for 10 minutes. Strain, add the remaining ingredients, then heat up to 85°C before letting mature overnight in a vacuum-sealed container. The next day, pour into a Pacojet beaker and freeze.

Blood peach panna cotta

8g per plate

Mix the cream and puree thoroughly, and bring 150g of this mixture to a boil. Mix the remaining 50 g with the CARMA® Panna Cotta, and stir into the boiling mixture. Boil again and pour into a metal container to let it cool for at least 2 hours. Then blend until smooth and fill into a piping bag.

Blood peach compote

Ingredients: Blood peach compote

  • 10.8 gr
    agar agar
  • 0.4 oz
    sugar
  • 0.3 oz
    fresh lemon juice
  • 2.6 oz
    Fresh Peach Dice (Brunoise)

Preparation: Blood peach compote

15g per plate

Mix the sugar and agar agar powder thoroughly, and stir into the puree and lemon juice blend, making sure no lumps remain. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it cool down in a metal container with a lid. Mix thoroughly to form a smooth gel and combine with the finely diced peach. Cover and store in a cool place.

Star anise crumble

Ingredients: Star anise crumble

  • 0.7 oz
    butter
  • 0.7 oz
    flour
  • 0.4 oz
    sugar
  • 0.4 oz
    brown sugar
  • 9.3 gr
    powdered star anise

Preparation: Star anise crumble

3.5g per plate

Knead all ingredients together and leave to rest in a cool place for 2 hours. Grate using a coarse grater, and bake at 170°C for about 8 minutes until golden brown. Crumble the mixture a little and store in a dry place.

Rice vinegar whipped ganache

Ingredients: Rice vinegar whipped ganache

Preparation: Rice vinegar whipped ganache

15g per plate

Heat the cream (1) along with the gelatine mixture and pour over the CARMA® White Niobo 34%. Add the cold cream (2) and mix thoroughly again. Finally, emulsify the rice vinegar and chill overnight.

Ruby coins

Preparation: Ruby coins

1 coin (0.6g)

Spread CARMA® Ruby Azalina 40% (1) thinly onto a transfer sheet and let set slightly until it is soft. Then cut out 2cm wide circles and allow to crystallise under a weight. Unmould the circles and spread them out on a baking tray. Mix CARMA® Cocoa Butter and CARMA® Ruby Azalina 40% thoroughly and temper. Now spray the coins with this mixture to create a matt effect, and store in a dry place.

Grapefruit meringue

Ingredients: Grapefruit meringue

  • 2.1 oz
    egg whites
  • 3.1 gr
    salt
  • 2.5 oz
    sugar
  • 0.1 oz
    Grapefruit Zest
  • 0.1 oz
    grapefruit juice

Preparation: Grapefruit meringue

1 coin (0.1g)

Beat the egg whites with salt. Slowly add the sugar bit by bit, then add the zest and juice. Spread onto a 2cm wide circle stencil, then remove it and dry the circles at 110°C for 1 hour. Leave to cool, remove from the mat, and store in a dry place.

Serving

Whip the ganache and pipe 7 dollops onto the plate using an 8mm nozzle. Scatter the crumble in between and pipe the whipped panna cotta on top. Spread the compote on the plate. Scatter grapefruit pieces and puffed rice on top so that everything is roughly the same height. Arrange the opaline, meringue and ruby coins in circles. Place a scoop of grapefruit sorbet in the middle and top off with the ruby decoration.