💮 Sakura season is one of the most special times of year here in Japan. After the cold winter the weather is getting warmer, the sun is out, the Cherry Blossoms are blooming and the people are enjoying all that Spring has to offer. One of the best parts of Sakura season is trying new Sakura foods!
💮 We partnered with a local chef in Shiga Prefecture to create a recipe using our Naturally Dried Sakura. Please feel free to visit his Instagram and YouTube to see more of his work. We are always interested to see what creative ideas others come up with, and we were excited to see what he would create! We were not disappointed. Below we have included the recipe and the stunning video of his process in making a Sakura Mont Blanc Cake.
💮Ingredients💮
Meringue
3 Medium Eggs 90g
Granulated Sugar 180g
Water 60ml
Granulated Sugar 180g
Water 60ml
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Whip Cream
Fresh Cream 100g
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Sakura Cream Cheese
Cream Cheese 70g
Sakura Liqueur 100ml
Natural Dried Sakura (To Taste)
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White Chocolate and Cherry Cream
White Chocolate 70g
Sakura Liqueur 100ml
Fresh Cream 150ml
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Sliced Strawberries
Additional Dried Cherry Blossoms for Garnish
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💮Instructions💮
Meringue
Combine granulated sugar (180g) and water (60ml) in a pot and stir over low heat (118ºC) until the sugar is dissolved and you are left with a syrup.
Separate egg whites into a bowl and whisk until soft peaks begin to form.
Slowly mix in the syrup while whisking until you have a fluffy meringue. Afterwards folding the meringue in on itself to make a smooth consistent texture.
Transfer your meringue into a piping bag and pipe 3 cm discs onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake meringue at 120ºC for 20 minutes.
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Whip Cream
Whisk 100g of fresh cream until it resembles a whip cream.
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Sakura Cream Cheese
Reduce 100ml of Sakura Liqueur down to 30ml over heat.
Mix with 70g of softened cream cheese.
Mix in Dried Sakura with cream cheese and liqueur.
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Mont Blanc Base
Reduce 100ml of Sakura Liqueur down to 30ml over heat.
Melt 70g of white chocolate in a water bath at 60ºC.
Combine the reduced Sakura Liqueur with melted white chocolate.
Slowly add fresh cream while mixing.
Mix the whip cream you made previously.
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Final Assembly
Pipe Sakura Cream Cheese over your baked Meringue.
Layer 2 sliced strawberries on top.
Pipe more Sakura Cream Cheese on top.
Finally using a Mont Blanc style piping tip, pipe the Sakura Cream Cheese over the dessert.
Decorate with powdered sugar and Dried Cherry Blossoms.
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💮Now before you enjoy this delicious dessert. Take a moment to admire what you just made. You've taken the beauty of Cherry Blossoms and transformed them into a classic dessert that matches both the taste of Sakura and that feeling of awe we get from the blooming trees every spring.
Once again, please consider checking out the other content from this incredible, local, Japanese chef. His wonderful recipes are only made better by his warm personality and dedication to creating great things that everyone can enjoy.
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