20050522

imbb 15, pt. 2: a kiss, a blush, and the jealousy unfolds.

lychee rose jelly

It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss


i wanted to make a romantic dessert, but with romance you get complications, despite how simple it may seem. first: a kiss of rose petal, immediately followed by a blushing rosewater-scented sugar syrup. next: a softly set layer of gelatin made with lychee juice, shredded lychee fruit, and finely diced nata de coco coconut gel, which breaks through to tiny sago tapioca pearls in sweet coconut milk infused with the tiniest bit of star anise. it's always just a little murky and a little strange, isn't it? i leave it open to interpretations.

to eat: set aside the rose petal. spoon up the sugar syrup with a bit of the lychee gelatin, but once it is gone, break up the rest of the jelly and eat with the sago pearly coconut milk. it's up to you if you want to get to the bottom of this.

lychee tapioca jelly

rose lychee coconut parfait

note: proportions for this are really off, as i've no idea how to make a small amount of tapioca.

rosewater sugar syrup

boil equal parts of sugar and water over medium high heat; simmer until volume has reduced to half. cool, then add rosewater syrup to to taste.

lychee jelly

dissolve 1 teaspoonful of agar-agar powder (or 1 tablespoonful of agar-agar flakes) in 250ml of lychee juice or young coconut juice. let sit for 10 minutes, then gently bring to a boil. let simmer for 5 minutes, then take off heat. add shredded lychee fruit and diced nata de coco coco gel.


sago tapioca in coconut milk

bring 3-4 cups of water to a boil, then add 1 cup of small sago tapioca pearls to the pot. stir occasionally so they don't stick to the pot or each other, and keep at a gentle boil until completely transparent, about 20 minutes? i sort of space out when i do this, it might be less. drain the water off the sago, and rinse them in cool water. set aside.

gently heat 1 can of sweet coconut milk in a pot with one whole star anise. turn off heat, and incorporate the cooked sago pearls. leave to cool, then fish out star anise before serving.

assembly: spoon tapioca into glass, then top with the still-liquid lychee gelatin. leave to set in refrigerator, about half an hour, then add a couple teaspoonfuls of the rosewater-infused syrup. top with a little torn bit of rose petal.

23 comments:

Hi Santos,

This one sounds interesting too. I don't know if I've ever had sago tapioca before though. Is it the same thing like the ones they use in bubble tea?

Lychee gelee sounds interesting. I had some when I was in Singapore and it was great. I can only imagine the flavor combination in this wonderful treat that you made. =)

hi reid! no, the sago is much smaller, like the kind you normally find in asian (esp. thai) desserts. actually, it's the same tapioca as in american-style tapioca pudding, only in much greater quantity.

the lychee jelly was great! in fact, i just made some without all the pfaffle of this. very refreshing.

ah, it's just the price i pay.

This is gorgeous, but I can't even imagine what it must taste like - I've never had lychee. Beautiful pictures and description, though!!

Santos, this looks very much like food pr0n to me... All you need now are some action shots of the parfait being disassembled. ;)

And on a less frivolous mode, that combination of rosewater, coconut milk and star anise is inspired! Definitely one to try.

What a combination, Santos- you whip up some incredible recipes! I love the splash of colour from the rose petal in the sea of white...quite surreal.

Moira

I could have sworn it was Hot Chocolate. [Slinks off into dated dating music shame]

hi cathy--i don't know if i can describe the flavour of a lychee, it's sort of elusive. it's def. tropical, maybe a little peachy, and a little flowery, and the texture is actually quite...um....er....oh, it might be easier to visit you with a pound of fresh fruit :-)

hi bramble--less of the lovin', more of the longing :-) i was originally going to try this with violets, but i couldn't find any candied violets to make the syrup. i wanted to pair up lychee with flowers because i like jasmine tea with a little lychee juice in it, and the rest just sort of followed.

hi moira--it's a little crazy, isn't it? surreal is a great way to describe it!

oi anthony, have you been googling lyrics again?

you had me convinced already at the coffee, but this is in a class by itself... when i read this I had an image of everyone suddenly flushing with heat, fanning themselves with napkins, and finally running off in search of a cold shower, kind of like that scene in 'Like Water for Chocolate' when she serves the quail in rose petal sauce. even if that's not *quite* what happened, i wouldn't mind if you let me keep believing it did ;)

(laughing) IT WAS ONLY A KISS!

actually, i had an image of people stabbing food with spoons.

oh guilty of course, but the worst bit was that it was the Killers that I had to google for, and Hot Chocolate was taking up some perfectly good real estate in my head.

Wow, Santos. This is one thoughtful dessert. And it sounds better than some dates I've been on...

Wow, this is so creative! Your drinks always are winners, Ate!

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You'd need one of those desset spoons with an extra long handle to reach to the bottom. (Oh, I'd definitely get right to the bottom) So who says size doesn't count!

wow dude that looks fantabulous! i love sago!

hello, santos.
To my memory, almost 6 month was passed until you had visited me. ^^
As I was really beginner, I couldn't manage my blog. I wanted to decorate well like you.
This time, thanks to pinkcocoa, I redecorated. ^^
I'll do well take care of it.
Visit me, welcome you.
see you soon

swooning over your enticing entries, santos dear...they ought to be in movies!!! i'll be their agent.

anthony--why, for the love of pete, WHY?!

hi nic! omg, can you imagine the food you could create that evoked your worst date ever?! actually, that would be some scary fun worth trying someday.

hi karen--so are yours!

oh saffron, who indeed?

hi suze--me too :-)

hi chocopie! thanks for stopping by, i'll be by soon!

dr. stel--they would be so honoured!

That looks too good to eat.

hi ms. santos! wow, definitely very tropical and...guamish, heehee. i love tapioka or sago. looks very simple but so much in it. have a great day :P.

hi toni! it does look good, but it's definitely worth eating.

hi talhey! it's slightly more involved than what i normally do, but it's great for a special occasion. or special person ;-) have a great weekend!

Hi Santos,

This parfait looks sooooo good! I think I'll give this recipe a try this weekend.

Thank you so much! :)

J.