Celery + Mint + Honeydew + White Chocolate by Angel R. Betancourt

Executive Pastry Chef & Author, One&Only Palmilla, San José del Cabo, Mexico

I love celery, so I challenged myself to create a dessert featuring it, and the result was this refreshing summer fruit soup. The subtle flavor of celery matches perfectly with sweet honeydew melon, and a mint pesto offers a fresh counterpoint. A honeydew wrapped white chocolate sorbet adds richness to the dessert, while rectangles of baked meringue provide texture and crunch.

Yield: 8 servings

White Chocolate Sorbet

• 250 g granulated sugar
• 1,000 g water 
• 50 g glucose powder
• 5 g sorbet stabilizer
• 400 g white chocolate (chopped or use wafers)
• 50 g Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, water, glucose powder and sorbet stabilizer and bring to a boil. 

Pour over white chocolate and allow to stand for a minute. Emulsify with immersion blender. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and reserve for 20 minutes.

2. Whisk in Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur and process in ice cream machine.

Pipe into 1 ½ʺ (3.8 cm) tubes.

Honeydew Veil and Wrap

• 10 g granulated sugar
• 30 g Sosa Elastic gelling agent
• 380 g honeydew-celery juice
• 120 g simple syrup 

1. Mix together sugar and Sosa Elastic. 

2. In a heavy saucepan, combine the honeydew-celery juice, simple syrup and sugar mixture and bring to a simmer. Pour onto a sheet pan and set aside to cool completely. 

3. Cut into rectangles that will fit around the sorbet tubes, and reserve to wrap the white chocolate sorbet.

Compressed Celery

• 2 celery stalks
• 30 g simple syrup

1. Shave celery stalks with a potato peeler to create ribbons.

2. Combine celery ribbons with simple syrup in a vacuum pack bag. Seal and then vacuum- seal using a vacuum pack machine. 

Meringue Sheets

• 100 g egg whites
• 100 g granulated sugar
• 100 g confectioners’ sugar

1. Whip the egg whites on medium-high speed, gradually adding the sugars. Whip to stiff peaks.

Spread meringue on silicone baking mat and dry in the oven at 390°F (200°C) for 45 minutes.

Mint Pesto

• 15 g fresh mint leaves
• 10 g simple syrup
• 1 g citric acid

1. Purée ingredients in food processor.

Mint M-Sponge

• 250 g eggs
• 25 g Mint Pesto (above)
• 70 g granulated sugar
• 30 g all-purpose flour

1. Combine all ingredients and pass the mix through a chinois. 

2. Pour into an ISI siphon with two charges. Discharge into plastic cups and cook in the microwave on high for about 40 seconds.

Honeydew, Celery, Mint Soup

• 300 g honeydew purée (honeydew flesh that has been puréed and strained)
• 50 g peeled celery
• 30 fresh mint leaves
• 100 g water
• 100 g simple syrup

1. Combine all ingredients and strain through a cheesecloth. 

Plating

• Edible flowers
• Micro greens

1. Wrap sorbet tubes in Honeydew Veil and place vertically at one end of shallow soup bowl. Arrange 2 celery ribbons on their sides on one side of the plate. Tear off chunks of the sponge and arrange 3 on the plate. Cut the meringue into rectangles and arrange 3 on the plate. Garnish with edible flowers and micro greens.

2. Add celery ribbons, mint sponge, meringue sheets, edible flowers and micro greens. Right before serving, pour some of the soup into the bowl and accent with some of the Mint Pesto.

(This recipe appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)