Vegan radish & purple shiso meringue amuse

The chickpea powder

• Take the canned chickpeas and drain them on a silicon sheet. You’ll need at least 400 grams of liquid. Keep the chickpeas for later.
• Now let the liquid dry at 50 °C for a couple of hours.
• Once it’s dry transfer it into a blender and blend it into a fine powder.

The radish juice

• Transfer the radish into a blender and also add the sushi vinegar, the salt and the shiso purple leaves. Blend this till smooth. This takes around 2 minutes.
• Now pass it through a fine sieve. Use a ladle to be sure you don’t waste any liquid. Keep it in your fridge for later.

The radish & shiso meringue

• Pour the radish juice into a measuring cub and also add the meringue powder and the icing sugar. Mix it with a hand blender till it’s completely smooth and it starts to become lighter in color.
• Then pour it into a stand mixer and beat it till completely stiff. This takes at least 5 minutes.
• Once it’s fluffy and firm transfer it into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle.
• Now pipe small dots on a silicon sheet and make sure you keep some space in between the dots.
• Season with some flaky salt and dry them at 50 °C for at least 6 hours. I always dry them overnight. 

• Take the radish trimmings and transfer them into a bowl. Season well with salt. Mix it.
• Then transfer the tartare on a silicon sheet and place another sheet on top.
• Spread this with a rolling pin. Let it set in your freezer.

• Season a pan with water with salt and boil the white quinoa till completely cooked. The quinoa really needs to be soft.
• Once cooked drain it and rinse it well under cold water. Then transfer it on a silicon sheet and spread it.
• Now dry it at 50 °C for a couple of hours. Don’t dry it in the same oven as the meringue because then the meringue will be soggy and flat. Give it a good mix every now and then so that they don’t stick together.
• Once dry deep fry the quinoa at 210 °C and directly pour the oil through a fine sieve into another pan.
• Then transfer it onto a kitchen paper and repeat the process with the remaining quinoa. Be careful because the oil is very hot. Now season with salt and keep it dry and covered for later. 

• First weigh the weight of your saucepan and add the madeira. My total weight is now 800 grams plus 100 grams. Then reduce 50 grams of madeira. The weight is now 800 plus 50 grams. This is always a smart and easy way to check the reduction process.
• Now add the dark ponzu, the vegetable broth, the salt and the agar powder. Mix this and then bring it to a boil for 1 minute.
• Meanwhile apply a thin layer of oil on some metal tray and then weight 50 grams of liquid on each tray. Use a blowtorch to remove any air bubbles and then let it set completely in your fridge.
• Once set cut it with a small round cutter and remove the trimmings.
• After that take the radish tartare and cut it with the same round cutter. Place it on top of the jelly and keep them in your fridge for later. 

• Transfer the cashew nuts into a blender together with the chickpeas, the salt, the sushi vinegar and the vegetable broth.
• Blend it till smooth.
• Then transfer it into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle and let it set in your fridge.

• Mix the tempura flour with the water and mix this well till it’s a smooth batter.
• Then take some small shiso purple leaves and portion them into the desired size.
• Add them to the batter and cover them with a thin layer. Now deep fry them at 160 °C till golden and crispy.
• Then transfer them on a kitchen paper, season with salt and keep them dry and covered for later. 

• Once the meringue is dry let it cool down and then remove them from the silicon sheet. Use a grater to make the top a bit flat.
• Then put the jelly and radish tartar on top and pipe a dot of the cashew cream on there.
• Sprinkle some quinoa on the cream and press the crispy shiso in the middle.
• Then as a final step decorate the amuses with oxalis flowers. Also known as purple sorrel.