This is an amazing winter dessert, completely transformed by the addition of a peated malt. Maybe the best demonstration of how deeply whisky can change the taste of a dish! (photo credit: John Paul)
Serves 6
- 4 tangerines
- 2 grapefruit
- 2 limes
- 1 lemon
- 50g caster sugar
- one pinch ground black pepper
For the jelly
- 2 tsp of Earl Grey tea leaves
- 4 tbsp single or blended malt
- 5 gelatine leaves
- 6 mint leaves
For decoration
- 2 tbsp thin cut orange marmalade
- the juice of half an orange
- 1 tbsp single or blended malt
Take one tablespoon of grated zest from each citrus fruit. Peel the fruit above a bowl to collect the juice. Segment the fruit. Place the segments in a separate bowl. Add the grated zest to the juice.
Soak the gelatine leaves for 10 minutes in cold water to soften them. Infuse the tea leaves for 3 minutes in 200 ml of boiling water. Strain into a bowl then add caster sugar and the drained and squeezed gelatine leaves. Stir until the gelatine leaves are completely melted. Add the citrus fruit juice and the single or blended malt. Stir to marry all the elements together.
Pour the liquid into a loaf tin (approximately 25 x 11 cm) to a depth of 1 cm. Leave to set 10 minutes in the fridge. Place the mint leaves on the surface of the set jelly. Add the fruit segments. Pour the rest of the jelly liquid over the fruit. Leave to set 24 hours in the fridge.
Turn out the terrine, cut into slices and serve on individual plates. For decoration, liquidize the marmalade, the orange juice and the whisky. Spoon around the terrine slice.
Whiskies to match
It has to be a heavily peated single or blended malt like Laphroaig 10 Year Old, Ardbeg 10 Year Old, Big Peat – Douglas Laing, Kilchoman Machir Bay, Talisker Storm. The new Ardbeg an Oa is softer but the smoky/sooty notes develop on the palate. The matching of smoke/tar/iodine and citrus fruit is extraordinary.