Quinoa Rocher with Raspberry Centres

Ingredients

• raspberry purée — 250 g (for the filling)
• agar — 4 g (for the filling)
• puffed quinoa — 100 g (ideally unsweetened)
• granulated sugar — 133 g (for caramelising the quinoa)
• water (enough to cover the sugar)
• whipped dairy cream (for the coating; no quantity in the source)
• white chocolate (for the coating; no quantity in the source)
• dried raspberry powder (for dusting)
• matcha green tea powder (for dusting)

Method

1. Stir the agar into the raspberry purée and bring it to the boil. Chill for about 3 hours, until set.
2. Blend the set purée smooth with a stick blender or jug blender, pipe it into ball moulds and freeze.
3. For the quinoa, put the sugar in a saucepan with just enough water to cover and heat it slowly without stirring until it starts to colour. Take the pan off the heat, tip in the puffed quinoa and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar turns grainy. Spread it in a baking dish to cool.
4. Toss the cooled quinoa in a non-stick pan over high heat so the sugar coating caramelises, then spread it on a tray to cool again.
5. Push a toothpick into each frozen raspberry ball, dip it in the whipped cream and put it back in the freezer.
6. Melt the white chocolate over a pan of hot water, stirring all the time. Dip each ball in the chocolate; while it is still soft, roll it in the caramelised quinoa, dip it once more and shake off the excess. Chill.
7. When the chocolate has set, pull out the toothpicks and seal each hole with a dab of warm chocolate.
8. Coat half of the rocher in matcha and the rest in raspberry powder. Serve well chilled, at about 4 °C.