Simon's Fruits of the Forest

Ingredients

• Dark chocolate (70% cocoa)

• Acetate sheets

• Fresh cherries

• Preserving sugar

• Pectin Lemons

• Kirsch

• Agar-agar

• Soy milk

• White caster sugar

• Vanilla pod

• Deodorised cacao

• Coconut oil

• Apple vinegar

• Plain flour

• Cocoa powder

• Baking powder

• Baking soda

• Sea salt Blackberries

• Rapeseed oil

• Vanilla extract

• Mint Dark edible viola / pansy

• Toothpick

Method

1. Temper dark chocolate and spread it across an acetate sheet. Make a rough wave shape with acetate and pinch either side and allow to cool. Once cooled, peel off acetate and break into shards as shown in the image.

2. Make cherry jam - place 500g pitted cherries, 300g jam sugar, 50ml lemon juice, and a pinch of pectin into a blender. Blitz at high speed. Heat in a pan with a splash of Kirsch for 35 mins until desired texture. Add a pinch of agar-agar if needed. Set aside in the fridge.

3. Make the vegan Chantilly cream - infuse vanilla pod with warm 250ml soy milk, strain after ten mins. Blend 75g coconut oil, the soy milk, and 110g cacao in a blender. Add 125ml soy milk and blend. Add a pinch of xantham and place it in the fridge until very cold. Blend until stiff peaks (this may need to be made before or I can do a non-vegan version quickly).

4. Make 3 layers of chocolate sponge - heat oven to 180 non-fan and grease shallow tin. Combine 1tbsp vinegar and add 120 soy milk. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine 200g sugar, 120g flour, 45g cocoa, 0.5 tbsp baking powder, 1 tbsp baking soda, and 0.5 tbsp salt. Beat well. Add 50g. Vegan butter, milk mix, 50 puréed blackberries and mix well. Spread thinly on a baking tray and bake for 35 mins. Cut rounds using a pastry cutter.

5. Assemble the dish - lay a swirl of cherry jam in the middle. Build your layers of sponge, jam, and Chantilly 3x finishing with a layer of Chantilly. Add a cherry on top and cover with chocolate shards. Place some cherries soaked in Kirsch around the plate with edible viola