Ingredients
| POACHED PLUOTS | |
| 250g sugar | |
| 250ml water | |
| 125ml verjuice | |
| 6 pluots or apricots, halved, stones removed | |
| VANILLA LABNEH | |
| 500g good-quality Greek yoghurt | |
| 50g raw sugar | |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla paste | |
| STAR ANISE CARAMEL | |
| 150ml water | |
| 150g sugar | |
| 4 large star anise | |
| TO ASSEMBLE | |
| 1 loaf laminated brioche or 4 croissants | |
| shiso, finely chopped |
If you’re lucky your local bakery may sell loaves of laminated brioche, known as feuilletée or brioche puff pastry. A torn-up croissant is a good substitute. We like to use pluots and as they are only available at the Otago Farmers Market for a few short weeks in January we try to make the most of them. Apricots are a fine substitute, or use drained preserved stonefruit and omit the poaching step. This recipe changes seasonally and can be a template for whatever is available.
Instructions
| 1. | POACHED PLUOTS |
| 2. | Combine the sugar, water and verjuice to make a syrup and bring to the boil. |
| 3. | Place the halved pluots into the boiling syrup, cover with a circle of baking paper and immediately remove from the heat and allow to cool – the residual heat will be enough to poach the pluots. |
| 4. | If using preserved fruit, drain off any syrup and omit the poaching step. |
| 5. | VANILLA LABNEH |
| 6. | Line a sieve with some finely woven cheesecloth and stand it over a bowl. |
| 7. | Put the yoghurt into the sieve and leave it to drain overnight in the fridge. |
| 8. | The next day, place the hung yoghurt into a bowl and taste it; it will leave your mouth dry and give you a slight pucker. |
| 9. | Add the sugar and vanilla and a small amount of the whey that has drained from the yoghurt. |
| 10. | Whisk and taste again – you want the labneh to still be thick but not leave your mouth feeling dry. |
| 11. | STAR ANISE CARAMEL |
| 12. | Put the water, sugar and star anise in a saucepan, then place over a low heat and reduce the syrup by half. Set aside to cool. |
| 13. | TO ASSEMBLE |
| 14. | Heat the oven to 185°C fan bake. |
| 15. | Tear laminated brioche or croissants into 2½ cm-sized pieces and place in the oven for 5 minutes until lightly golden. |
| 16. | Gently reheat the pluots in some syrup either over a low heat or in the microwave. |
| 17. | Place the toasted brioche or croissants into a shallow bowl and pipe or spoon small amounts of labneh in the gaps between the brioche. |
| 18. | Place the warmed pluots on top and spoon over the star anise caramel. |
| 19. | Sprinkle over some shiso. |
Recipes Alan Baxter / Photography Isabella Harex
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