Since 2007 Bompas and Parr, consisting of childhood friends Sam Bompas and Harry Parr, have been steadily rising through the ranks of London's many foodies to claim the title of the city's culinary IT boys. Their careers started (or rather, didn't) with an attempted jelly stall at Borough Market, but several book launches, transatlantic exhibitions and a life-sized absinthe jelly mold of Mark Ronson later, proves that their days of failure are well and truly behind them.
Bompas and Parr have also played a part in London's artistic transformation in the run up to the Olympic Games, setting up a cake-inspired crazy golf course -- The Big Rooftop Tea & Golf -- on the Selfridges rooftop, just a drop in the ocean of their future eccentric plans.
Crane.tv pay Bompas and Parr's London Bridge studios a visit to find out how to recreate a little bit of magic in our own kitchens. "I think a lot of people are very shy about their own taste palettes and slavishly follow recipes but you just need to keep on tasting, and when it tastes right to you, it'll taste right to everyone else", Sam Bompas tells us of the beginning stages of his Prosecco and violet jelly. While we may not all be jellymonger experts a la Bompas and Parr, even the most amateur of chef can recreate their floral concoction, ensuring that your taste buds think it's summer, even if the weather doesn't.
Violet, elderflower and Prosecco Jelly
A bottle of prosecco will make enough jelly for four proper servings and a glass for yourself while you are cooking. Make sure to chill the champagne ahead of time -- it's important that you drink whilst on the job.
- Violet, elderflower and Prosecco Jelly
- For 500ml enough for 4
- 5 leaves of gelatine
- 450ml prosecco or sparkling wine
- 30ml violet liqueur
- 30ml elderflower cordial
- a squeeze of lemon juice
- edible flowers
Cut the leaf gelatine into a heatproof bowl with a pair of scissors. Add enough prosecco to cover (about 100ml/3 1/2 fl oz/scant 1/2 cup). Leave the gelatine to soften for 10 minutes.
Bring a pan of water to the boil and place the bowl of softened gelatine on top of the pan of boiling water. Once the gelatine has totally melted, combine the melted gelatine/prosecco mix with the rest of the prosecco by pouring it through a sieve (strainer) - to remove any unmelted lumps -- and into a measuring jug (measuring cup). Squeeze the lemon through the sieve (strainer) too and add the violet liqueur and elderflower cordial balancing for taste. Top up with prosecco until you have 500ml.
Place the washed flowers into the bottom of the mold and pour in about one-third of the jelly. Put the mold in the refrigerator for the jelly to set. Leave until set enough so that the flowers seems safely embedded (about two hours), then pour over the rest of the jelly mixture and return to the refrigerator.
If you don't want to set the flowers in the mold first, you can always add everything to the mold at once. Doing a double set, however, makes sure that the flowers float elegantly in the unmolded jelly rather than sinking to the bottom.
Text by Holly Fraser for Crane.tv
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