Sechuan Button donuts with peaches, champagne and panna cotta

Donuts:

• 400g t45 flour 
• 200g whole egg 
• 90g whole milk 
• 100g soft butter 
• 40g caster sugar 
• 5g salt 
• 10g fresh yeast 

Sechuan Button sugar:

• 150g caster sugar 
• 8 Sechuan Buttons

Peach sorbet:

• 1kg peach puree 
• 400g sugar 
• 300g water  
• 10ml lemon juice 

Vanilla panna cotta:

• 40ml milk 
• 200ml double cream 
• 30g sugar 
• 1 vanilla pod, split and scraped 
• 1 leaf of gelatine  

Champagne granita:

• 300g stock syrup  
• 300g champagne  
• 80g water  

Honey roasted peach:

• 300g water  
• 50g honey  
• 150g caster sugar 
• 1 vanilla pod, split and scraped 
• 4 peaches  

Shortbread biscuit crumb:

• 300g plain flour 
• 200g butter 
• 100g caster sugar  

Peach gel:

• 100g peach puree 
• 20g sugar 
• 10g ultratex 

Donuts:

Mix the milk, eggs, yeast and sugar together in the bowl of a free standing electric mixer. Add the flour, salt and butter and place in the mixer with the dough hook attachment. Knead for 10-15 minutes then transfer to a clean bowl, cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight.  

The next morning, knock back the dough and scale off 5g portions then roll them into balls tucking the join underneath. Place the balls on a lined baking tray allowing room for them to grow then cover and leave in a warm place to prove until doubled in size.  

Sechuan Button sugar:

While the donuts are proving, make the sugar. Remove the green stem from the sechuan buttons and blend them together with the sugar. Tip this sugar into a wide tray. 

Once the donuts have proved, heat some sunflower oil in a deep fat fryer to 180ºC. Gently place the donuts into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, being careful to flip them so that they have an even colour all over. Once cooked, transfer them to some kitchen roll to drain off the excess oil then roll them in the sugar.  

Peach sorbet:

Boil together the sugar and water to make a syrup then combine this with the peach puree and the lemon juice then place in the fridge until cool. Once cool, churn the sorbet in an ice cream machine until it is frozen then transfer to a container and store in the freezer.  

Vanilla panna cotta:

Soak the gelatine in cold water to allow it to soften. Meanwhile combine all the other ingredients in a saucepan and bring the boil. Once boiling reduce the heat and remove the vanilla pod then squeeze the excess water from the gelatine then add the pan and stir until completely dissolved. Gently pour the panna cotta mixture into small hemisphere moulds and place in the freezer until completely frozen.  

Champagne granita:

Combine all of the ingredients together then place in a tray in the freezer until completely frozen. Once  frozen use a fork to break up the granite into pieces ensuring no large chunks remain then return to the freezer until needed.  

Honey roasted peach:

Put the honey, water, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits then place cut side down in a roasting dish. Pour the syrup over the peaches then cover with foil and roast in the oven at 160ºC for about 20 minutes or until soft but not mushy.  

Shortbread biscuit crumb:

Mix all the ingredients together in a free standing electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Place chunks of the dough onto a lined baking tray then bake at 180ºC for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Once cooked allow to cool then blitz to a fine crumb.  

Peach gel:

Whisk all of the ingredients together until a smooth gel is formed. More ultratex can be added to thicken the gel or more puree if it becomes too thick. Transfer the gel to a piping bag with a small plain nozzle and store in the fridge until needed.  

Assembly:

Remove the frozen panna cottas from the hemisphere moulds and place 3 on the plate then place the plate in the fridge to allow them to defrost. Meanwhile pipe a small amount of peach gel into each donut being careful it doesn’t spill out. Slice the honey roasted peaches as well as some fresh ones. Once the panna cottas have defrosted place 3 donuts on the plate, ensuring the hole where the gel was piped in is facing down,  then place on the slices of fresh and roasted peach. Then grate a sechuan button over the whole dish. Add some dots of peach gel to the plate then a pile of the shortbread crumb. Use a hot spoon to make a rocher of the peach sorbet and place it on the crumb. Finally spoon two small piles of the champagne granita onto the plate and it is ready to serve.  

Chef's note: This dish is inspired by a Peach Bellini cocktail. When I first learned about Sechuan Buttons and their ‘champagne like sensation’ as well as their most common use in cocktails I thought of the Peach Bellini. When I watched Franck Pontais’ video about using the Sechuan Buttons to make a sugar I had the idea to use that sugar to coat donuts and this gives the donuts that Sechuan Button mouth feel but it is not as intense as when just eating the flower alone. The dish as a whole is light and refreshing much like the cocktail that inspired it, with a variety of textures and temperatures all the elements marry together well and using the Sechuan Buttons adds more enjoyment to the experience of eating this dish.  

Recipe: Liberty Noke