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Tomato and cucumber salsa jelly with borage flowers
Makes 2 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 750g very ripe tomatoes
- 1/8tsp sea salt crystals
- 11⁄4 organic gelatine leaves
- 2tsp white balsamic vinegar
- a few red and orange tomatoes, deseeded and chopped into tiny cubes
- 5cm piece of cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped into tiny cubes
- chervil leaves, picked into small fronds, plus extra to serve
- borage flowers, to serve
- narrow crispy flatbreads, to serve
Method
For a vegetarian or vegan option, you could use agar flakes to set the jelly – just check the instructions on the packet.
Chop the tomatoes roughly and purée them in a food processor with the salt. Put a nylon sieve over a bowl and line with some muslin. Pour in the tomato and leave for up to 4 hours to drain. Once drained, the liquid will be quite pale. You need 225ml.
Soften the gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Put a small pan over a low heat and briefly warm the vinegar with 1tbsp of water. Lift the gelatine into the vinegar and swirl to dissolve completely. Then add the mixture to the tomato liquid. Check for flavour, adding more salt if you like, then pour into two glasses and transfer to the fridge for about 2 hours until just starting to gel.
Mix the tomato and cucumber cubes and the chervil together to make a salsa. Gently fold the salsa into the jellies and return to the fridge until completely set.
When the jellies are set, top with extra chervil and the borage flowers for prettiness and serve with crispy flatbreads.
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