Greetings to the great community of steemit, today I'll be presenting my creating for the steemit iron chef contest hosted by @progressivechef. This week and theme is fruit salad. When it comes to fruit salad, most people will think of cutting up a bunch of fruits and present it nicely. I am not saying it's not a good idea, but for me I would always love to challange myself to create something unusual, some thing that people would not thing about. To achieve that, for most of my elements instead of using the raw form of fruits, I have decided to process it into something else while preserving its flavour. I present to you

Modernised fruit salad

What's in it

Prunes truffle coated in toasted almond chunks

Sweet and almost savoury element. When you first bit into it you will have this crunchy mouth feel coming from the toasted almond chunks while having this toasty nutty aroma, as u continue you will exprience this sweet smooth prunes paste. A perfect balance of sweet and savoury and chunchy and smooth.

To makes this element you first have to purée the prunes, once purée into a paste stieve it through a stieve to create a smooth paste. Since it's hard to work with a soft paste, freeze the paste in a mold until it hardens. While waiting for it to freeze, roast the almond in a 150c oven for 10minutes until golden brown and aromatic. Let it cool alittle before choosing it into chunks. Remove the prune paste from the mild and coat it with the toasted almonds. Gently press the almond chunks into the paste to adhere it into it. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Goji berry and pumpkin seed toast

I got inspiration for this element from Caesar salad, it mimics the croutons in Caesar salad. Crunchy throughout the cube toast, bursting with goji berry and a nutty pumpkin flavour. Certainly gives a fruity flavour to the toast.

To make the toast, combine flour, milk, sugar, and yeast and mix well. Next add in the milk in portions, this will help Incooperate both the dry ingredients and wet ingredients without making a mess. Knew the dough until its elastic, at this point add pumpkin seeds and goji berry and continue kneading until it's all evenly distributed. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Before letting it raise the second time knock out some air gentle to avoid uneven air pockets. Let it raise further for 1 hour before baking in a 180c oven for 1 hour or until the inside is no longer sticky. Let it cool before cutting the bread into cubes. Toast it in a 150c oven for 10 minutes or it starts to colour and dry up. Let it cool before using.

Ginger Croutons sautéed in butter

Yup another element that was inspired by Caesar salad's crouton. I though the gingery refreshing ginger flavour and the nutty flavour of butter will go well with fruits thus my decision for this element.

To make this element, mix together sugar, flour, yeast and salt until well combine before adding full cream milk into the dry ingredients. Knead until elastic then add soften butter, ginger strips and knead again. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Before letting it raise the second time knock out some air gentle to avoid uneven air pockets. Let it raise further for 1 hour before baking in a 180c oven for 1 hour or until the inside is no longer sticky. Let it cool before cutting the bread into cubes. In a slightly hot pan, melt the butter it it and let the milk solid in the butter brown alittle before sautéing the cubed butter bread into the pan. Sautéed until golden brown, let it cool before using.

orange juice jelly

Jiggly jelly, smooth, sweet and exploding with orange flavour when bit into it. When it's in your mouth the jelly melts and releases its orangey flavour which enhances other elements.

To make this element, I squeeze some oranges to collect it's juice. Bloom the gelatine in some orange juice, and boil the rest of the orange juice with sugar. Once the gelatine have gel, add it into the hot orange juice and bring it to a simmer. It's ready to be put it the mold when all the gelatine is dissolve. Before going into the mold, add some orange extract to boost the flavour and run it through a stieve to avoid any lumps of gelatine to end up in the jelly. Refrigerate it until it firms up and it ready to be used, do not leave the jelly to long outside or it will melt.

Twice baked banana slice

You will get this cooked banana flavour from the first baking process and a satisfying crispy snap when you bit into it, this is thanks to the second baking process which dehydrates the banana slice.

To make this element, slice the banana into thin slices. Baked the banana in a 150c oven for 10 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to the lowest setting and let it dehydrate. You will know it's done when the banana slices is crispy. It would take some time but it's totally worth it.

Yogurt, cream cheese, raw honey dressing

Smooth and velevety mouthfeel that melts in your mouth while bursting with milky, fermented, and floral flavour from the cream cheese, yogurt and honey. The combination of richness from the cream cheese with the tartness from the yogurt and sweetness from the honey is just mindblowing!!!

To make this dressing, whipped soften cream cheese until it gain some volume before adding the yogurt and raw honey. Mix well until it's well incoperated. Either serve it chilled or room temperature, base on your liking.

Cubed pink dragon fruit

This fruit deserve a place in my dish for sure, just look how beautiful it is. Plus it's easily found in Southeast Asia.

Rolled sliced papaya strips

Not only it's entertaining to the eyes but it taste sweet and gives the dish a tropical feel to it. This is also one of the most eaten fruit in Malaysia.

Steemit Iron Chef 2018 Act 02 #09: modernised fruit salad