Stephanie Alexander’s avocado bavarois with crab and finger lime

Ingredients

• 3 gold-strength gelatine leaves
• 2 ripe avocados, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus extra for dressing
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• Few drops of Tabasco
• Finger lime pearls, to serve
• Coriander custard
• 180 ml (3/4 cup) milk
• 6 large coriander sprigs, plus extra to serve
• 3 egg yolks
• Confit crab
• 500 ml (2 cups) grapeseed oil
• 250 gm uncooked picked spanner crab meat

Instructions

1. 1

   1: Soak gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes.

2. 2

   2: Meanwhile, make the custard: put milk and 3 of the coriander sprigs into a small saucepan and heat over a low heat. Put egg yolks into a bowl that fits over saucepan and whisk well.

3. 3

   3: Whisk until yolks foam and start to thicken (about 3 minutes). Remove bowl at once. Whisk hot milk and coriander into yolks. Squeeze soaking gelatine, then drop it into hot custard and whisk to mix. Strain custard into a clean bowl, add remaining coriander sprigs and refrigerate, covered, to chill but not set.

4. 4

   4: Purée avocado flesh, lemon juice, vinegar, Tabasco and salt until smooth in a food processor. Taste and adjust seasoning. Check custard. You want it cold but not set. Remove coriander and whisk custard into avocado purée. Spoon or pour into your selected glasses.

5. 5

   5: Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until thick and smooth. The bavarois will never set like a rock but will be spoonable.

6. 6

   6: Meanwhile, for confit crab, combine oil and crab in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until crab turn opaque (6-8 minutes). Remove from the heat; strain mixture through a fine sieve (discard oil). Spread crab out on a large tray and refrigerate to cool (20 minutes). Transfer to a bowl, dress with extra lemon juice to taste and season.

7. 7

   7: Spoon seasoned crab on top of bavarois and squeeze over finger lime pearls to taste. Scatter with extra coriander (optional) to serve.