This recipe is a little involved, so feel free to prepare as much of it as you can. All the components store well and work well for other uses, too.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Goats curd

• 1 cup Meredith fresh goats curd
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• ½ lemon zest
• Pinch xanthan gum

Fermented apricots

• 4 apricots
• 125ml kefir
• 1 tsp raw honey
• 1 tbsp verjuice
• Pinch salt

Apricot puree

• 4 apricots
• ½ tbsp raw honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tbsp verjuice
• Pinch citric acid
• Pinch xanthan gum

Ginger almond crumb

• 1 cup almond meal
• ¼ cup roasted almond butter
• 2 tbsp rapadura sugar
• 2 tsp ginger powder
• Large Pinch salt

Almond mousse

• 1 cup roasted almond butter
• 2/3 cup almond milk
• 2 tbsp raw honey
• Pinch citric acid
• Pinch xanthan gum

Honey ginger syrup

• 350 ml water
• 50g fresh ginger, sliced
• 2 tbsp raw honey

Candy Kumquats

• 1 cup kumquats, halved and seeds removed
• 2 tbsp rapadura sugar

Optional to serve – toasted halved activated almonds, freeze dried mandarin powder, micro lemon balm leaves

Instructions:

Start 48 hours prior to ferment apricots.

1. To ferment apricots, halve apricots and remove stone. Toss gently with remaining ingredients and vacuum seal under moderate pressure. Alternatively place in a sterilised glass jar and cover. Leave at room temperature for 48 hours. Move fermented apricots to the fridge to store. When ready to serve, remove two halves from ferment liquid and cut into smaller pieces. Leave remaining apricot, covered in liquid. Any remaining liquid can be used to start future ferments.
2. To make fresh goats curd mousse, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside in fridge to set.
3. To make apricot puree, halve apricots and remove stones. Toss apricot halves and stones with honey, vanilla and verjuice and place in a small roasting tray. Roast in an 180c oven for 20 minutes. When cooled remove stones and puree in a blender with citric acid and xanthan gum. set aside at room temperature till ready to use, then store in fridge.
4. To make ginger almond crumb, combine all ingredients well in a bowl. Place in a small roasting tray. Roast in an 180c oven for 18 minutes stirring every 6 minutes.
5. To make almond mousse, combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed for 60 seconds. Transfer mixture to a siphon gun and charge with one bulb, shaking well. Leave gun in fridge till needed. Alternatively place mousse in the fridge to set.
6. To make syrup, simmer ginger in water over low temperature for 25 minutes. Cool and let mixture steep for 25 minutes. Strain and whisk in honey. Leave in fridge.
7. To candy kumquats, place in a small pot with sugar and just cover with water. Place a round of baking paper on top and simmer over low temperature for 1 hour. Strain (reserve syrup for another use) dehydrate kumquats at 65c for 24 hours. Alternatively roast in a low (120c) oven for 2 hours or till slightly crisp and chewy.
8. To plate, place a spoonful of crumb slightly off centre. Place some fermented apricot, around this. Dot a spoon full each of apricot puree and almond mousse along side crumb. Put a quenelle of goat’s curd on top of crumb. Dot a few pieces of candied kumquat and toasted almonds around this. Dot a little ginger syrup around the plate and dust with mandarin powder. Place a few lemon balm leaves on top and serve.