WHB: Sea-Buckthorn Jelly with Kama & Mascarpone Mousse

I'm on the mission to tell the world about all those gorgeous fruit & berries we are eating here in Estonia ;) Flowering quinces. Lingonberries. Bilberries and bog bilberries. Cloudberries. Wild strawberries galore. Yet the list is not complete yet. Here's something new, something that has taken Estonia by storm during the last decade or so. Something I doubt very many of you have eaten or maybe even heard of. Let me introduce you to Sea-buckthorn (astelpaju in Estonian). I've mentioned it on my blog previously here and here; for some weird reason I never told you about those three delicious sea-buckthorn cheesecakes I made last Christmas.

Sea-buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L) - or 'Siberian grapes' :) - have been hailed as the new superfruit, mainly for their high share of antioxidants and nutritional make-up. The juicy orange-coloured berries are high in beta-caroten, Vitamins C and E. When I say 'high', I mean it - some sea-buckthorn berries contain 10-15 times more vitamin C than lemon! Here's a shot of sea-buckthorn berries, taken at the Tallinn Central Market last month:



Sea-buckthorn berries can be turned into jam, jellies, fruit wine, sweets, and juices and cordials (both are very, very popular here). In Central Asia the fruit are eaten with cheese and milk. The tart berries can also be used to season fish and meat dishes, just like lemon juice. I wanted to make something that had been in my mind for a while - a combination with kama. After all, I've sent kama to so many of you that it's my obligation to provide you with new recipes for that roasted grain mixture :) This is a great recipe to showcase kama - the sea-buckthorn jelly has a tart and slightly sour flavour that is a good companion for a creamy-grainy mascarpone and kama mousse. And a wonderful colour to boot!!

Sea-buckthorn trivia: 'tyrni', as sea-buckthorn is known is Finnish, is the official plant of Satakunta region in South-West Finland. (You can read much more here, only in Finnish, however).

Sea-Buckthorn Jelly with Kama & Mascarpone Mousse
(Astelpajutarretis kama-mascarpone kreemiga)
Serves 4



For sea-buckthorn jelly
125 grams sea-buckthorn berries, pureed and strained
water (enough to make up 300 ml sea buckthorn liquid)
sugar to taste
3 gelatine sheets

For kama-mascarpone mousse
250 grams mascarpone
2 Tbsp kama mixture
sugar to taste

For the jelly, you need 300 ml sea buckthorn juice. You can either use shop-bought good-quality sea-buckthorn juice, or make your own. To make your own, wash the berries (put few berries aside for garnishing) and puree in a blender. Press through a fine sieve. Then take some boiling water and pour over the sea-buckthorn pulp on the sieve to extract more juice. Continue, until you've got 300 ml liquid. (Using boiling water helps to extract more 'juice matter' from the pulp).
Soak gelatine leaves in cold water for a few minutes. Meanwhile, heat about 100 ml of the sea buckthorn juice to about 70 C, then drain and press soaked gelatine leaves and add to the heated juice. Stir, until dissolved, then add to the rest of the juice, stir, and pour into four dessert glasses/bowls.
Place into the fridge for a few hours to set.

For kama-mascarpone mousse, cream mascarpone with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until fluffy, adding sugar to taste. Add a spoonful or two of kama mixture, depending on your taste again. You may also add some single or whipping cream to the mixture, to make it lighter.

To serve, spoon some kama mousse onto set jellies, top with whole sea-buckthorn berries.

WHB: This is also my entry to the Weekend Herb Blogging, this time hosted by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything at Least Once. Click on the logo below for more information about this established foodblogging event. For other great entries for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging, check out Haalo's round-up here.