I adore the combination of blueberry and citrus. It just takes me back to living in New England, where the Maine blueberries and the abundance or either Meyer lemon or blood orange was such a common yet effective dessert combination. I also love making mochi ice cream, and plating it up in a presentable dessert format. Mochi ice cream from a visual standpoint is quite cute, being these round little balls of mochi surrounding a scoop of ice cream, and you can do quite a lot with that being the base of the dessert. Also if you don’t know what mochi is, they are these Japanese glutinous rice cakes that, and this is how I’ve had to explain it to all of my friends who had 0 exposure to Japanese food, taste like a less sweet marshmallow. Mochi can be prepared and served in a lot of ways, but in this case, the mochi is being wrapped around a ball of ice cream and eaten like a frozen dessert. I wanted to feature blueberry and my citrus of choice, this time being yuzu, in my mochi ice cream. Yuzu is a Japanese winter citrus that kind of tastes like all of the citruses combined. It is tart like a lemon, a little bitter like a lime, has the floral notes of a grapefruit, and yet finishes sweet like an orange. Basically, if you like citrus fruits, you will love yuzu. If you hate them, then maybe don’t make this recipe. Yuzu is being used in the ice cream filling, and in the blueberry-yuzu glaze that is going on top of the mochi. Try saying “yuzu is being used” three times fast. Quite the tongue-twister if you ask me! Anyways, there are three main components, being the blueberry mochi skin, the yuzu ice cream, and the blueberry-yuzu glaze, all of which come together to make these cute, plated vegan and gluten-free blueberry-yuzu mochi ice creams!

For the components, we have a vegan yuzu ice cream, a blueberry mochi that is enrobing that, a yuzu-blueberry veil, and blueberry foam. I really wanted my mochi ice cream to look like this magical, starry little balls that came straight out of a fortune teller’s hut. From a technical standpoint, there are a couple of molecular gastronomy techniques used, which are naturally vegan and gluten-free, just to give the dessert a little pizzaz and excitement. The blueberry-yuzu glaze is this thin, clear layer of gelee that adds a brilliant purple color to everything. The foam, besides looking like I blended up Lumpy Space Princess from Adventure Time, is really light and ethereal, and a fun way to add more subtle notes of the blueberry into the dessert. The primary blueberry flavor comes from the mochi itself, while the yuzu also shines the most in that ice cream, which is made with a little Yuzu Inspiration, which is essentially a vegan yuzu-flavored white chocolate made by emulsifying yuzu with cocoa butter! In terms of what you should prioritize in this recipe, definitely the ice cream, since it is prone to melting any second it is not in the freezer, so getting that made, shaped, and frozen is essential. The mochi obviously needs to be made too, but the entire dessert hinges on getting the ice cream prepped first. The foam is the last component you should be making, since like with the ice cream, letting it sit out causes it to slowly deflate, so you really want to serve the entire dessert as soon as all of the components are made for an optimal eating experience.

Makes 4 servings:
For the yuzu ice cream:
2oz Yuzu Inspiration
4oz plant-based milk
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp yuzu juice
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tbsp potato starch

In a pot, melt everything down together. Whisk everything on low heat for 1 minute, just to allow the xanthan gum and potato starch to slightly thicken the mixture. Transfer the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn it until mostly solid. Pour the ice cream a freezer-proof container and freeze it solid, at least 2 hours. Scoop 2 tbsp-sized balls of the ice cream and keep those frozen for ideal assembly.

For the blueberry mochi skins:
100g shiratamako/mochiko
50g blueberry jam
80g water
a pinch of salt
potato starch
cooking spray

In a bowl, mix everything(besides the potato starch and cooking spray) together until combined. Line a microwave-safe container with cooking spray and pour the blueberry mochi batter into it. Cover the top with cling wrap, and poke holes into the top, but no more than 5. Microwave the mochi for 1 minute. Then stir the mochi around, and the return it to the microwave for another 2 minutes. Pour the mochi onto a potato starch-lined surface and divide into 4 pieces. Roll them out to about 1/2-inch thickness and wrap each one around a 2 tbsp-sized ball of the yuzu ice cream. Wrap each piece of mochi with cling wrap and transfer to the freezer for at least 1 hour before serving.

For the blueberry-yuzu glaze:
10g blueberry jam
5g yuzu juice
50g water
1g agar agar
a pinch of salt

Bring everything to a simmer, and then once the agar is dissolved into the liquid, pass it through a sieve to remove any lumps. Pour the glaze over the still-frozen mochi ice cream to glaze them, then return them to the freezer.

For the blueberry foam:
5g blueberry jam
2g soy lecithin
1g yuzu juice
50g water
a pinch of salt

Transfer everything into a cup that is at least 6 inches tall and wide enough to fit the tip of an immersion blender, and blend it all together using an immersion blender on low speed until bubbles begin to form.