Since I have been shackled to my sourdough starter, I wanted to find creative ways to use the discard. Since starter can be used in lieu of yeast, I wanted to use the starter in a yeast-leavened dessert, in this case, a savarin. Savarin is similar to a baba in that they are both yeast-leavened batter cakes, similar to a brioche in texture but made with a batter instead of a dough, and soaked in syrup and stuffed with cream. Sourdough discard has become my go-to ingredient since I have to use it up every day, and making a dessert out of it was a fun challenge. Sourdough-based anything could taste very tangy and savory, so by soaking the final product in a syrup, like in the case of a savarin, that makes sure it won’t taste like a slice of sourdough bread whatsoever, but rather light cake. In this case, I wanted to pair my sourdough savarin with some fresh fruits, being white nectarines and strawberries, and since I love the pairing, I also used some elderflower liquor, which adds a lychee-like fragrance that works nicely with the sweet and tart strawberry. The elderflower is used in a soaking syrup for the savarin itself, and the fruits are glazed with the syrup too, so elderflower is used in a couple of components here. Overall, this recipe tastes like the summer, and is like a French version of a strawberry shortcake.

With the components, there are really two that require a lot of technical skill, being the savarin batter, and the sorbet. The savarin batter, being sourdough starter-based, is temperamental. Give it sufficient time to proof in a warm room, or else the savarin will be dense, chewy, and tough. With the sorbet, the main concern is giving the sorbet enough time to chill and firm up. This sorbet is nice because it does stay firm for a while; even after I photographed this post, I forgot about the beauty dish while I went to do the dishes and start prep on another recipe, and by the time I came back, the sorbet was still intact! With the other components, the elderflower soaking syrup just needs to be cooled down, or else the warm syrup in the savarin could melt the cream. It is important to glaze the fruits in that same soaking syrup, just so that they do not dry out from sitting out for too long – the syrup prevents that from happening. With the cream, so long as you have made whipped cream before, that should be straightforward. The rest of the dish comes down to cutting up fruit, which really is up to the individual on how they cut up the fruit. If you do not like nectarines and strawberries, you can totally sub those out with other ingredients, even for the sorbet! This is one of those recipes that is versatile and can use whatever fruit you want. I just chose white nectarines and strawberries because I wanted to embrace the summer produce for what was rampantly abundant at the farmer’s market.

Makes 6 servings:
For the savarin batter:
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
8oz sourdough starter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp honey

In a bowl, mix everything together until combined. Proof the batter at room temperature for 1 hour. Then transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe into 6 silicone doughnut molds. Allow the batter to proof for another hour at room temperature. Then bake the dough at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes. Allow the savarins to fully cool before removing from the molds.

For the strawberry-white nectarine sorbet:
4oz strawberry puree
1 white nectarine, pitted
3oz granulated sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice or white balsamic vinegar
a pinch of salt

In a blender, puree everything together until fully combined. Pour the liquid into an ice cream maker and churn until chilled, roughly 20 minutes. Transfer to a freezer until time to use.

For the elderflower syrup:
2 tbsp elderflower liquor
3 tbsp granulated sugar
2/3 cups water
a pinch of salt

In a pot, bring everything to a simmer. Once the sugar is dissolved into the liquid, take the pot off heat and allow the syrup to cool before using.

For the chantilly cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste

Whip everything together until stiff peaks form.

For garnish:
Fresh strawberries, cut in half
White nectarine, cut into slivers

Brush the fruit in the elderflower syrup. Soak the savarins in the elderflower syrup, roughly 2 tbsp of syrup for each savarin.

To assemble, start by piping the cream inside of and on top of the savarins. Garnish the tops of the savarin with the fruit and top with a scoop of the sorbet to finish.