Peter Gunn's berry, praline and coconut yoghurt dessert recipe

It may be the picture of simplicity but with a few delicate additions, Peter Gunn, the chef and owner of Melbourne’s Ides restaurant, gives this dessert the fine-dining treatment.

Fresh and dried berries with coconut yoghurt, strawberry syrup and anise praline

50g blueberries, randomly cut
50g blackberries, randomly cut
25g strawberries, randomly cut
10g dried blueberries
200g coconut yoghurt
Macadamia oil
Chrysanthemums
Mint flowers
Sea salt

Praline
1 cup caster sugar
¼ cup water
2g star anise (or store-bought star anise powder)

Place the star anise into a pan and toast until fragrant.

Using a spice grinder, grind to a powder. This could be substituted for store-bought anise powder, toasted in a pan until fragrant.

Place 1 cup of caster sugar in a clean, heavy-based pan.

Add ¼ cup of water and set over medium heat. Resist the urge to stir and instead swirl and gently shake the pan back and forth to distribute the liquid and make sure the sugar melts evenly. Stirring the sugar causes recrystallisation and clumps to form, which is not desirable.

Once the sugar has melted into caramel and browned slightly, add the anise powder and remove from heat.

Immediately pour on to a tray lined with baking paper and leave to set as a hard sheet.

Once hard, crush down with a grinder or mortar and pestle until crumbly

Strawberry syrup
25g strawberries
1 tbsp caster sugar

In a bowl, mix together the cut strawberries with caster sugar. Allow to macerate for around 30 minutes.

Once macerated, use the back of a spoon or your hands to further break down the strawberries to a pulp.

Pass the pulp through a muslin cloth into another bowl; the result will be a vibrant strawberry syrup.

To serve

Whisk the yoghurt and sugar together.

Pick chrysanthemums and mint flowers.

Spoon yoghurt into bottom of a bowl and cover liberally with fresh berry mixture, sprinkle with dried blueberries and flowers. Dress with macadamia oil and strawberry coulis. Finally, crumble over the praline and finish with a light sprinkle of sea salt.