PINE NUTS AND PINE FORESTS

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

Green pine cone ice cream: 
2 green pine cones
500 ml. water
5 gr. ascorbic acid
100 gr. sugar
2 gr. stabiliser
5 gr. liquid glucose
500 gr. powdered milk

Roast pine nut foam:            
200 ml. milk
500 ml. cream
150 gr. white Pedrajas pine nuts
100 gr. icing sugar

Sand:                                     
200 gr. light sponge cake
Rosemary and elder flowers
Thyme and Everlasting leaves
Wild pine nuts

PREPARATION:

Green pine cone ice cream: Place the unpeeled green pine cones in cold water and leave to soak for 12 h. Then blanch three times in boiling water.
Separately, mix the water, powdered milk, glucose and stabiliser with the sugar and ascorbic acid and bring to 80ºC. Cut the pine cones into small pieces and infuse in the liquid for 4 h. Blend. Pour through a chinois and freeze in Pacojet containers. Place in the freezer for at least 4 h, then beat.
Roast pine nut foam: Roast the pine nuts in the oven at 150ºC for 45 min. until golden. Bring the milk and cream to the boil with the sugar and infuse with the freshly toasted pine nuts so that they release all their aromas. Strain through a chinois and transfer the mixture to a siphon. Attach a cartridge and chill.
Sand: Separate the crust from the sponge cake. Toast a little of the crust in a non-stick pan so that you have three colours of "sand". Place the sponge cake in the robot and run at different speeds to obtain different textures.
Select the flowers and leaves, and wash and dry them.

TO SERVE:

First serve some of the roast pine nut foam then sprinkle the different colours and textures of sand next to it. Sprinkle over these the leaves and wild flowers as well as the wild pine nuts. Finally serve some green pine nut ice cream on the sand.