Hendrik Otto’s dish of homemade cream cheese, spices and salted grapefruit

Ingredients
For the homemade cream cheese:

• 2kg milk
• 60g lemon juice
• 60g sour cream

For the salted grapefruit:

• 1L water
• 60g salt
• 1 grapefruit

For the spices:

• 30g fennel seeds
• 15g pimento

Method

For the homemade cream cheese:

1. Boil the milk for 2 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat.
2. Add the lemon juice and stir until the casein separates from the whey.
3. Pour everything through a cloth and quench in ice water.
4. Drain the casein under gentle pressure for 20 minutes.
5. Season the cheese with salt and stir in the sour cream.

For the salted grapefruit:

1. Wash grapefruit with hot water.
2. Peel and cut the grapefruit into bite-sized pieces.
3.  Boil the grapefruit in the water and salt.
4. Place in a sealed container and allow to cure for 4 weeks.

For the spice mix:

1. Roast the spices and then grind them.
2. Pass the spices through a fine sieve.

Plating 

For the garnish:

• Chives
• Lemon crisp
• Buckwheat
• Edible flowers
• Radishes

To serve each plate:

1. Dollop the cream cheese on the plate with the spices on top.
2. Place the grapefruit between the cream cheese dollops.
3. Quarter the radishes and place next to the grapefruit and cream cheese.
4. Garnish with the chives, lemon crisp, edible flowers and buckwheat.

Recipe courtesy of Hendrik Otto at Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer.

Hendrik Otto Chef Feature