STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB MOCHI

Steps:

• For the Basil Fluid Gel
• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the basil and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain and refresh immediately under cold running water. Squeeze out all the water.
• Set up an ice bath in a large bowl.
• Put the basil in a blender with the simple syrup and the 1/3 cup water. Blend until bright green, smooth, and thin in consistency. Pour into a medium bowl, set it into the ice bath, and infuse for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine strainer, discarding the solids.
• Blend the sugar and agar together well, then pour the syrup into the blender. Turn the blender to low and sift the sugar and agar into the vortex. Blend for 1 minute.
• Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.
• Put the gel back into the blender and blend until very smooth. Strain through a fine strainer. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• For the Mochi
• Dust twenty 2-inch demisphere molds with potato starch or line two empty egg cartons with plastic wrap and dust lightly with potato starch.
• Put the strawberries in a spice grinder and process to a fine powder.
• Whisk the strawberry powder with the sugar, mochiko flour, and a pinch of salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 3/4 cup cold water and mix into a smooth paste. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 90 seconds. Stir. If the dough is very tight, stir in a little more water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 1 minute. The dough will darken and become opaque.
• Dust a work surface heavily with potato starch. Working quickly, roll the warm dough 1/16 inch thick. Cut 3 1/2-inch rounds of dough. Hold a round of dough in your palm and fill with 1 tablespoon strawberry-rhubarb compote. Pinch the dough closed, stretching it if necessary, and place, seam side down, in the mold. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.
• To Serve
• If desired, process a few strawberries in a spice grinder to a fine powder.
• Make a smear of the basil fluid gel on a dessert plate and set a mochi on top. Garnish, if you want, with a few pinches of the strawberry powder and some basil leaves. Repeat for each serving.
• make it simpler
• In place of the compote, doctor all-natural strawberry-rhubarb preserves with some grated lemon zest and diced fresh strawberries. Instead of making the basil fluid gel, you could just puree the basil with the simple syrup, strain it, and use the puree as a sauce.
• what's a fluid gel?
• Set with agar and then run through a blender, fluid gels land right in the middle between being a liquid and a solid. Because they can hold a shape, fluid gels take us beyond the pool of sauce on a plate and make all kinds of interesting presentations possible. And they pack super-intense flavors.