Announcing 2025 Perfect PurÉe Recipe Contest Winners
This winter, we partnered with The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley to challenge our community to explore the range, versatility, and intensity of fruit purées across sweet and savory applications. Check out the winning recipes here!
PASTRY CHEF Agibail Black’s Lychee-Yuzu Ice Cream Cake: Yuzu-Purple Basil Tea Frozen Yogurt, Lychee Ice Cream, Basil Frangipane, Basil-Infused Marshmallow Fluff, Tapioca Pearls, Basil Oil at Henrietta Red | Photo: Courtney Eckdahl
Join us in giving a big congratulations to Pastry Chef Abigail Black of Henrietta Red (Nashville, TN) for her winning Yuzu-Lychee Ice Cream Cake. For her win, Black will receive the $3,000 cash prize!
As Black describes, “I really love playing with color in my desserts. For this one, I found a fun way to use purple basil to transform the ice cream cake into an unexpected hue. Purple basil contains anthocyanin, a naturally occurring pigment that reacts to high pH levels, and the acidity of the yuzu turns the basil tea a bright neon pink. It’s shocking how vivid the color is using completely natural ingredients. The yuzu frozen yogurt is swirled with lychee ice cream for another visual layer. Lychee is typically associated with pink or red, but here it’s actually the yuzu that brings the color. The ice cream itself is creamy and almost marshmallow-like, while the yuzu cuts through with acidity and brightness. I think dessert should be playful, joyful, and surprising, and I love working with ingredients that embody those qualities.”
Chef Jacob Whitson’s Cured Opah, Hawaiian Chile Water Gelée, Shiso Oil, Camu Camu Vinaigrette, Dragonfruit Vinaigrette, Fried Shallots, Shiso | Photo: Courtney Eckdahl
Pastry Chef Ellie Estrada-Londo’s Momotaro: White Peach Entremet, White Peach-Jasmine Ice Cream, Greek Yogurt Mousse, White Peach-Jasmine Kanten, White Peach-Jasmine Jelly, White Peach Mochi Dango, White Peach Nectar at Nisei | Photo: Leo Gong
We’d also like to give a big shout-out to runners-up Chef Jacob Whitson of Whitson Hospitality (Nashville, TN) and Pastry Chef Ellie Estrada-Londo of Nisei (San Francisco, CA), whose recipes won them each $500.
Whitson submitted a cured opah with Hawaiian chile water gelée, shiso oil, camu camu vinaigrette, dragonfruit vinaigrette, fried shallots, and shiso. “After a decade in hospitality, some things—like products from The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley—always seem to follow me. I’ve used the purées in both savory and pastry contexts because of their consistency and range. When I discovered the camu camu purée, I knew it would be perfect for a clean, tropical starter. This dish was inspired by conversations with a friend who owns a Hawaiian fish market in Nashville. It draws on Hawaiian and Japanese influences, pairing kombu-jime–cured opah with a bright camu camu vinaigrette, shiso oil, and a modernist take on Hawaiian chile water,” says Whitson.
Estrada-Londo put forward a white peach entremet with white peach-jasmine ice cream, Greek yogurt mousse, white peach-jasmine kanten, white peach-jasmine jelly, white peach mochi dango, and white peach nectar. Dubbed the “Momotaro,” Estrada-Londo describes the dessert as “a whimsical, layered white peach dessert inspired by the Japanese folk legend Momotaro, also known as Peach Boy. A peach-shaped entremet is filled with a fragrant white peach and jasmine ice cream and rests on a cloud of tart yogurt mousse, all hidden under a delicate cocoa butter shell. It’s served with white peach mochi, peach-jasmine jelly, and shimmering kanten. White peaches are symbols of good fortune and prosperity in Japan. The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley’s white peach purée captures that effervescent summer flavor flawlessly, allowing me to bring the legend to life year-round.”
