Fig Leaf Crèmeux with...Fig Leaf Crèmeux with Smoked Honey Gel and Pistachio Sponge

An avant-garde plated dessert featuring an herbaceous fig leaf infusion, velvety white chocolate crèmeux, smoky honey gel, and an airy pistachio micro-sponge.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   To make the cremeux, combine heavy cream and whole milk in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then add the bruised fig leaves. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 20 minutes to extract the aromatic oils. Strain and discard the leaves.

2. 02

   Bloom the gelatin sheets in ice-cold water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together in a bowl. Slowly temper the warm fig leaf-infused cream into the yolk mixture, then return the entire mixture to the saucepan.

3. 03

   Cook the custard over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 82°C (180°F) and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, stir in the squeezed, bloomed gelatin, and pour over the chopped white chocolate. Emulsify with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth. Pour into silicone molds and freeze for 4 hours to set.

4. 04

   For the smoked honey gel, combine the smoked honey, water, and agar-agar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and let bubble for 1 minute while whisking constantly. Pour onto a clean tray and let set in the refrigerator until firm. Once set, blend the gel in a high-speed blender until perfectly glossy and smooth, then transfer to a piping bag.

5. 05

   Prepare the pistachio micro-sponge by whisking the pistachio paste, egg whites, 1 remaining egg yolk, 30g of sugar, and flour until completely smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pour into an iSi siphon, and charge with 2 N2O charger cartridges. Shake vigorously.

6. 06

   Cut three small slits in the bottom of paper cups. Siphon the batter into each cup, filling them only 1/3 full. Microwave each cup on high for 40 seconds. Immediately invert the cups onto a cooling rack. Once cooled, tear the sponge into rustic, organic pieces.

7. 07

   For the figs, melt the unsalted butter in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place the halved figs cut-side down. Sear for 2 minutes, then drizzle with balsamic glaze and remove from heat to keep their shape but achieve a caramelized edge.

8. 08

   To assemble, unmold the fig leaf crèmeux and place it slightly off-center on a cold plate. Arrange two halves of caramelized figs alongside. Scatter rustic pieces of the pistachio sponge and pipe precise dots of the smoked honey gel around the plate. Garnish with bronze fennel fronds and optional edible gold leaf.