Jasmine-Poached Pear with Pistachio...Jasmine-Poached Pear with Pistachio Ganache and Cardamom Sablé

An elegant, multi-textured modern dessert featuring delicate jasmine-infused poached pears, velvety pistachio whipped ganache, buttery cardamom sablé crumble, and a bright honey-yuzu reduction.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   To poach the pears, combine water, granulated sugar, jasmine tea, and lemon peel in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Place the peeled pears upright in the liquid, cover with a parchment paper cartouche (round lid with a hole in the center), and poach on low heat for 20-25 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and let the pears cool completely in the poaching syrup.

2. 02

   To make the pistachio ganache, heat 50ml of the heavy cream in a small saucepan until just simmering. Pour over the chopped white chocolate and pistachio paste. Let sit for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth and glossy. Stir in the remaining 100ml of cold heavy cream. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (ideally overnight).

3. 03

   To make the cardamom sablé, rub the cold cubed butter into the flour, powdered sugar, ground cardamom, and sea salt using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine sand. Add the egg yolk and bind the mixture together gently to form a dough. Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 3mm thickness and chill for 30 minutes. Bake at 170°C (340°F) for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely, then crush gently into rustic textures.

4. 04

   To prepare the yuzu reduction, combine the yuzu juice and wildflower honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently until reduced by half and thickened to a light syrupy glaze. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

5. 05

   To assemble, whip the chilled pistachio ganache mixture to medium-stiff peaks using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Place a generous spoonful of the whipped ganache on the side of each plate and create an elegant swoop using the back of a spoon.

6. 06

   Drain the poached pears and pat them lightly with paper towels. Slice a thin sliver off the bottom of each pear so they stand upright. Place one pear next to the ganache swoop on each plate.

7. 07

   Artfully scatter the crushed cardamom sablé crumble around the base of the pear and ganache. Drizzle the yuzu reduction around the plate and garnish with fresh edible micro-flowers or mint leaves if desired. Serve immediately.