Roasted Fig & Whipped...Roasted Fig & Whipped Chèvre Mousse with Pine Nut Sablé

An elegant, multi-textured dessert pairing roasted black mission figs with a velvety goat cheese mousse, buttery pine nut sablé, and a rich port wine reduction.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   For the Pine Nut Sablé: Cream softened butter and powdered sugar until pale. Beat in the egg yolk. Fold in the flour, ground pine nuts, and a pinch of salt until a dough forms. Roll out between parchment sheets to 4mm thickness and chill for 30 minutes.

2. 02

   Cut the chilled sablé dough into 4 circular discs (approx. 8cm diameter). Bake at 170°C (340°F) for 12-14 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

3. 03

   For the Chèvre Mousse: Bloom the gelatin sheet in ice water. Heat 50ml of heavy cream with the scraped vanilla bean seeds until simmering. Remove from heat, squeeze excess water from gelatin, and dissolve it into the warm cream. Pour over the chopped white chocolate and whisk until smooth.

4. 04

   In a food processor, blend the room-temperature goat cheese until smooth, then stream in the warm white chocolate mixture. In a separate bowl, whip the remaining 150ml of heavy cream to soft peaks, then gently fold into the cheese mixture. Transfer to a piping bag and chill for at least 2 hours.

5. 05

   For the Roasted Figs: Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Place halved figs cut-side up in a baking dish. Drizzle with wildflower honey and scatter rosemary sprigs over them. Roast for 12-15 minutes until caramelized and tender.

6. 06

   For the Port Reduction: In a small saucepan, simmer the port wine over medium-low heat until reduced by two-thirds to a syrupy consistency. Set aside to cool.

7. 07

   Assembly: Place a Pine Nut Sablé disc in the center of each plate. Pipe elegant dollops of the Chèvre Mousse on top. Arrange 4 warm roasted fig halves around and on top of the mousse. Drizzle with the port wine reduction and garnish with a few toasted pine nuts and micro-basil or rosemary flowers.