Smoked Cardamom Chocolate Tart...Smoked Cardamom Chocolate Tart with Honeyed Goat Cheese Mousse & Roasted Figs

An avant-garde dessert pairing the deep, warm spice of smoked cardamom-infused dark chocolate ganache with a velvety, light-as-air goat cheese mousse and caramelized fresh figs on a crisp Sablé Breton.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   To make the Sablé Breton, cream the softened butter and powdered sugar together in a stand mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and incorporate fully. Fold in the flour and a pinch of flaky sea salt until a cohesive dough forms. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

2. 02

   Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Roll the chilled dough to a 4mm thickness. Cut out six 8cm rounds using pastry rings. Bake inside the rings for 12-15 minutes until beautifully golden brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

3. 03

   For the ganache, gently toast the crushed cardamom pods in a dry saucepan until fragrant. Add 120ml of heavy cream, bring to a bare simmer, then remove from heat. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes to capture the smoky-spicy aromatics. Strain the cream, discarding the pods, and reheat to just below boiling.

4. 04

   Pour the hot cardamom-infused cream over the chopped dark chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute, then emulsify with a spatula starting from the center outward until a glossy, smooth ganache forms. Divide evenly among the baked sablé crusts and transfer to the refrigerator to set (about 20 minutes).

5. 05

   To make the mousse, melt the bloomed gelatin sheet in 1 tablespoon of warm water. In a medium bowl, whip the goat cheese and wildflower honey until smooth. Fold in the dissolved gelatin. In a separate bowl, whip the remaining 100ml of heavy cream to soft peaks, then gently fold it into the goat cheese mixture. Place in a pastry bag with a round tip and chill for 15 minutes.

6. 06

   To caramelize the figs, dip the cut side of each fig half into the demerara sugar. Heat a dry non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Sear the figs sugar-side down for 1-2 minutes until caramelized and slightly softened. Remove from heat immediately.

7. 07

   To assemble, place a ganache-filled sablé tart on each plate. Pipe elegant domes of the honey-goat cheese mousse on top of the ganache. Arrange two halves of caramelized figs next to the mousse. Garnish with a sprinkle of bee pollen and serve immediately at cool room temperature.