Smoked Honey & Goat...Smoked Honey & Goat Cheese Mousse with Fig-Rosemary Compote

A sophisticated, multi-textured dessert balancing the earthy tang of goat cheese with the rich depth of smoked honey, complemented by a jammy, aromatic fig compote and salted pine nut praline.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Bloom the gelatin sheet in a bowl of ice-cold water for 5 to 7 minutes until completely softened.

2. 02

   To make the compote, combine the quartered figs, 50g of granulated sugar, ruby port, lemon juice, and the rosemary sprig in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Simmer gently for 12-15 minutes until the figs are tender and the liquid has reduced to a rich, glossy syrup. Remove the rosemary sprig and set aside to cool to room temperature.

3. 03

   To prepare the praline, heat the remaining 60g of sugar with 15ml of water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook without stirring until it caramelizes into a deep amber color. Stir in the toasted pine nuts and fleur de sel, then immediately pour the mixture onto a silicone baking mat. Allow to cool completely and harden, then coarsely chop into a textured praline crumble.

4. 04

   Gently warm 50ml of the heavy cream with the scraped vanilla bean seeds and pod in a small saucepan. Remove from heat just before boiling. Squeeze excess water from the bloomed gelatin and whisk it into the warm cream until fully dissolved. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and let cool slightly.

5. 05

   In a clean bowl, whip the remaining 150ml of chilled heavy cream to medium-soft peaks. In a separate large bowl, whisk the room-temperature goat cheese and smoked honey together until completely smooth and aerated.

6. 06

   Slowly whisk the slightly cooled vanilla-infused cream into the goat cheese mixture until smooth. Gently fold in the whipped cream in two additions, maintaining as much volume as possible.

7. 07

   Pipe the mousse into serving glasses or rings, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set.

8. 08

   To serve, spoon a layer of the fig-rosemary compote over the set mousse, and garnish generously with the crunchy salted pine nut praline.