Smoked Lapsang Souchong Ganache...Smoked Lapsang Souchong Ganache with Blackberry-Sumac Gel

An avant-garde plated dessert featuring velvety smoked tea-infused dark chocolate ganache, a vibrant and acidic blackberry-sumac gel, and a buttery, textured Earl Grey sablé crumble.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   To make the ganache, heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until just simmering. Remove from the heat, stir in the Lapsang Souchong tea leaves, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes to infuse the smoky aroma.

2. 02

   Strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing the tea leaves to extract all liquid. Reheat the cream to a bare simmer, then pour it over the chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let sit for 1 minute, then stir gently in concentric circles to form a glossy emulsion. Whisk in 25g of softened butter until smooth. Pour into a shallow dish, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface, and chill for 2 hours.

3. 03

   To make the Earl Grey sablé, preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). In a bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar, ground Earl Grey tea, and a pinch of salt. Rub the 60g of cold cubed butter into the dry mixture using your fingertips until it resembles wet sand. Add the egg yolk and mix until a cohesive dough forms. Roll out onto parchment paper to 3mm thickness and bake for 12-15 minutes until light golden. Let cool completely, then crush into a rustic crumble.

4. 04

   To make the blackberry-sumac gel, combine 150g of blackberries, granulated sugar, ground sumac, and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes until the berries break down. Blend the mixture until smooth and strain through a fine sieve to remove seeds.

5. 05

   Return the blackberry puree to the saucepan, whisk in the agar-agar, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute while stirring constantly to activate the agar. Pour the mixture onto a shallow tray and refrigerate for 20 minutes until completely set into a firm sheet. Break the gel into pieces, transfer to a high-speed blender, and blend on high until a completely smooth, fluid, and glossy gel forms. Transfer to a squeeze bottle.

6. 06

   To plate, temper the ganache slightly at room temperature for 10 minutes, then hot-spoon a elegant quenelle onto the center of each plate. Scatter a neat line of Earl Grey sablé crumble alongside the ganache. Pipe artistic dots of the blackberry-sumac gel around the plate. Garnish with halved fresh blackberries, micro-basil leaves, and a tiny sprinkle of flaky sea salt over the ganache.