Smoked Honey & Lavender...Smoked Honey & Lavender Goat Cheese Mousse with Apricot-Saffron Gelée

An elegant, multi-textured dessert featuring a velvety lavender-infused fresh goat cheese mousse, smoked wildflower honey, vibrant apricot-saffron fluid gel, and a delicate, crispy bee pollen tuile.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   In a small saucepan, gently heat the heavy cream with the dried lavender buds until just simmering. Remove from heat, cover, and let infuse for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the lavender, and chill the infused cream completely in the refrigerator.

2. 02

   Bloom the gelatin sheet in ice-cold water for 5 minutes. In a mixing bowl, whisk the fresh goat cheese and smoked honey until completely smooth and aerated.

3. 03

   Whip the chilled lavender cream to soft peaks. Warm 2 tablespoons of the whipped cream in a small bowl, squeeze excess water from the gelatin, and dissolve it into the warm cream. Stir this back into the goat cheese mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whipped lavender cream. Pipe the mixture into silicone dome molds and freeze for 2 hours to set.

4. 04

   To make the gelée, combine apricot puree, saffron threads, and granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer for 3 minutes to extract the saffron color and flavor. Whisk in the agar-agar and boil for 1 minute. Pour onto a shallow tray and let set at room temperature. Once set, transfer to a high-speed blender and process until it forms a perfectly smooth, glossy fluid gel. Transfer to a piping bag.

5. 05

   For the tuiles, whisk together egg whites, melted butter, flour, and powdered sugar until a smooth batter forms. Spread the batter paper-thin onto a silicone baking mat using a stencil. Sprinkle with bee pollen. Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 6-8 minutes until golden. Shape the warm tuiles gently over a rolling pin immediately upon exiting the oven to create a curved shape; let cool.

6. 06

   To assemble, unmold the frozen goat cheese domes onto the center of your plates and allow them to temper for 15 minutes to reach a creamy consistency. Artfully pipe dots of the saffron-apricot fluid gel around the domes. Nest a curved bee pollen tuile on top of each dome, and garnish with fresh micro-basil or edible violas.