Smoked Rosemary Fig &...Smoked Rosemary Fig & Goat Cheese Mousse with Pine Nut Praline

An avant-garde, multi-textured dessert balancing the earthy warmth of smoked rosemary-infused roasted figs with a velvety, light goat cheese mousse and a crunchy fleur de sel pine nut praline.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Bloom the gelatin sheet in a bowl of ice-cold water for 5-10 minutes until soft. Squeeze out excess water.

2. 02

   In a small saucepan, heat 50ml of the heavy cream until just simmering. Remove from heat, add the bloomed gelatin, and stir until completely dissolved. Let cool slightly.

3. 03

   In a medium bowl, whip the mild goat cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Slowly whisk in the warm gelatin-cream mixture until fully incorporated.

4. 04

   In a separate bowl, whip the remaining 150ml of heavy cream to medium peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the goat cheese mixture in three stages to maintain aeration. Pipe the mousse into silicone semi-sphere molds and freeze for at least 2 hours to set.

5. 05

   To make the praline, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until golden brown. In a separate saucepan, melt the granulated sugar with 30ml of water to create a wet caramel. Cook without stirring until it reaches a deep amber color (170°C). Stir in the toasted pine nuts and fleur de sel, then immediately pour onto a silicone baking mat. Let cool completely, then pulse in a food processor to a coarse, sandy crumble.

6. 06

   For the figs, melt the butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the halved figs cut-side down, along with the rosemary sprigs. Drizzle with wildflower honey and sear for 2-3 minutes until caramelized. Remove from heat.

7. 07

   Place the warm figs in a deep bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and insert the nozzle of a handheld smoking gun loaded with applewood chips. Fill the bowl with smoke, seal tightly, and let infuse for 3 minutes.

8. 08

   To assemble, unmold the frozen goat cheese mousse domes and place one in the center of each plate, allowing them to temper for 10 minutes. Arrange the warm, smoked caramelized figs around the mousse. Drizzle the remaining honey-rosemary pan juices over the figs, and generously scatter the textured pine nut praline crumble around the plate. Garnish with micro-rosemary leaves.