Smoked Vanilla & Roasted...Smoked Vanilla & Roasted Fig Tartlet with Pine Nut Sablé and Yuzu-Rosemary Gel

An avant-garde Michelin-star dessert featuring delicate pine nut sablé, cold-smoked vanilla pastry cream, warm balsamic-roasted figs, and a vibrant yuzu-rosemary fluid gel.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the Pine Nut Sablé: Pulse ground pine nuts, flour, powdered sugar, and sea salt in a food processor. Add cold butter and pulse to fine breadcrumbs. Add 1 egg yolk and blend until dough just forms. Roll out between parchment paper to 3mm thickness and chill for 30 minutes. Cut into 4 geometric rings and bake at 175°C (350°F) for 10-12 minutes until golden. Cool.

2. 02

   Cold-Smoke Milk: Heat milk and scraped vanilla bean to a simmer. Remove from heat. Use a handheld smoking gun loaded with applewood chips to infuse smoke into the covered pot for 10 minutes.

3. 03

   Make Smoked Vanilla Cream: Whisk 3 egg yolks, granulated sugar, and cornstarch until pale. Reheat smoked milk, temper into yolk mixture, return to pan, and whisk over medium heat until thick. Strain and chill completely. Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks and fold into the cold custard.

4. 04

   Create Yuzu-Rosemary Fluid Gel: Combine yuzu juice, 50ml water, 30g sugar, and rosemary sprig in a saucepan. Bring to boil, steep for 5 minutes, and discard rosemary. Whisk in agar-agar and boil for 1 minute. Pour into a shallow tray and chill until set firm. Blend high-speed until smooth and glossy, then transfer to a squeeze bottle.

5. 05

   Roast Figs: Toss halved figs in wildflower honey and balsamic vinegar. Place cut-side up on a tray and roast at 200°C (400°F) for 6-8 minutes until slightly caramelized.

6. 06

   Assembly & Plating: Place a pine nut sablé ring off-center on each plate. Pipe delicate bulbs of smoked vanilla cream inside and atop the ring. Nestled warm roasted figs around the cream, drop dots of yuzu-rosemary fluid gel, and garnish with tiny fresh rosemary leaves.