Serves 6
Ingredients
Biscuit mirliton
7g lavender honey
94g eggs
40g egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
77g almond flour
77g sugar
7g flan powder
Croustillant tuile
200g sugar
12g powdered glucose
155g biscuit mirliton crumbs
1 pinch of salt
Honey cremeux
5g gelatin sheets
45g egg yolks
75g lavender honey
154g heavy cream
225g mascarpone
Maple ice cream
180g maple syrup
70g egg yolks
210g whole milk
140g heavy cream
Honey poached pear
250g lavender honey
250g butter, softened
6 asian pears
Asian pear gelée
3 asian pears
4g gelatin sheets
25g pear alchohol (we recommend poire williams)
60g sugar
Maple emulsion
135g fat free milk
70g maple reduction
2g soy lecithin
To finish
Asian pear
Method
For the biscuit mirliton
Preheat the oven to 175c. Line a rimmed 24×32-cm baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and coat with nonstick cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, eggs, yolks, and vanilla seeds. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the almond flour, sugar, and flan powder on medium speed. Stream in the egg mixture and continue to mix for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula halfway through. Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet, spread into a flat layer with an offset spatula, and bake for 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, turn the cake out onto a cooling rack, and turn off the oven. Once cooled, cut twelve 6 x 4-cm rectangles from the biscuit. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. Return the biscuit trim to the warm oven until dried, about 30 minutes. Cool, and transfer the trim to a food processor. Pulse into fine crumbs and reserve for the croustillant tuile.
For the croustillant tuile
Line a rimmed 32 x 44-cm baking sheet with a silpat. Combine the sugar and glucose in a medium saucepan and melt, stirring occasionally, over high heat until it reaches 180c. Remove from the heat and stir in the crumbs and salt. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and cool at room temperature until hardened, about 3 hours. With a blunt object, break the hardened sugar into small pieces and transfer to a food processor. Pulse into a fine powder and shake through a fine-meshed sieve. The powder can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Preheat the oven to 175c. Line a baking sheet with a silpat. Sift half of the powder over the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 3 minutes, or until the sugar is melted. Remove from the oven, cover with a sheet of parchment paper, and carefully flip the silpat onto a flat surface. Peel off the silpat, and cut at least eighteen 6 x 4-cm rectangles from the sugar. While still warm, lift the rectangles off the parchment with an offset spatula and transfer to a flat tray. If the sugar becomes too brittle when cut or lifted, slide the parchment back onto the baking sheet and place in the oven for 30 seconds to soften. Cool the tuiles at room temperature and store in an airtight container.
For the honey cremeux
Soak the gelatin sheets in ice water for 10 minutes, then squeeze dryin a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the honey until smooth. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. While whisking, gradually pour half of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture. Gradually whisk the yolk mixture back into the saucepan. Return the saucepan to the heat and cook slowly while whisking until it reaches 83c. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the gelatin. Cool mixture to 40c, and then whisk in the mascarpone. Pour mixture through a fine-meshed sieve into a flat container to reach 1-cm height. Cover, and freeze until solid. Cut into twelve 4 x 6-cm rectangles and reserve in the refrigerator.
For the maple ice cream
In a small saucepan, reduce the maple syrup by half (to 90g). In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. In a medium saucepan, combine the maple syrup reduction, milk, and heavy cream, and bring to a simmer. While whisking, gradually pour half of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk. Gradually whisk the mixture back into the saucepan. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, while whisking, until it reaches 83°c. Remove from the heat and pass through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl set over ice. Stir until well chilled, then spin in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to disposable pastry bags and reserve frozen.
For the honey poached pear
Using an immersion circulator, preheat a water bath to 60c. In a medium bowl, mix the honey and butter until well combined. Peel the pears and with a 1 ½-cm diameter ring cutter or cannoli form, cut out 5 long cylinders from each pear. Transfer the pear cylinders to a sous-vide bag, add the honey butter and vacuum-seal. Submerge in the prepared water bath and cook for 2 hours. Chill the bag in cold water. Strain and reserve butter for other uses.
For the asian pear gelée
Peel, core, and chop the pears. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Line a sieve with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Pour the puree into the sieve and rest until the juice has strained through (do not press or the juice will become cloudy). Weigh 140 grams of juice for the gelée. Soak the gelatin in ice water for 10 minutes, and then squeeze dry. In a small saucepan, combine the 140g pear juice, pear alcohol, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, and then remove from the heat. Stir in the gelatin until dissolved. Pour onto a lipped plate or tray to reach ¼-cm thick layer and refrigerate, flat, until firm. Cut into at least 18 small discs, and reserve chilled.
For the maple emulsion
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix with a hand blender until smooth. Keep chilled.
To finish
Cut the asian pear into matchsticks. Cut the tip of a disposable pastry bag and insert a star tip. Cut the tip of a bag of maple ice cream, and insert into the bag with the star tip. Place the head of a hand blender just under the surface of the maple emulsion and puree to form a thick layer of foam. For each serving, place a rectangle of biscuit mirliton on one side of a chilled dessert plate and top with a croustillant tuile. Trim five cylinders of honey poached pear to 4-cm lengths and arrange on top of the tuile. Set another tuile on the pear, then another rectangle of biscuit mirliton, and top with a third croustillant tuile. Scoop a spoonful of foam onto the top tuile. Set three pear matchsticks on the opposite side of the plate and rest 3 asian pear gelée discs aside them. Pipe a swirly line of maple ice cream on the plate and serve immediately.
Find out more about chef Boulud