Credit: Special Arrangement
What you need
l For the poached pear:
l One ripe pear (with stalk intact)
l 200 ml fresh orange juice
l One cinnamon stick
l 20 gm sugar
l One each of orange wedge and star anise
For the chocolate truffle filling:
l 200 gm dark chocolate (finely chopped)
l 100 gm cooking cream
l 10 gm butter
For the vanilla quenelle:
l 100 ml milk
l 20 gm custard powder
l 15 gm sugar
l 10 gm butter
l 50 gm whipped cream
Preparation:
Poaching the pear
Peel the pear carefully, keeping the stalk intact. In a saucepan, combine orange juice, sugar, cinnamon stick, orange wedge and star anise. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Gently submerge the pear, cover the pan with foil and simmer on low heat for 2–3 hours, or until the pear is tender. Set aside to cool.
Preparing the chocolate truffle
Place the chopped dark chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream until it just begins to simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, add butter and stir until smooth and glossy. Let it cool completely until set.
Making the vanilla quenelle
Bring milk and sugar to a gentle boil. Whisk in the custard powder and cook until thick, stirring continuously. Add butter, mix well and cool completely. Refrigerate for at least two hours. Once chilled, fold 100 gm of the custard with 50 gm of whipped cream to create a smooth quenelle base.
To assemble
Core the poached pear from the base, keeping the stalk intact. Fill the center with the prepared chocolate truffle and reseal with the stalk. On a serving plate, warm and splatter some of the leftover truffle mixture. Place the filled pear in the center. Shape a quenelle (scoop) of the vanilla custard mixture and position it beside the pear. Garnish with fresh berries and microgreens for a final flourish.