Dark Chocolate Tahini Crémeux with Ruby-Poached Pear and Sesame Tuile

01

Ingredients

• 180 g certified vegan 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 240 ml full-fat oat cream
• 80 ml unsweetened oat milk
• 45 g smooth tahini
• 30 ml pure maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 small firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved lengthwise and cored
• 500 ml pure pomegranate juice
• 250 ml unsweetened tart cherry juice
• 60 ml pure maple syrup
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 wide strips orange zest, with no white pith
• 10 ml fresh lemon juice
• 30 g hulled sesame seeds
• 15 g black sesame seeds
• 25 g all-purpose flour
• 35 g granulated sugar
• 45 ml aquafaba from unsalted chickpeas
• 20 ml neutral vegetable oil
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt

02

Prepare the dish

1. Make the crémeux at least 4 hours ahead. Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Combine the oat cream, oat milk, 30 ml maple syrup and 1/8 tsp salt in a small saucepan and heat until steaming but not boiling.
2. Pour the hot oat mixture over the chocolate, wait 60 seconds, then whisk from the centre outward until glossy. Whisk in the tahini until completely smooth. Press reusable wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
3. For the pears, combine the pomegranate juice, cherry juice, 60 ml maple syrup, cinnamon and orange zest in a saucepan just wide enough to hold the pear halves in one layer. Bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Lower the pears into the poaching liquid, cover with a circle of parchment and simmer very gently for 18 to 24 minutes, turning once, until a knife meets only slight resistance. Transfer the pears to a shallow dish and spoon over enough liquid to cover. Cool completely, then chill for at least 1 hour.
5. Strain 300 ml of the pear poaching liquid into a clean saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 12 to 16 minutes until reduced to about 90 ml and lightly syrupy. Stir in the lemon juice, cool, and refrigerate; it will thicken slightly as it chills.
6. Heat the oven to 170°C. Line a baking tray with a silicone mat or reusable non-stick liner. Whisk the white sesame, black sesame, flour, sugar and 1/8 tsp salt together, then stir in the aquafaba and oil to make a loose batter.
7. Spread six very thin 10 cm ovals of batter on the prepared tray, leaving space between them. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes until deeply golden at the edges. Cool for 30 seconds, then carefully lift each tuile over a rolling pin to make a gentle curve. Cool until crisp.
8. Twenty minutes before plating, move the crémeux from the refrigerator so it softens enough to shape. Drain the pears well, pat dry, and slice each half into a fan while keeping the narrow stem end joined. Stir the chilled reduction until smooth.