Recipe for Dessert: Pear & Pecan Nut

For the poached pears. Peel the pears and coat them with lemon juice to prevent oxidation. In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the pears, mix, add the pears, and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes, checking according to the size of the pears with the tip of a knife or a fork. Then let the pears cool in the syrup. Remember to reserve an equivalent of one cup of syrup.

For the pecan praline maple syrup. Roast the pecans for 15 minutes at 160°C in the oven. Make a well-browned caramel with sugar and water. Add the nuts, mix well and spread onto a tray. Let cool completely, then blend, adding salt; once the mixture is smooth, add the maple syrup and blend again. Transfer to a glass jar with a lid and set aside. The pecan praline keeps very well at room temperature, and you can prepare it well in advance.

For the pecan cream. Soak the gelatin in cold water. Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan, add the drained gelatin. Pour over the praline in three batches while blending with an immersion blender. Pour into a 12 cm diameter ring lined with acetate and place in the freezer.

Pecan biscuit. Melt the butter and cook until it turns brown, then strain and add the maple syrup. In a mixing bowl, combine the pecan powder, powdered sugar, and cornstarch, then add half of the egg whites and finally the melted butter. Whip the second half of the egg whites, adding the sugar until fully whipped. Gently fold this meringue into the previous mixture. Preheat the oven to 165°C. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15 minutes. Let cool on a rack. Cut out one disk measuring 19 cm in diameter and another 12 cm in diameter. Keep wrapped in a kitchen towel. Can be prepared in advance, wrapped in a freezer bag, and stored in the freezer.

For the pecan streusel. To be prepared the day before serving. Preheat the oven to 165°C. In the bowl of a mixer, add the butter cut into small cubes. Add all the dry ingredients. Using the paddle attachment or your fingertips, mix until you obtain large crumbs. Spread between 2 sheets of baking paper, then remove the top sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, keeping a close eye. Once out of the oven, cut out a disk of 19 cm in diameter and let cool before handling. It can also be prepared well in advance and stored in the freezer.

For the pear insert. You need an insert in a mold with a diameter of 13.5 cm. In a saucepan, pour the syrup from cooking the pears. Heat it up. Mix together the pectin and sugar; when the syrup starts to bubble, add the pectin in a sprinkle while whisking. Let it simmer for one minute, then remove from heat and add the diced pears (you should have previously cut the drained pears in half and removed the core before chopping them into small dice). Mix well. Prepare the insert mold by lining it with plastic wrap, placing parchment paper at the bottom, and then pour in the pear confit. Place in the freezer until the next day.

For the pecan praline mirror mousse. Start by whipping the cream and set it aside in the refrigerator. Prepare the batter: Place the egg yolks in the bowl of the mixer. In a saucepan, bring the remaining water and sugar to a boil, cooking it to the soft ball stage as for Italian meringue. Lightly beat the yolks, and once the syrup reaches the right temperature, start beating at medium speed while slowly pouring in the syrup. Beat until it is warm and has doubled in volume. At this point, add the pecan praline and mix. Keep the batter slightly warm over a not-too-hot water bath. Prepare the Italian meringue: Soak the gelatin in cold water. Place the egg whites in the mixer bowl. Meanwhile, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Once boiling, begin to slowly whip the egg whites. The syrup should be cooked to the soft ball stage, which is 117°C; at this point, add the gelatin to the syrup before pouring it over the egg whites, so you can heat it a bit more to 120°C and dissolve the gelatin in it. If you don’t have a thermometer, take a jar of very cold water, dip your first three fingers in it, then dip them into the boiling syrup and immediately back into the cold water while rubbing your fingers together to form a ball. If a small ball forms, the syrup is at the right temperature. This is the pot of cooking technique. Once your egg whites are whipped but not very firm, stop the mixer. Once your syrup is at the right temperature and you have dissolved the gelatin in it, turn the mixer back on and slowly pour the syrup into the whites. Continue to whip until it is warm, almost cold, but not cold! You will know when to stop when the meringue is shiny and when you lift the whisk from the bowl, it forms a peak. Reserve this meringue. Gently fold the whipped cream and the Italian meringue into the pecan praline batter. Stop mixing as soon as the mixture is smooth.

For the pear mousse. Prepare the day before tasting (or on the day of assembling the dessert). The pear puree: Soak the gelatin in a large volume of cold water. Start by blending the poached pears into a very fine puree. Heat this puree in a saucepan until it simmers, remove from heat, and melt the squeezed gelatin into it. The whipped cream: Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, set aside. The Italian meringue: Bring the water with the sugar to a boil. When the mixture reaches 110°C, begin to whip the egg whites with a few drops of lemon juice. Stop when they just begin to hold their shape. Once the syrup reaches 120°C, turn the mixer on (or use a hand mixer) and pour the syrup in a thin stream, through a sieve to remove any solid particles, over the egg whites while mixing gently. Once the syrup is added, continue to beat until the mixture is warm, about 45°C. The meringue should be shiny and should form a peak. The mixture: Gradually fold in the cherry puree and the whipped cream into the Italian meringue in several additions. Do this gently using a flexible spatula, starting from the edge of the bowl and going to the bottom in circular motions. Your mousse is smooth and shiny, and it is ready to be poured into a piping bag (closed at the end and fitted with a medium plain nozzle).

For the pear cream, place the gelatin in cold water to hydrate. In a saucepan, heat the pear puree. Whisk together the sugar and eggs. Pour the pear puree over the sugar and egg mixture while stirring. Return the mixture to the heat, stirring continuously with a spatula until it reaches 85°C. The mixture will thicken but should not boil. Remove from heat, add the drained gelatin. Once the mixture is warm at 40°C, add the butter and blend with an immersion blender. Pour the mixture into the mold, smooth it out, and place it in the freezer.