Culinary

Nutcracker Mousse & Poached Pear Dish

COOKING WITH TEA

"Nutcracker" Mousse & Poached Pear

Warm tellicherry black peppercorns crackle against a frozen backdrop of creamy ice cream. The fragrant and distinctive pepper offers a unique juxtaposition between cold dessert and warm spice, bringing out toasty notes of hazelnut in a Nutcracker tea-infused mousse.

To finish, Executive Chef Franck Desplechin added poached pears, inspired by the a dessert of poached pears with black peppercorns he tasted while young.

[[ recipeID=recipe-8kqhrecr4, title="Nutcracker" Mousse & Poached Pear ]]

Notes from Franck Desplechin, Executive Chef at St. Regis San Francisco:

“You want the creaminess to bring a new layer of texture to your desserts – it should match with the crispiness of the crumble and other elements.”

Tea in Recipe

BLACK TEA

Featured Products

TEAWARE

n/a

"Nutcracker" Mousse & Poached Pear

“Black pepper ice-cream is very original for a dessert, as it’s not something you see everywhere. I needed to balance a sweet ice-cream that tastes spicy. Indian tellicherry black peppercorns are considered one of the finest peppers in the world and it has a very rich flavour that is not spicy.

I infused the pepper in boiled milk for an hour to extract complex flavours without bitterness – the pepper isn’t boiled in the milk, but the milk needs to be somewhat hot to start the infusion process. You always want to cool the ice cream before churning it – all the elements and flavors will have a chance to sink in, and the mixture will thicken and become creamy. Letting it cool for 12 hours in the refrigerator allows for a rich, creamy character. If you churn the ice cream while it’s still warm and thin, there’s less flavor and a lack of texture.” - Franck Desplechin, Executive Chef at St. Regis San Francisco