I really wanted to impress one of the guests who came for dinner last night, so I went a little over the top preparing dessert. This triple-flavored twist on the traditional trifle (try saying that three times in a row!) consists of Asian pear, mulberry mousse, dark chocolate mousse and a dark chocolate croquant. And yes, it’s as delicious as it looks.
We picked very ripe Asian pears and mulberries from our garden to create this dish. Pears go wonderfully with chocolate, and you really can’t go wrong with mulberries. This is definitely a dish you can have fun with though, so make substitutions depending on what ingredients you have available. As long as you put a little effort into the presentation, you’ll end up with deliciously decadent, edible artwork.
1. Info for Chocolate Pear Trifle with Mulberries
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 10
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Chocolate Pear Trifle with Mulberries
- 4 soft, small, fully ripe Asian pears
- 14 ounces freshly picked mulberries
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup granulated sugar, + extra for the pears
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons shortening (or more butter)
- 4 tablespoons mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¾ teaspoon liquid lecithin
- 1½ tablespoons canola oil
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- ¾ cup unsweetened chocolate chips, melted
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar, as needed
3. Directions:
- Trim, peel, halve, core and cut the pears into small wedges.
- In a saucepan, add the diced pears with their juice. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar (to taste). Cook over low-heat for about 4 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove and reserve 30 pieces for garnish .
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Dice 4 tablespoons butter. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soft butter, shortening, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, salt and granulated sugar. Mix using the back of a fork (or a stainless-steel pastry blender) until it forms sandy crumbs of butter, sugar and flour. Add ½ cup chocolate. Slowly add the evaporated milk and blend until it forms a barely wet dough. Do NOT over-mix. Cover with a towel and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Fill 10 individual silicone tartlet molds with the cake batter. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the top with the remaining brown sugar and bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Delicately unmold the cakes. Set aside.