The Elms Pear Cheesecake

— Dessert by Head Chef Steve Link, The Elms Hotel & Spa

Preparation time: 1 hour (not incl 4 hours’ freezing time) Cooking time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS Makes 2 portions

Pear Cheesecake 500g mascarpone 500g cream cheese 500g double cream 400g pear puree 250g sugar 6 gelatine leaves, bloomed (softened) in ice water

Compressed Pear

2 pears

50g cardamom syrup

Cardamom Gel

250g white balsamic vinegar

250g sugar

500g water 5 cardamom pods 13g agar-agar

Cardamom Foam 100ml whole milk 250ml double cream 1 gelatine leaf, bloomed

1 tbsp cardamom pods

Colour Glaze

125g water

225g caster sugar 225g glucose

25g gelatine

160g condensed milk 225g white chocolate 1.5g turmeric red edible spray

Tuile

100g egg whites 100g plain flour 100g icing sugar 100g melted butter, unsalted

0.4g activated charcoal powder

METHOD Pear Cheesecake

1. Whisk mascarpone, cream cheese and double cream in a bowl until it forms ribbons and is holding shape. Set aside.

2. Warm the pear puree in a saucepan and add sugar. Combine until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Take the saucepan off the heat and add the bloomed gelatine. Allow to cool to body temperature. 4. Add the cooled pear puree to the cream mix in a blender on a low speed until combined.

5. Put the mixture into piping bags and pipe into desired moulds. Use a palette knife to smooth the top and freeze for 4 hours.

Compressed Pear

1. Square off the pears and cut into 4mm by 4mm cubes.

2. Place the pears flat in a vacuum pack bag and seal with 20g of cardamom syrup to compress. Leave until serving to allow the syrup to infuse with the pears.

Cardamon Gel

1. Boil the white balsamic vinegar, sugar, water and cardamom pods in a saucepan.

2. Take off the heat and whisk in agar-agar.

3. Boil for 30 seconds, then transfer to a heatproof container and set in the fridge (approx. 1–2 hours). 4. Remove from the fridge, blitz in a blender until

smooth and pour into a piping bag, ready to serve.

Cardamon Foam

1. Gently heat the milk and cream together in a saucepan.

2. Add gelatine.

3. Toast the cardamom pods in a pan then infuse in the cream mixture.

4. Strain the mixture then leave to cool. 5. Add the mixture to a stand mixer and whip to a stiff peak.

Colour Glaze

1. Bring the water, caster sugar and glucose together in a pan to boil.

2. Bloom gelatine in ice water.

3. Once boiled, add the condensed milk and whisk.

4. Return to the boil and add the white chocolate and gelatine.

5. Add the turmeric and emulsify with a stick blender.

6. Leave to cool to body temperature.

7. Remove the pear cheesecakes from their moulds, place on a wire rack, and glaze each cheesecake dome.

8. Remove from the rack and airbrush with red edible spray in desired areas.

Tuile

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.

2. Combine all the tuile ingredients in a bowl.

3. Smooth out in a ‘honeycomb' mould and ensure there is no excess, so the sugar doesn't crystallise in the holes. 4. Bake in the oven for 7 minutes.

TO SERVE

1. Place each cheesecake in the centre of a bowl and place 3 compressed pears around it.

2. Pipe 2 pipes of cardamom gel around the bowl and top the cheesecake with the tuile.

3. Place 1 tsp-sized quenelle of cardamom foam mix on top of the cheesecake and top with 3 pipes of cardamom gel.