Truffle Infused Fig & Baby Pear on Toasted Brioche with Honey Mascarpone

Ingredients

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 35 min + cooling time
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Skills needed: Beginner


SYRUP
2 cups caster sugar
3 cups water
1 cup white wine
1 strip lemon zest

TRUFFLE INFUSED PEARS
50g fresh forest black truffle
1 tin Brover poached baby pears (or tinned poached pear halves)
2 dried figs
4 tbsp caster sugar
1 small loaf brioche

HONEY MASCARPONE
300g tub mascarpone
30ml organic honey
10g palm sugar

TO SERVE
1 tbsp cing sugar

Method

Shave truffles with a truffle shaver and reserve 12 thin slices for garnish. (Place any small offcuts in sugar stock.)

SYRUP
Place syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Once dissolved and simmering, remove from heat.

TRUFFLE INFUSED PEARS
Place room temperature baby pears in the same saucepan used for the syrup, but don't return to the heat. Once liquid is cooled and safe to handle, remove 1/3 cup liquid and place in a separate container.

Slice figs crossways, side to side, as thinly as possible. Place slices in separated sugar syrup.

TOASTED BRIOCHE
Cut brioche into desired serving sizes. (I recommend removing the crust and cutting the loaf into 3cm thick rectangles.) Place on a tray and grill until just coloured.

HONEY MASCARPONE
Fold honey through mascarpone cream and refrigerate.

TO SERVE
For each serve, place a slice of toasted brioche on the plate. Remove three sweetened fig slices from the syrup and arrange along the top of the brioche. Carefully remove three pears from the saucepan and place one on each of the fig slices.

Make a small angled cut on the side of each pear and insert a sliver of truffle. Once the mascarpone has reset you can place a dollop of it either on the plate or over the pears.

Garnish with a little sprinkle of icing sugar.

Credits: Shawn Sheather