The fragrance of coriander is paired with the floral notes of pear to create an adventurous chocolate dessert. Use fresh coriander leaves or coriander cress to garnish Steve Drake's impressive chocolatey dessert.
Pour the double cream into a large bowl and whisk to very soft peaks. Keep in the fridge until required. Place the sugar into a small saucepan over a low to medium heat. Allow the sugar to melt and gently simmer until it reaches 115˚C
600g of double cream
200g of caster sugar
3
Meanwhile, place the eggs into a heat proof bowl and have an electric whisk ready. Just before the sugar reaches 115˚C, start to whisk on a high speed, slowly pouring in the hot sugar in a thin steady stream. Continue to whisk until the mix cools to room temperature
Add the cocoa powder to the chocolate and olive oil mixture and whisk to ensure there are no lumps. Fold in 1/2 of the chocolate mixture to the egg/sugar mixture. Add the remaining chocolate
Carefully fold in a 1/3 of the chocolate mixture to the semi-whipped cream, adding the remaining mixture a third at a time until all incorporated and smooth. Pour the mixture into square silicon moulds, then freeze
600g of double cream
6
For the chocolate sorbet, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and place over a low heat. Whisk until thoroughly combined and the sugar and glucose dissolve
Pass through a fine strainer and allow to cool before churning in an ice-cream machine
8
For the poached pears, combine the wine and sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar completely. Add the pears and cover. Cook gently until tender in the centre
Preheat the oven to 150˚C/gas mark 2. Pulse in the butter to form a loose dough and spread onto a lined baking tray. Cook for 12 minutes turning every 4 minutes and roughly breaking up with a fork
60g of butter
12
Remove from the oven, allow to cool and using your fingers, break up into a crumb. Store in an air tight container until required
13
To serve, sprinkle the coriander crumb down the centre of the plate, place 3 small squares of the chocolate marquis on top of the crumb with a quenelle of chocolate sorbet in between each square
14
Place a thin slice of pear on top of the chocolate squares. Place a small dollop of the extra double cream cream on top of each pear slice, followed by a baby coriander leaf. Repeat for each plate and serve
Steve Drake started cooking while attending South End Technical College. Only a few years later, he started working his way up the ladder at The Ritz and earned a prestigious Roux Scholarship. Now he cooks at Sorrel, a modern British restaurant in Dorking, Surrey.
