Asian Pear & Oolong Mousse Cake

This lovely mousse cake is when East meets West.

The subtle, sweet & fragrant oolong mousse with crispy Asian pears coupled with the chewy & moist pecan brownie.

When it melts in the mouth, I can feel the delicacy & sweetness, gradually overtaken by the rich & nutty chocolate brownie.

I've chosen to use Asian pear over William pear.

William pear usually go tender after poaching, but I wanted crunchy bits in the mousse & Asian pear retains its crisp texture.

Plus, Asian pear is very juicy with a delicate & refreshing fragrant.

It is one of my favourite fruit.

Oolong tea varies in taste & the tea I used is originated from China which is sweet & fruity.

The taste of oolong tea is vital so I would recommend to get the best oolong tea you can get hold of.

I really like it, especially the mousse & I'll definitely make it again :)

You can also make a 'West meets West' version, simply replacing the oolong tea with black tea like earl grey, Asian pear with William pear.

Recipe (8" square):
Oolong Tea Poached Asian Pears

2 Asian pears, peeled, cored & diced

5 g oolong tea leaves, in a tea infuser

50 g granulated sugar

200 g water

In a saucepan, combine sugar & water, bring water to boil & stir until sugar dissolved.

Remove from heating, put in the pears & the infuser containing oolong tea.

Leave to stand for 3-5 min then remove tea infuser but leave pears to stand for at least 1 h.

Drain the pears & reserve the syrup.

Pecan Chocolate Brownie

2 eggs, separated

75 g pecan nuts, roughly chopped

80 g sugar

100 g dark chocolate 72%

100 g salted butter

45 g plain flour

Preheat oven to 190C & line a parchment paper on a 8" square pan.

Melt chocolate & butter over simmering water, stir until smooth.

In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks with 20 g sugar until light & creamy, fold in the chocolate butter.

In another bowl, whisk egg whites with remaining sugar to soft peaks, fold in chocolate batter.

Sift in the flour & add the pecan nuts, fold until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan & bake for 18-20 min.

Oolong Syrup

50 ml pear oolong syrup

1/2 tbsp whisky

Combine all ingredients.

Oolong White Chocolate Mousse

3 egg yolks

350 g whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks

20 g sugar

120 g white chocolate, melted

10 g sheet gelatine, bloomed in cool water

200 ml milk

10 g oolong tea leaves

Combine oolong tea & milk in a saucepan, bring the milk to boil then keep it simmering for 3-5 min, remove tea leaves.

Add in the bloomed gelatine & stir until dissolved.

Add in melted chocolate & stir until smooth.

In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar over simmering water until pale & creamy.

Pour in the chocolate milk & stir until smooth.

Fold in the whipped cream until smooth.

Topping Jelly

150 ml pear oolong syrup

2 tsp whisky

4 g sheet gelatine, bloomed

Combine all ingredients, heat using microwave & stir until gelatine is dissolved.

Assembling

Remove the brownie & place it at the bottom of a 8" square mousse ring.

Brush generous amount of oolong syrup on the brownie.

Pour the oolong mousse over the brownie, arrange the pears evenly over the mousse, refrigerate to set.

Pour the jelly on top & refrigerate to set.

Carefully remove the cake from the mousse ring, cut into 10 entremets & decorate with fruits.