The Saffron Challenge #4 - Poached Pear with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Saffron Crumbs

My dear friend Allan has brought to my attention that saffron is the new aphrodisiac. And why wouldn't it be? Is lush in colour, sensual in scent and addictive in taste. Here is the article that explains it all. It also stated that there are no merits/data supporting chocolate to be an aphrodisiac. This I refuse to believe as I heart chocolates. The darker the better. And I think a little chocolate will always help, regardless.

Anyways, in the article, 3 things stayed with me - saffron, chocolate and alcohol. This calls for a little dessert making.

A lovely chocolate brandy saffron truffle would be nice (truffle was suggested by Victor a few posts back). But I've never succeeded in making truffles. They always turned into a glob of delicious mess instead of perfectly shaped rounds of velvety smooth goodness.

I love my friends for giving me ideas. Thank you. I heart you like I heart chocolates. And that's a lot of hearts.



Here goes my ideas for this recipe. Poach the pear in Spanish white wine and brandy, infused with sultanas or any kind of raisins and a bit of lemon zest. To sweeten, I used honey. But you can use sugar as well. O and don't forget that pinch saffron.  Once the pear is cooked, remove from the liquid and reduced it into a syrupy consistency.

Now, onto the saffron crumbs. What are saffron crumbs and why? The texture of the pear is soft and smooth.   The dark chocolate ganache gives the dish richness and sweetness, with a creamy texture. What's missing? A good crunch! Something that will totally lift up the dish and give you a pleasant surprise, hence the crumbs.

To make the crumbs, you need some day old bread grounded up into crumbs. I suspect it would be fine if you  use store-bought bread crumbs. Preheat your oven to 300F. Line a baking tray with parchment and scatter crumbs on it. Spray saffron oil onto the crumbs.

This is a ingenious product from Carmencita, Spain. I was gonna make my own saffron spray. But now I don't have to!! This is a bottle of sunflower oil infused with saffron. How handy is that! Another I heart product.

Bake the crumbs in the preheated oven for 15mins. Take out half way and spray another coat of the saffron oil. Continue to toast the crumbs until they are a deep golden colour.  Intense saffrony taste.

Here is your basic dark chocolate ganache recipe: good quality dark chocolate, chopped + heavy cream. All melted and mingling together. Mmmmmm ... resisting to just eat this all by itself. Set on a ice water bath and cool, stirring until desired thickness. Pipe into blobs of stars on plate with pipping bag.

TA-DA!!!

The crumbs not supposed to be touching the chocolate! the syrup slided! 

Classy dessert to impress? I think so. With all 3 core ingredients mixed together (saffron, choco and booze), I  can't guarantee that you and your date will have an unforgettable night. But at least there will be this sexy dessert to end the night and for you to dream about.

Sweet dreaming.