Sesame chocolate pear pie(Vegan)

Chinese sesame paste has to be of my favorite ingredients. It has such incredible depth of flavor, none of the bitterness that tahini has (I love tahini too don’t get me wrong!) and a more deeply toasty warmth than peanut butter. I’ve been experimenting using nut and seed butters to make vegan ganaches (the aforementioned ones working particularly well) but I think this one might be the most exquisite. I used coffee instead of water for an even more complex and beguiling flavor. 

The pear brings its juicy softness or subtle crunch depending on which variety you pick, and it’s degree of softness.  All are welcome, but I have a preference for Bosc pears. 

The crust is a crunchy shortbread made with the same sesame paste, the real star of the show here.

I know I’ve just written an ode to this ingredient, but know that if you don’t have it on hand, that shouldn’t stop you from making this with another nut or seed butter. (Peanut would be the closest in flavor) You could even make your own by roasting your choice of seed or nut and pureeing in a high speed blender as smooth as you can get it.

For a 8 inch pie (halve the amounts for a 6 inch pie)

Crust

25g water

42g sugar 

25g oil

45g Chinese sesame paste 

2g salt (about 4 pinches)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

100g flour

turn on the oven at 350F (180C)

Mix everything except the flour with a spoon.

Add the flour and mix until it forms a dough. (Don’t over mix)

Line a 8 inch cake or pie pan with parchment paper and press the crust down and up the edges, trying to be as even as possible. (I didn’t really do this properly in mine and the filling spilled over the edge a bit, but that’s ok!) 

poke all over with a fork and bake for about 30 minutes. It’s a little more tricky to know when it’s done because the color is already brown, but it should be slightly darker around the edges, and puffed. It might still be a little soft if you poke it, but it will crisp up as it cools.

While the crust cools, prepare the ganache.

120g sesame paste

180g coffee or water

120g chocolate (I used 70 percent, but you can use something sweeter)

Salt, to taste (a good pinch)

Melt everything together in the microwave or over medium heat, and mix well to emulsify.

To assemble, pour a little ganache on the crust, place thick slices of pear in one even layer, and cover with the rest of the ganache.

Let set in the fridge, but take the pie out of the fridge a little bit before eating so it can soften.