I named this dessert ‘Sunburst’ after a Tobu and Itro song that came out a while ago of the same name. And also for my Chinese namesake, which translates to Winter Morning Sun. I had to use sesame since it is a favorite ingredient of mine, and I paired it with sea buckthorn to add in brightness and acidity, just so that we have a fun balance between sweet, creamy, nutty, and sour. For the dessert itself, we have a tahini mousse with sea buckthorn liquid core, a tahini ice cream, black sesame crumble, and sea buckthorn tuiles. This dessert admittedly took a little longer to make, just because we had three components(core, ice cream, and mousse) that needed to be frozen to be used, and then the tuiles themselves take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to bake, and the crumble is another baked component that uses the oven at a much higher temperature. So it took me maybe three days from start to finish to execute this, but I was really happy with the end result! For the tuiles, I used the sea buckthorn juice and essentially dehydrated them into a crispier version of fruit leather, just so I can add some height, drama, and more of that sea buckthorn into the dish.

Makes 2 servings:
For the sea buckthorn liquid center:
3oz sea buckthorn puree
2oz water
3g xanthan gum
a pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

Mix the ingredients together in a pot. Bring to a simmer for 2 minutes while stirring, then pour into silicone half dome molds(1/2-inch wide). Freeze for at least two hours before attempting to use.

For the tahini ice cream:
4oz tahini
4oz heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a pot, whisk together all of the ingredients except for the vanilla. Bring to a simmer on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Pass the mixture through a sieve and mix into that the vanilla extract. Allow it to cool down to room temperature. Churn in an ice cream machine then freeze for at least 2 hours before attempting to use.

For the tahini mousse:
1 tablespoon cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons gelatin powder
4oz tahini
4oz milk
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4oz heavy cream

Mix the cold water with gelatin. Add that into a pot with the tahini, milk, salt, sugar, and cornstarch. Bring to a simmer on medium heat while whisking for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture is thickened enough to cling to the sides of your whisk. Pass through a sieve and allow it to cool down to room temperature. Whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold through the sesame mixture. Transfer into a piping bag. Make two cylindrical molds using 2 inch-tall pieces of acetate, 1-inch ring molds, and plastic wrap. Pipe the mousse into the molds, and press two of the frozen sea buckthorn cores into the mousse halfway through piping. Freeze the mixture solid, so about 2 hours, before attempting to unmold.

For the sea buckthorn tuiles:
20g sea buckthorn juice
12g sugar
1g salt
1g cornstarch

Whisk together these ingredients. Pour onto a lined sheet tray and bake at 225 degrees F for 1 1/2 hours. Pull and shape the tuiles while warm and then allow them to cool down in an airtight container so that they do not go soft.

For the black sesame crumble:
1/4 cup black sesame powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
a pinch of salt

Mix together to form a crumbly dough. Spread the dough in pieces on a parchment-lined tray. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how large the dough pieces are. You want them to have browning on the exterior. Allow them to cool down completely before crushing into smaller pieces to plate with.

To plate:
Start with a bed of the crumble. Then place one set mousse cylinder on its side onto the crumble. Garnish with the tuile. For the quenelle or rocher, use a spoon in warm water to scoop your ice cream. Place on the plate right before serving.