Chocolate Ganache with Charred Meringue and Mezcal Pears

Credit: Kelsey Shoemaker

Chocolate Ganache, Charred Meringue, Mezcal Pears, and Cocoa Nib Crumble

Name: Chocolate Ganache, Charred Meringue, Mezcal Pears, and Cocoa Nib Crumble
Prep time: 40 s
Cook time: 15 s
Total time: 85 s
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: FOR THE COCOA NIB CRUMBLE; All purpose flour; Raw sugar; Melted butter; Cocoa powder; Cocoa nibs; Salt; FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE; Whole milk; Sugar; Salt; Milk chocolate; Dark chocolate; Heavy cream; FOR THE MEZCAL SYRUP WITH PEARS; Sugar; Mezcal; Water; Lime juice; Pears; FOR THE MERINGUE; Sugar; Egg whites

09 Jun 2025

Isabel Coss

Chef

Difficulty

Challenge

Total Time

1H 25MIN

Cuisine

Mexican

Ingredients

FOR THE COCOA NIB CRUMBLE

All purpose flour: 50 g

Raw sugar: 25 g

Melted butter: 40 g

Cocoa powder: 20 g

Cocoa nibs: 20 g

Salt: 3 g

FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Whole milk: 250 g

Sugar: 360 g

Salt: 2 g

Milk chocolate: 225 g

Dark chocolate: 225 g

Heavy cream: 450 g

FOR THE MEZCAL SYRUP WITH PEARS

Sugar: 100 g

Mezcal: 50 g

Water: 50 g

Lime juice: 1 g

Pears: 2 (peeled and cut into cubes)

FOR THE MERINGUE

Sugar: 170 g

Egg whites: 130 g

A sultry and sophisticated dessert that layers silky ganache, smoky mezcal-soaked pears, crunchy cocoa nib crumble, and charred meringue for a dramatic finish. A true showstopper, both in flavor and presentation.

Chocolate Ganache with Charred Meringue and Mezcal Pears

01.

Make the Cocoa Nib Crumble

In a bowl, mix the flour, raw sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly combined.
Pour in the melted butter and stir until the mixture becomes crumbly.
Fold in the cocoa nibs. Set aside at room temperature.

02.

Prepare the Chocolage Ganache

In a pot over medium heat, warm the milk until it just begins to simmer.
Stir in the sugar and salt until fully dissolved, then turn off the heat.
Add the milk and dark chocolate pieces to the hot milk. Let sit for 5 minutes to melt.
Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth.
Slowly add the cold heavy cream, blending continuously to emulsify.
Scrape down the sides and bottom to ensure no chocolate remains unmixed.
Transfer to a heat-resistant container and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate if making ahead.

03.

Make the Mezcal Syrup with Pears

Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Stir in the citric acid and mezcal.
Add the cubed pears and let them macerate in the syrup for at least 30 minutes

04.

Whip the Meringue

In a heatproof bowl, combine the sugar and egg whites.
Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water (double boiler style). Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is warm to the touch.
Remove from heat and transfer to a stand mixer. Beat on high until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Transfer to a piping bag and set aside.

05.

Assemble the Dessert

Spoon a generous portion of chocolate ganache onto each dessert plate.
Sprinkle the cocoa nib crumble over the ganache.
Arrange a few cubes of mezcal-macerated pear around the ganache.
Pipe the meringue on top in peaks or swoops.
Use a kitchen torch to char the meringue until golden and smoky.

09 Jun 2025

The Chef

Born and raised in Mexico City, Isabel Coss trained as a ballerina before swapping the stage for the kitchen. As a teenager, she rebelled against the rigidity of ballet and discovered a new passion—baking bread at Enrique Olvera’s Michelin two-star Pujol.

In 2011, she joined the pastry team at Alex Stupak’s Empellón Cocina in New York City, where she met savory chef Matt Conroy. The pair began dating within a year and married in 2015. Coss went on to cook at Agern, a progressive Scandinavian restaurant in Grand Central Terminal, and later returned to Olvera’s world at Cosme in Manhattan’s Flatiron District.

Throughout their careers, Coss and Conroy shared a quiet ambition to someday build something together. “It was an unspoken understanding that we would both work to get better at our craft,” Coss says, “so that one day we could be the best versions of ourselves and work together.”

In 2020, Conroy moved to Washington, D.C., to lead the kitchen at Georgetown’s Lutèce, operated by the Popal Group. Coss joined later as pastry chef, helping elevate the restaurant to national recognition. She was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in America in 2023. Lutèce, meanwhile, earned accolades from The New York Times, Washingtonian, and the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.

In 2024, Coss, Conroy, and the Popal Group opened Pascual, a wood-fired Mexican bistro on Capitol Hill. It was named one of Eater’s Best New Restaurants and earned a spot on The New York Times list of America’s Best Restaurants.

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