Macadamia nuts lead the way in fine dining

So we’re delighted to find that Daniel Pearce, now Executive Pastry Chef at The Savoy, chooses delicious macadamia nuts as the key ingredient in his signature dessert, ‘Big Choux to Fill’, a milk chocolate and macadamia praline choux a la crème3.

This elegant and decadent dish demonstrates the potential of the queen of nuts from its humble origin to fine dining; leading the way in Daniel's campaign to change the perception of desserts as he balances traditional flavours with a contemporary twist.

Daniel says:

“Macadamia nuts have to be one of my favourite nuts to use of all time. They have a beautiful rich buttery flavour that once slow roasted become even more intense and delicious. I use the macadamia nuts within this recipe in different ways, not only to inject it with a hit of intense nutty flavour, but as a form of texture as well that really helps to balance the overall dessert.”

Growing up in leafy Somerset, Daniel developed a keen interest in food production and provenance, something we at Nutcellars can identify with as we seek to source the best possible quality macadamias in an ethical way.

Rather than buying from large commercial estates, we source from cooperatives of smallholder farmers in Malawi. Through the Neno Macadamia Trust (NMT), these small farmers are supported in adapting their business to help cope with climate change and to promote regeneration of a sustainable ecosystem whilst growing this niche crop for a discerning market.

Currently making up only 1% of the world’s tree nut production, macadamias an ideal ingredient in Daniels quest to create unique, handcrafted desserts. With demand for these nutrition packed nuts growing by 8% every year, it certainly seems he is right on track.

And with confections like this to be conjured up with them, who are we to argue?

Daniel has kindly shared this special recipe with us, but we can’t help but think the experience would be best enjoyed made by the magician himself; these are Big Choux’s to fill indeed! 

You can find the recipe here: https://www.nutcellars.com/recipes

References

• The Savoy (undated) Available [online]: https://www.thesavoylondon.com/a-dash-of-sugar-daniel-pearse-executive-pastry-chef/ Accessed on 06/02/20
• Nutcellars (undated) Available [online]: https://www.nutcellars.com Accessed on 06/02/20
• Email to C. Fahrina from D Pearce, copied to S.Grey Pistachio Nutrition 31/1/20