Sheng Pu-erh Poached Apricots with Dark Chocolate Ganache
Apricots gently poached in sheng pu-erh syrup, served warm over a thin disc of dark chocolate ganache—bittersweet, fruity, and quietly Yunnanese.
Apricot and sheng pu-erh are old friends—young sheng often tastes faintly of dried apricot all on its own. Poaching the fruit in a light tea syrup amplifies that link, while a base of bittersweet ganache catches the apricot juices and turns each spoonful into something layered.
Use slightly under-ripe apricots if you can find them. They hold their shape during poaching and bring just enough tartness to keep the syrup from being cloying. Fresh peaches, halved, also work beautifully if apricots are out of season.
Keep the poach gentle—the syrup should never come above a bare simmer, or the fruit will collapse. The tea is added off the heat to preserve its high vegetal-floral notes.
The ganache is barely sweetened so the chocolate's bitterness can dialogue with the tea's astringency. A few salt flakes on top is the bridge that makes the whole plate feel intentional.
Ingredients
- 8 fresh apricots, halved and pitted (or 4 peaches, quartered)
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 strip lemon peel
- 3 tbsp sheng pu-erh leaves
- 150g dark chocolate (70–75%), chopped
- 150 ml heavy cream
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp unsalted butter
- Flaky sea salt to finish
- A few fresh thyme leaves (optional)
How to make it
- 1Combine water, sugar, and lemon peel in a wide saucepan. Heat to dissolve sugar, then bring to a bare simmer.
- 2Add apricot halves cut-side down. Poach gently 6–8 minutes until just tender (a knife should slip in but not through). Lift fruit out with a slotted spoon. Remove from heat.
- 3Add sheng pu-erh leaves to the warm syrup, cover, and steep 6 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, then reduce the tea syrup over medium heat to about 1/3 cup (4 minutes). Set aside.
- 4Make ganache: heat cream and honey until just simmering. Pour over chopped chocolate, let stand 1 minute, then whisk until smooth and glossy. Whisk in butter.
- 5Spoon a 2 mm pool of warm ganache onto each serving plate and let set 5 minutes at room temperature (still soft, not firm).
- 6Arrange apricot halves over the ganache. Spoon over the reduced sheng syrup. Finish with flaky salt and a few thyme leaves. Serve immediately.
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