Smoked Vanilla Bean Pavlova with amaro ice cream and roasted figs by Erin Kobler

Erin Kobler, who comes from a family of restaurateurs, discovered her love of cooking through trial and error. Her parents gave her free rein in the kitchen to create whatever she wanted, “no matter how many mistakes I made or how badly something was burned, my father always told me: that’s extra flavor,” she explains.

She knew she wanted to dedicate herself to pastry making when she saw programs like Ace of Cakes on television. In order to learn more about the trade, she studied at Kendall College and earned her bachelor’s degree in Culinary Entrepreneurship with an associates in Baking and Pastry.

Throughout her career, she has worked in different establishments in Chicago such as Balena, Switf & Sons, or Bellemore. In November 2021, she joined Proxi and Sepia as an executive pastry chef, and in 2024 she won the Starchefs Chicago Rising Stars Award for the Smoked Vanilla Bean Pavlova with amaro ice cream and roasted figs dessert included in Sepia’s menu.

To make this recipe, Kobler used Nielsen-Massey Tahitian vanilla beans. Their delicate, fruity flavor profile lifts the dish, a subtle but effective counterpart to the figs. The cold smoking method she uses in the recipe also compliments the Tahitian vanilla’s low heat tolerance well, preserving its delicate and complex flavor compounds. In addition, the chef used Pure Vanilla Bean Paste, also from Nielsen-Massey, in the pavlova, which is created with a proprietary blend of vanilla beans, and rounds out the palate in this dish. “Paste is also cheaper per pound than whole beans and is a timesaver in the kitchen (no need to scrape the beans), so it is an efficient alternative to whole beans. We find that chefs like to reserve whole beans for use in the star of the dish (such as the smoked vanilla powder and pavlova in this case) and paste and extract for use in the supporting elements where they still want the vanilla flavor to carry through but it is not the focus,” Nielsen-Massey assures us.

Below we share exclusively on www.sogoodmagazine.com the recipe for their award-winning Smoked Vanilla Bean Pavlova, adapted by StarChefs.

Smoked Vanilla Bean Pavlova

Fig Leaf Bavarian Cream

Yield: 2 quarts

500 g heavy cream
18 g fig leaves
500 g whole milk
140 g honey
200 g egg yolk
40 g granulated sugar
5 g kosher salt
8 g Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla bean paste
5 g Nielsen-Massey Tahitian pure vanilla extract
14 g gelatin, bloomed

In a pot over medium heat, bring cream and 12 grams fig leaves to a simmer. Using a Vitamix Commercial immersion blender, blend mixture until leaves are broken up. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. The next day, strain mixture, discarding solids. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside. In a pot over medium heat, bring milk, honey, and remaining 6 grams fig leaves to a simmer. Transfer mixture to a Vitamix Commercial blender and blend until smooth and a pale color is achieved. Strain back into pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Keep warm. In a mixing bowl, whip egg yolks, sugar, salt, and vanilla until ribbons begin to form. Temper with hot milk mixture, then add tempered egg mixture to pot. Cook until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in gelatin. Strain mixture and let cool over an ice bath. Fold in whipped fig cream. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Amaro Ice Cream

Yield: 2 quarts

100 g granulated sugar
75 g dark brown sugar
630 g whole milk
410 g heavy cream
10 g Nielsen-Massey Tahitian pure vanilla extract
160 g Meletti amaro
6 g ice cream stabilizer
50 g toasted milk solids
120 g egg yolk
15 g Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla bean paste

In a pot over high heat, cook granulated sugar until melted and a medium-amber caramel is achieved. Whisk in brown sugar and cook until fully dissolved. Stir in milk, cream, vanilla, and 60 grams amaro. Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat and keep warm. In a mixing bowl, combine ice cream stabilizer and toasted milk solids. Add to pot with caramel. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks. Temper with warm caramel mixture, then add to pot. Increase heat and cook until mixture reaches 180°F. Strain into a nonreactive container and refrigerate until chilled. Once cooled, using a Vitamix Commercial immersion blender, incorporate remaining 100 grams amaro and vanilla paste. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, process base in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze.

Fig Compote

Yield: 1 pint

340 g dried fig
150 g dark brown sugar
150 g honey
15 g Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla bean paste
250 g Meletti amaro

Place figs in a vacuum bag. Set aside. In a pot over medium heat, bring sugar, honey, vanilla, and 150 grams water to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Pour syrup over figs. Add 150 grams amaro and seal bag. Let sit overnight at room temperature. The next day, transfer mixture to a saucepan over low heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until figs have absorbed three-quarters of the liquid. Transfer mixture to a Vitamix Commercial blender and purée until smooth. Add remaining 100 grams amaro. Blend to combine. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Roasted Figs

Yield: 1 quart

10 large figs
600 g honey
600 g dark brown sugar
5 g kosher salt
10 g Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla bean paste
200 g Meletti amaro

Place figs in a nonreactive container and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring honey, sugar, salt, vanilla, and 300 grams water to a simmer. Cook until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in amaro. Pour half of the syrup over figs. Reserve remaining syrup in a separate container. Cover figs and let sit overnight at room temperature. The next day, heat oven to 200°F. Using a slotted spoon, remove figs from syrup and transfer to a sheet tray, reserving syrup separately. Roast 40 minutes, or until fig skins have caramelized. Let cool. On a work surface, slice figs into wedges. Transfer to a mixing bowl and toss in reserved syrup until well coated. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Fig Leaf Oil

Yield: 1 pint

500 g canola oil
250 g roughly chopped fig leaves

Heat the water bath of an immersion circulator to 200°F. In a vacuum bag, add all ingredients. Seal and cook sous vide 1 hour. Strain through a coffee filter, discarding leaves. Transfer oil to an airtight container and set aside.

Fig Leaf Jam

Yield: 1 pint

14 g beeswax

In a saucepan over medium-low flame, heat 200 grams Fig Leaf Oil. Add beeswax and cook until melted. Remove from heat and let sit at room temperature until desired consistency is achieved. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Smoked Vanilla Powder

Yield: 1 1⁄2 ounces

10 whole Nielsen-Massey Tahitian vanilla beans

Prepare and heat a smoker with fig wood. Place vanilla in a perforated hotel pan. Cold smoke 30 minutes. Reignite wood, then smoke beans additional 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350°F. Roast smoked vanilla beans until crisp. Let cool completely. Transfer to a Vitamix Commercial blender and blend until a fine powder is achieved. Transfer to an airtight container and reserve.

Smoked Vanilla Pavlova

Yield: 25 servings

400 g egg white
20 g Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla bean paste
10 g smoked vanilla powder (previous)
400 g smoked granulated sugar
400 g powdered sugar

Heat oven to 180°F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites and vanilla on medium speed. Working in batches, slowly incorporate smoked sugar, mixing until stiff peaks form. Set aside. In a small mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar and 10 grams Smoked Vanilla Powder. Fold vanilla-sugar mixture into meringue. Transfer mixture to a piping bag and pipe twenty-five 23⁄4-inch-wide domes onto a parchment-lined sheet tray. Using the back of a spoon, make a small divot in the middle of the domes. Bake 30 minutes, or until outer shells are crispy. Remove interior of domes, then return to oven. Bake until fully crisped.

To Assemble and Serve

Yield: 1 serving

3 fresh figs, halved

On a work surface, fill 1 Smoked Vanilla Pavlova shell two-thirds full with Fig Leaf Bavarian Cream. Pipe 3 nickel-sized dots Fig Compote into Fig Leaf Bavarian Cream. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, toss fresh figs, 3 Roasted Figs, and reserved Roasted Fig syrup until evenly coated. Spoon into Fig Leaf

Bavarian Cream. Flip Smoked Vanilla Pavlova over into a shallow serving bowl. Pipe 1 small dollop Fig Leaf Bavarian Cream into the divot of the shell followed by 2 Roasted Figs. Drizzle with Fig Reduction. Top with 1 quenelle Amaro Ice Cream. Pipe Fig Leaf Jam over top.