last of the menu

these two dishes are the last of the current menu that i have not posted.

a frozen sweet potato pie made of gingerbread liquid sable shaped in a traditional tart shape filled with sweet potato ice cream, blis maple syrup, drizzled and foamed, torched yuzu marshmallow, yuzu curd, candied peanuts, and wood sorrel

grapefruit sherbet, candied grapefruit peel, chocolate pudding, brownie chunks, and tarragon sauce

thanks go to my guests from los angeles who came in just to sample my desserts.  i felt really honored.  hopefully the dishes were worth the drive.  thanks.

i saw the light

been so busy at work.
still i try to take notice of the little things that make this career a fun ride.  always new things to learn, always old things to remember.  here are a couple of pictures that made me reflect and enjoy my job.

what a great way to make meringues, so many possibilites.  pineapple juice mixed with egg whites and egg white powder, whipped with the addition of sugar, piped onto ground coconut, baked in the dehydrator overnight.  so flavorful and light with a nice crunch

simply candied grapefruit peel, julienned, blanched twice, simmered in syrup until completely reduced, dryed on a tray.  makes me think that the best garnishes aren't difficult tuiles or fancy chocolate shavings, but the natural beauty of fruit and all it's complexities. 

creamsicle

next week i am going to Germany for the Rheingau Gourmet & Wine Festival.  i will be absent from my kitchen for about 15 days.  i needed to make a menu here that could be executed easily with basic preperations.  the problem is i still want to keep certain flavor profiles and not dumb down the aesthetics.

this preperation looks simple and feels simple but has a very satisfying appeal. 

frozen powdered white chocolate and frozen mandarin powder bury a tres leches cake soaked with mandarin juice, whipped vanilla cream, and carbonated mandarin segments. various herbs finish the dish.

here is what i did yesterday.  it was a one day menu so i tried to make the dishes easy to execute, which was a good idea because everything came at once and i worked it by myself for the most part.  wanted to have every dish with a heart, had bigger ambitions but i settled for something i could actually do.

white chocolate mousse with red velvet sponge, raspberry sauce-every room received these

tapioca pudding, pistachio ice cream, grapefruit, rosewater foam and meringues

white chocolate ice cream with raspberry, powdered white chocolate, raspberry gel, mint, chocolate pearls

chocolate pudding, red pepper gel, toasted cinnamon ice cream, piquillo pepper croquant

second seating tasting menu got tapioca followed by chocolate

i used to do a lot of croquants using the glucose/fondant/isomalt method where they are cooked to 155C and dried, ground and remelted.  it is still useful, but i have a dehydrator now.  currently i try to make croquants with purees and juices, adding sugars and drying overnight in the dehyrdator.  the next day i put the brittle sheet on parchment, heat in the oven, cut, rewarm and shape.  while warm they have a wonderful flexibility, when dry they have such a delicate crisp with a full flavor

apple croquant, compressed apples, walnut milk ice cream, walnut streusel, yuzu coulis (gel), goat cheesecake (not baked)

no longer on the menu, never got around to posting this...........

coolin' by sound

goin' for something a little more cooling and refreshing.  glimpses of spring are in the air and at the markets but we are not quite there yet.  so we are gonna do something a little tropical, familiar.

version 1

shaved pineapple, dehydrated pineapple chunks, microwave coconut sponge, lime ice cream, coconut pebbles, coconut pudding, cilantro, and a soy caramel poured tableside

version 2

pineapple three ways: compressed and shaved, marinated and dehydrated, and meringue. coconut cream, coconut pebbles, lime ice cream, cilantro, and soy caramel poured tableside (not pictured).

i am sticking with version 2 on the menu.  the meringues add a lightness and crunch while also allowing me to use all of the pineapple. 

customer comment

hopefully this is positive