the science of imaginary solutions

in between seasons, in between thoughts and actions. it's difficult for me to bring up new dishes when there is no new product. summer fruits haven't really shown up yet, and winter is long gone. so let's keep things simple and straightforward...while having a little fun.
at the base is namelaka made with Abinao, some raspberry gelee, rosewater sauce, Abinao mousse, brownie, and simple yet complimentary vanilla bean ice cream. topped with two versions of chocolate croquant. traditional sugar method and a newer crisp made with kuzu and cocoa. like fallen leaves from a dying tree...

i've been tired...

it's been a long time since the last post.  easter, mother's day, cooking classes...i really need to put some new dishes on the menu.
to change things up a little on the tasting, i whipped this dish up with some mise en place laying around.  the odd thing is, every night i get comments from guests about how much they enjoyed it. 

rose ice cream, raspberry meringues, warm milk chocolate mousse. 

there's a piece of flourless chocolate cake, some chocolate streusel, feuillatine, and a pinch of freeze dried raspberry powder.

also odd how many people ask how i make rose ice cream.....rosewater, anyone?

memory serves

i did this peach dessert last year.  interesting how it is somewhat similar to the one this year.  slice thin, compress.  maybe i haven't moved forward very much, or maybe it is just a great way to serve ripe peaches at the height of their season. 
mimicking a carpaccio.
yellow peaches, lemon verbena ice cream, raspberries, raspberry meringue, dried black olives.

drool collection

i have always liked white chocolate-raspberry ice cream.  with little chunks of chocolate mixed in.

so here is my plated version.

raspberry sorbet, white chocolate parfait (aerated), ground white chocolate, rosewater gelee, chocolate mint (thanks brittany), those cool little Valrhona chocolate pearls, chocolate "twigs". 

the dish is finished with a loose raspberry fluid gel (the modern coulis). 

...this is the key to aeration.

a means to an end

damn it took a while. 
i have changed the components of this dish for two weeks now.  now i am a little happy with it.  it started with the whipped milk chocolate ganache recipe i got from the Valrhona sessions. it has a great texture, close to a chocolate chantilly, but with a little more body.  i had to use it.  though i think the final result isn't quite what the people at Valrhona had in mind. 
whipped, spread between acetate, frozen, broken into shards, and then kept frozen.  on the pick-up they are arranged on the plate.  because they are thin, within about two minutes they are no longer frozen but creamy. 

to give it a fuller chocolate flavor, chocolate mint (thanks brittany) is blended with cocoa to make a fluid gel. raspberry meringue is dried and broken.  rooibos tea is set into a gelee.  fresh raspberries and chocolate mint, raspberry sorbet.

more flavor more flavor

when i am in the process of making macarons people always ask what flavor they are going to be. they try to guess by looking at the color of the batter, yellow for lemon, red for raspberry, dark brown for chocolate...i try to educate them by saying that the cookie doesn't really have a flavor, mostly almond (sometimes some cocoa for chocolate) and that it is the filling that gives most of the flavor profile. so how can we get more out of the macaron cookie? freeze dried fruits is the answer. if i am making raspberry macarons why not add ground dried raspberries to the batter. that is what i did. the cookie itself took on a nice tangy berry flavor. i added a little color to help but at least now the cookie has more flavor. with that i made a meyer lemon curd for the filling. a duo of flavors, one coming from the crisp and chewy cookie, the other coming from the creamy lemon filling. always look for getting more flavor. next time i will remember to sift out the seeds....

revised

sometimes you get something in your head and it doesn't leave. you make a dish not because it's the one you wanted but because it becomes a type of catharsis. i feel like these damn raspberries have been running around with chocolate and olive oil in my head for too long. maybe this is the 3rd or 4th incarnation. soft chocolate ganache, raspberry sorbet, "toast" ice cream, olive oil powder, raspberry gel, raspberry croquan, mint.