Tag: dessert

Categories
video

Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America 2014

DESSERT PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE
TOP TEN PASTRY CHEFS IN AMERICA FOR 2014

Georges Berger, MOF, Owner, Chocolate Fashion, Miami, FL
Pistachio Brittle & White Peach Mousse with Griotte Macarpone Sorbet

Ebow Dadzie, Pastry Chef, NY Marriott Marquis, New York, NY and Pastry Instructor, Monroe College, New Rochelle, NY
Coconut Lime Dacquoise with Mango Olive Jelly, Coconut Mousse, Mango Pineapple Compote, and Banana Lime Sorbet

Della Gossett, Executive Pastry Chef, Spago, Los Angeles, CA
White Chocolate “Crottin” with Surinam Cherry Preserve

Katzie Guy-Hamilton, F&B Director and Corporate Pastry Chef, Max Brenner Worldwide
“Suntory” – Chocolate Torte with Toasted Matcha, Pistachio Gelato, Coconut and Cherries

Cher Harris, Executive Pastry Chef, The Hotel Hershey, Hershey, PA
Mandarin ‘n Chocolate Hazelnut Sponge, Ginger Caramel Macaroon, Smoked Hazelnut Crumble, and Mandarin Foam

Joshua Johnson, Executive Pastry Chef, Vanille Patisserie, Chicago, IL
Sur del Lago Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Cremeux, Cherry Compote and Chocolate Pound Cake

Ghaya Oliveira, Executive Pastry Chef, Restaurant Daniel, New York, NY
“The Cherry Tart” – Rosemary Sour Cherry Compote, Chocolate Financier, and Tainori Bavaroise

Derek Poirier, Ecole du Grand Chocolate Pastry Chef Western USA, Valrhona USA
“To The Five Boroughs” – Hazelnuts, Pralines, Opalys, Bahibe and Coffee

Rudi Weider, Master Pastry Chef, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, San Diego, CA
Chocolate Espresso Crème Brûlée with Bourbon Vanilla Gelato and Salted Coffee Caramel Sauce

Jennifer Yee, Executive Pastry Chef, Lafayette, New York, NY
Assorted Mini Eclairs

Categories
concert/event

Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America 2013

I did pretty good this time and didn’t try to eat every single dessert. Only missed one.

Dessert Professional’s Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America – 2013

Andy Chlebana (Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL)
“Chocolate, Raspberry and Amaretto”
Chocolate Raspberry Cremeux, Chocolate Mousse, Amaretto Ice Cream, Violette Liquor Bonbon, Crispy Raspberry Foam, Sugared Almonds

Bill Corbett (Absinthe, San Francisco, CA)
Vegan German Chocolate Cake with coconut 3 ways and candied pecans

Christophe Feyt (Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV)
Jivara Milk Chocolate cremeux, apricot compote, lime white chocolate mousse, and salted caramel bonbon

Brooks Headley (Del Posto, NYC)
“Red and White Stracciatella”
Strawberries 3 ways, burrata, fresh olive oil, olive oil croutons

Malcolm Livingston II (wd-50, NYC)
Mango puree, Sake caramel, Lemongrass infusion, Lemongrass syrup, Compressed Mango, Lemongrass puree, Sheep milk yogurt sauce, Smoked cashew nougatine

Jimmy MacMillan (JMPurePastry, Chicago, IL)
“Barbolo Nebbiolo”
Barolo Nebbiolo gelato, wine macerated strawberries, chocolate cream, raspberry tuile, cocoa dust, and strawberry chip

Laurie Jon Moran (Le Bernardin, NYC)
“Dark and Stormy”
Domaine de Cantan ginger liquor, chocolate mousse, chocolate pearl croquant, young ginger foam, chocolate tuiles, cocoa nibs

Clarisa Martino (Mesa Grill, NYC, Las Vegas, Nassau)
Blueberry Panna Cotta
Banana cream pie
Sticky Toffee Pudding

Nancy Olson (Gramercy Tavern, NYC)
Peanut butter semifreddo, chocolate macaron, salted caramel, and hot fudge.

Roy Shvartzapel (Common Bond, Houston, TX)
“Top 10 2013” cakes
Pistachio Lemon Strawberry Ricotta
Chocolate Caramel Banana Pecan
Tiramisu

Categories
restauranting

Maze Restaurant by Gordon Ramsey

My sisters were in New York a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know why. They said just for fun. I don’t get it. Anyway, they took me out Maze Restaurant by Gordon Ramsey at the London hotel. We had to make dinner quick because we had tickets to Paul Rudd’s play, “Grace.” We got the three-course pre fixe meals and tasted all of it.

We started off with Risotto, Butter Lettuce Salad and Slow-Cooked Organic Hen’s Egg. I was curious about the Risotto, since Gordon Ramsey makes such a big deal about Risotto on Hell’s Kitchen. No one can cook a fucking risotto it seems like from TV. Well, I don’t know much about risotto, but this one was pretty good. The Slow-Cooked Organic Hen’s Egg was interesting. It had some frothy thing going on. Neat to try, but maybe too much to try to eat the whole thing. I kind of liked the Butter Lettuce Salad the best. I didn’t think I would like a salad so much. I don’t know what made it good. It just looked like lettuce with corn and dressing on it. But really good.

Our entrees were the Roasted Cannon of Lamb, Brook Trout and the Berkshire Pork Chop. All pretty good. I liked the Pork Chop the best. It was the biggest meatiest of them all.

The dessert were really good too. I couldn’t stop tasting them. Chocolate Pudding was shaped into a rectangle block. Chocolate Fondant and Pumpkin Cheesecake were good.

Now that I look at the menu prices –Jesus! That’s expensive. Like that small bowl of Risotto is $19! And even though I really liked that salad, it was $16. God, I’m thankful for my sisters treating me. Grace was interesting.

Maze Restaurant – a The London Hotel. 151 W 54th St (btwn 6th & 7th Ave) New York, NY 10019

Categories
treats

Nasto’s Olde World Ice Cream Cake

Carmen brought this ice cream cake to the party all the way from Newark, NJ.  She said it was so cold sitting on her lap all the way to Brooklyn. It’s from a place where her dad used to take her when she was a kid –Nasto’s Olde World Desserts. I wonder if Cory Booker eats there.

Nasto’s Ice Cream – 236 Jefferson St. Newark, NJ 07105

Categories
concert/event

Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America 2012

Last night, Dessert Professional honored the Top 10  Pastry Chefs in America across the street from my office.

Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America – 2012

Nathaniel Reid - Norman Love Confections, Naples FL
Jean-Marie Auboine – Jean-Marie Auboine Chocolatier, Las Vegas, NV
Chris Hanmer - The School of Pastry Design, Las Vegas, NV
Sally Camacho - WP24, Los Angeles, CA  
Craig Harzewski - Naha, Chicago, IL 
Sandro Micheli – Daniel, NYC
Marc Aumont - The Modern, NYC
Christina Tosi – Momofuku Milk Bar, NYC
Damien Herrgott – Bos ie Tea Parlor, NYC
Angela Pinkerton – Eleven Madison Park, NYC

2012 Hall of Fame Honoree: Marcel Desaulniers, Mad About Chocolate.

Some really good stuff. My favorites were the Chocolate Beignets and the Pork Buns. I ate too many sweets. I think I got diabetes last night.

Categories
homemade

Susie’s Peanut Noodles and Apple Crisp

I was wearing a keyboard tie on Halloween, so I felt the need to do something. I went out with Anthony and Susie for a few drinks in Carroll Gardens. I got buzzed and angry from the bartender serving me $3 happy hour beers and talking shit about Tebow. So it was very welcoming to have Susie make us Peanut Noodles and Apple Crisp. So stuffed. I hadn’t had Apple Crisp since elementary school. It was awesome.

Susie has a great food blog called Cookies and Lipstick. I hope you check it out.

Categories
recipe

South African Tourism Luncheon

I was invited to a luncheon hosted by South African Tourism last week on Halloween. I’m glad I didn’t wear my Transformers mask, because no one else was dressed up. I did wear my keyboard tie and mummy pin, just in case. I blended in fine.

So the point of the luncheon was to “celebrate the rich and vibrant culinary culture of South Africa” and share some South African cuisine. I’ve never had South African food. Well it turns out South African food is influenced by many other countries. Here you can read about it at Wikipedia. I was never good at reading something and putting it back into my own words like we had to do in school reports. I’m not sure what the point of that was.

They brought in award-winning Chef Wamukelwe Zuma to show us how to make and feed us Chicken Bunny Chow, Beef Bobotie and Cinnamon Koeksisters. Nice guy. From the heart.

The Chicken Bunny Chow was the best because of the name. It was like a mild Chicken Curry Sandwich. No bunnies are in the chow though.

The Beef Bobotie was a minced meat pie in bowl. The filling is similar to the minced meat in an Australian meat pie.

Cinnamon Koeksisters are fried braided dough sticks. Nice. Kinda like elephant ears. I liked this one with the Amraula ala Angliase.

In conclusion, South African food rocks. Shit, I sound like I’m writing a 5th grade school report. “In conclusion…?” fuck. I should of wore my Optimus Prime mask.

Continue on for the recipes that I just copied and pasted from the thumb drive they gave me.

Continue reading “South African Tourism Luncheon”
Categories
travel

Cedarland Middle Eastern Grocery (Charlotte, North Carolina)

I’ve posted snippets from the road, but now I’m ready to share our full-on adventures and photos from our Shonali Bhowmik 100 Oak’s Revival tour down South…

Day 3: After stuffing our faces with Vietnamese food, we walked over next door to the Middle Eastern grocery store, Cedarland. Tasty baklava and molasses ice tea.

Then Scott took us to the Green park to see the cool Niki de Saint Phalle sculptures.

Cedarland - 4832 Central Ave. Charlotte, NC 28205

I should’ve got this hair product.