A Life in Baking, Pastry, and Libations.
Apples are one of the most widely cultivated fruits in the world and a staple of the dessert menu that transcends culture and time: apple sharlotka from Russia, apple strudel from Vienna, Alsatian apple tart and tarte tatin from France, and apple pie from America. The beauty of apples is, unlike most fruit, an apple... Continue Reading →
Components: bread pudding, brown butter caramel, lemon-thyme gelato, apple terrine, vanilla crème fraiche, sbrisolona Concept: An innovative approach to a classically rustic dessert. Approach: It’s difficult to heat bread pudding in an oven without drying it out. Placing a sauce in the center of the bread pudding makes it easier to heat the pudding quickly... Continue Reading →
Inspiration: It's white truffle season. Why not? Elements: butternut squash cake, green apple pearls, brown butter crumbs, cider agrodolce, fennel. Technique: The custard is a variation of Catalan cream. In addition to white truffles, the custard is infused with lemon zest, cinnamon, and vanilla. It is thickened with corn flour on the stovetop, set with... Continue Reading →
Sweet pastry dough is topped with lemon-infused mix of frangipane and pastry cream. Slices of eggplant and apples are layered on top of the cream and sprinkled with granulated sugar and vanilla powder. The third layer is also drizzled with olive oil to keep the fruits moist during baking. Bake in a slow oven for... Continue Reading →
Spurned by my great disdain for Red Delicious apples and boredom with Granny Smith apples, I've spent the last week scouring the farmers' markets and local orchards for unique apple varietals with sweet, tart and crisp flesh. Cook's Thesaurus compiled a visual guide of common apple varieties that I used as my starting point. This... Continue Reading →
This muffin is a bit of a conundrum. For starters, the muffin "batter" is really a dough that is stiff enough to roll. The dough is also leavened with both yeast and baking powder, although the yeast contributes more flavor than rise. When I first used this recipe from Nancy Silverton's Pastries from La Brea... Continue Reading →
Buttery. Salted. Caramel. 