Lament of the Plum Tart (and other such tales)

I've been trying to find time to write an update about the new menu for a while - but the truth of the matter is, it's been such a busy, tedious process that I can hardly keep up with it myself. It's been somewhat frustrating because the products that I've been producing have come out pretty well - but, in Mothras eyes, there is always something missing. I do appreciate that she feels that all of these desserts have potential to be ultra incredible, but it's worn me down over the past few weeks to attempt to plan out an exceptional product that gets let down - sometimes not in an easy or tactful way. In the back of my mind, I feel that I'll look back on this time (somewhat fondly with, I imagine, a coy smile on my face) and think what a growing period this point was in my career. I am really looking forward to that day.

Here's the official updated menu as of today:

Main Desserts

Cherry Cobbler- served with a scoop of house-made sour cream-brown sugar ice cream

Blueberry Trifle- layers of blueberries and maple syrup, cheesecake and maple mousse

Blackberry Cornmeal upside-down cake (Still in testing stages)

Peach Tart (Still in testing stages)

Drumstick (Still in testing stages)

Ice Creams/Sorbets

Melon Sorbet (Still being tested)

Black Forest Ice Cream

Cotton Candy Ice Cream (Still being tested)

Ginger Ice Cream

Sour Cream Brown Sugar Ice Cream

Pies

Mixed Berry Pie

S’more Pie

Sour Cream Pear Pie (Still being tested)

Tiramisu Pie

Specialty Drink

Blueberry Ginger-Ale

You may notice from the last post that the menu has undergone some major changes. And I think that was is so frustrating to me at this point - this menu was supposed to be my project, but with all the changes that have taken place, I hardly recognize the vision I originally had. That being said, my name is not being put on the line with this menu change, it is Mothras. When you get down to the bottom line, any review that this menu might get is a reflection of her work, so I know there is a great deal of trust from her to me to give me this project. Most people in my profession (especially at my current position on the totem pole) don't get opportunities like this very easily.

However, that also means that she has the liberty to take my ideas and bend them to reflect her style. Again, she is the boss and that is her prerogative. It is my goal to work with that I now have in front of me, learn what I can about making these desserts more appealing, and make this menu change fantastic. The new menu begins officially on August 6 - One week.

You may have noticed that one thing that has changed in the menu is the fact that there is no longer a plum tart - namely for these reasons: The plums we got in were from California, thereby neglecting the local, organic aspect we are striving to maintain; The plums are tart and not quite ripe - additionally, maintaining consistency of product with an inconsistent fruit flavor (especially one as the main ingredient) could pose some major problems; Finally, Mothra feels that plums wouldn't sell. It would be more palate-friendly to offer a fruit that people easily recognize (in this case, peaches). These reasons are all completely valid - but it made me disappointed because one of my favorite recollections of dessert growing up was a plum cake my Mom used to make - that cake and my mom were the inspiration for that item. So aside from the fact that I was emotionally invested in this item, I spent an entire night at home perfecting this recipe so I could "sell" it to Mothra. After a series of tests, I felt I had a solid recipe and a delicious product. Unfortunately (for the reasons I listed above), Mothra decided to pass on this tart, but I still wanted to include a few pictures from my experiment:

Getting ready to grind up the almonds for my almond cream

In the process of mixing the almond cream

Making a plum preserve for bottom of tart

After it had reduced enough, I blended it in my Cuisinart, strained it and added some Plum Brandy to give the preserves a more unique flavor

Lining my tart pans with pate sucree

Layering the bottom with the plum preserve, then adding the almond cream on top...

Then layering the top with slices of plum (I wanted to try both red and black to see the result - the black version looked much better)

Final product:
9709

(Plum-Almond Tart)

Although this didn't make the final cut on the menu, I still wanted to include my process (and passion involved) in this product here on this blog. Even though the menu I originally planned has changed, I can honestly look at this product and the recipe I created and say that it is mine. As a result, I named it after the number on my house growing up - That is the house where I have many fond memories of eating the plum cake my mom makes. Since that house was my first home, it seems a little appropriate that my first dessert creation would relate.

At any rate, I have many more pictures of the process of the desserts at work with the new menu - the experiments for those are actually pretty interesting to see. Also, I've had the opportunity to do another wedding tasting and meet with the bride and groom at work to design their wedding cake and discuss their cake and dessert options. Exciting things have been happening lately - There will definitely be more to follow soon.

Menu Writing - Round 2

This weekend had been incredibly busy because of a large Greek wedding reception we were making a cake for. And by cake, I mean tower. It was a massive cake and intentionally over-the-top. I'm not going to lie when I tell you that I was nervous with what the final product would be... I mean, nearly 7 tiers colored in various shades of sea-foam green and teal, stacked on pillars, and all ablaze with gold accents? That is the recipe for a hot mess if not executed well. Gratefully, my skills are getting better and Mothra is a genius, so together we made a gorgeous cake.

Regarding the new menu, I was able to chat with Mothra today and we were able to go through what would work, what doesn't work, and what is needed. Her comments were very interesting and enlightening, so I thought it'd be cool to show you the original menu with notes of the revision. (**Note: Items that made the cut are in bold, items that have the line through them have been cut off of the menu and all descriptions in italics are notes from our discussion)

Main Desserts

Cherry Chocolate Almond Tart (Compared with the rest of the menu, this item got axed to maintain variety because there are too many cherry options on the menu)

Seasonal Cobbler - Pear or Cherry? (This is a common dessert people can relate to and recognize; will be a popular item and easy to prepare)

Blueberry Trifle -Blueberries with maple syrup & lemon zest, cornmeal cake, whipped cream (w/marscapone?) (The marscapone got axed, but her and I were talking about other possible flavor combinations to go with it. Some include: cheesecake, lemon curd, or white chocolate)

Cherry Cornmeal upside-down cake/Peach Tatin Cake (Essentially the same concept of an upside down cake, these were placed together. We were thinking of making it a peach themed, but looking for new flavor combinations to make it a little more exciting. Some ideas include: coconut, Bourbon, lime, ginger, blackberries or yogurt)

Pavolva with Fresh Seasonal Fruit (This got taken off because of the humidity in Chicago during the summer; I put it on there originally because I thought it’d be nice to have a gluten-free option on the menu, but the pavlova would essentially melt or look awful before it got to the guest. She said that this dessert would be better in the winter)

Poached Pear or Plum Tart (She liked the idea of a plum tart – this actually made me happy because I wanted something like this on the menu because it reminds me of one of my favorite desserts my mom while I was growing up)

Summer Rice Pudding-Light Rice Pudding with seasonal fruit coulis (She liked this idea, but was honest about the issue of spending too much labor to produce this constantly)

Local Cheese and Fruit Platter (She likes this idea, but it wouldn’t be through the pastry department. She said she would talk with the Executive Chef about possibly putting it on the regular menu)

*In addition to these desserts, she feels we need something chocolate centered (since most all of these desserts are fruit based) as well as a dessert that is super-unique and exciting. She said all of these ideas are great, but we need one that really exceeds expectations.

Ice Creams/Sorbets

Cucumber-Mint Sorbet (She said it’d be great for an intermezzo, but doesn’t think that people would order it; generally people who eat at our restaurant are not inclined to order desserts that seem out of the ordinary)

Tri-Melon Sorbet - cantelope, watermelon, honey dew layered (She does like this idea but it is an issue of labor. If we aren’t able to find great puree of these melons, then the issue becomes cutting/pureeing all three melons on a regular basis to make sorbet – which isn’t cost effective. She also said it would be a great idea with two flavors instead of three, so that would save some time/labor)

Noyaux (Cherry Pit) Ice Cream (I was so excited about the flavor in cherry pits that I wanted to share it with the world. But the reality of it is that we would need a huge heap of cherry pits on a regular basis to make this ice cream – We usually get cherries brought in fresh from the farm, but pre-pitted to save us on labor. From a practical point of view, this was a great idea for small scale – just not for large production in the restaurant)

Black Forest Ice Cream (Loved the idea, just need to work out details)

Cotton Candy Ice Cream (Again, loved the idea, just need to work out the details on it)

*We need more ice creams, but as we come up with more concrete menu items, we will be able to create ice creams or sorbets to pair well with the desserts.

Pies

Raspberry-Cilantro with Honey Crumble (She loved this idea, but said that we would need to hide the fact that cilantro is in there. Again, people who frequent the hotel would be less inclined to order it despite the fact it would taste incredible)

Melba-Peach and Raspberry Pie (Got taken off simply because we have a peach item and a raspberry item already and need to maintain variety)

Fresh Cherry Pie (Classic and sure to sell. This was saved in the event we don’t do a cherry cobbler in the main desserts)

Peach Pie (Taken off because we have a peach item and need to maintain variety)

Pear-Anise Pie (She liked the idea of a pear pie, just need to work out details and make it more exciting)

*In addition to these pies, she feels we need something unique (“kitchey” is the word she uses) as well as something centered around chocolate.

Specialty Drink

Virgin Mint Bellini Peach nectar, sugar, lemon, mint, sparkling water

Blueberry Ginger-Ale - Ginger-Ale flavored with blueberry puree

(Of the two specialty drinks, she found the blueberry ginger-ale the most exciting – thought she did love both ideas)

I am still in the process of figuring out good desserts, so it's hard for me (at this point in my career) to think about extraordinary desserts. To me, they all seem extraordinary because I haven't made them yet - but Mothra is very much about creating new desserts ideas, not just making something that has already been done. That is definitely something I look forward to doing myself.

After we had talked about this menu, she had me search online for unique flavor combinations that we could incorporate into this menu. We came across this recipe for Blueberry Corn Salad - after she read the ingredients, she printed off the recipe and told me to make it for the entire pastry department for lunch. I thought she was joking... but alas, she was not. So I made this salad for the pastry department today and it was delicious. I'm including the recipe here so anyone reading this blog can try it... It's worth it.

Blueberry Corn Salad

• 6 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
  
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 small cucumber, sliced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped*
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

In Dutch oven bring salted water to boiling. Add corn. Cook, covered, 5 minutes, or until tender. When cool enough to handle, cut corn from cobs.

In a serving bowl combine corn, blueberries, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño. For dressing, in screw-top jar combine lime juice, oil, honey, cumin, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover; shake well to combine. Add to salad; toss. Cover and refrigerate overnight (up to 24 hours). Makes 6 to 8 servings.

*Hot peppers, such as jalepeños, contain oils that can burn skin and eyes. Wear plastic gloves when working with them. If using bare hands wash well with soap and water.

(We ate this by itself, then ended up pulling out some corn tortilla chips and essentially eating it like a salsa. Great stuff.)

She made me make the recipe simply to show that thinking outside the box and putting ingredients together (that normally aren't together) can make something that is normally ordinary into something extraordinary. And that's the goal with the revamping of this new menu - to make these items that made the cut into something that goes beyond expectations. We will be sitting down either tomorrow or the next day to talk more about them, then start the recipe/experimental process of the actual creation of the desserts. Definitely looking forward to that.

Also some exciting news, Mothra told me that she nominated me for employee of the month at the hotel. She says that with all of the wedding cakes we've done over the past few months that she couldn't have done it without my help and that I've played a substantial role in the pastry department since I started. She was telling me this as I was cleaning up today, and I couldn't have thought of a better way to end the day.

Anyway, as more details develop, I'll be sure to keep you posted. Until next time!

Flavors, Farmers Market and Menu... Oh my.

One thing about the culinary industry - it's definitely feast or famine when it comes to business. This past weekend, I worked a 13 hour day - on my birthday - because the business demanded it. Next week? I have 3 shifts - gratefully I have some vacation time I can cash in on while I wait for the business to get better. But, with this free time, I am able to devote more time to learning more.

For my birthday, I bought myself a book entitled 'The Flavor Bible'.


I read reviews about it and thought it may be an interesting investment in aiding this journey I'm on. Let me tell you, since the book arrived, I have used it everyday. It's an exciting resource to have around when trying to figure out what foods pair well or what spices/herbs will enhance your meal/dessert. As a result of this (and continuing on my quest to develop a greater relationship with food), here are some things that have made my palate nearly have an orgasm:

• Fresh strawberries drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar and topped with fresh ground black pepper
• Fresh Blueberries, mascerated in pure maple syrup and fresh lemon zest
• Fresh cherries, stuffed with chocolate covered almonds
• Peaches drizzled with honey and fresh ginger
• Fresh green beans, steamed with sliced ginger
• Barbequed pork chops with a rub of garlic granules, ground ginger and coarse sea salt
• Chicken broth with sweet potato and mushroom, flavored with cilantro, a bay leaf and cayenne pepper
• Fresh mango and banana tossed with lime zest in lime juice

Those are the main ones I can think of off the top of my head - but the fact of the matter is, every day is becoming more exciting. I am actually looking forward to my next meal because the creative possibilites are so exciting. You can see from the small list that I put up that 'fresh' seems to come up quite a bit and that makes a tremendous difference in creating exciting flavors. I have found that I go to the market down the street more frequently, simply to get fresh produce more often. And I only go back when I've used up everything I bought from the time before. So I've noticed a great deal less in waste, if any at all (whether it's throwing out packaging or left-overs that are growing, etc.)
I also found out recently that Uncommon Ground has a Farmer's Market on Friday nights and I was able to go to it this last week. It was incredibly exciting - not just for the fresh, local produce. I came across a booth run by Katherine Anne who sells chocolates and caramels, using local and organic ingredients. The thing that I found so fascinating (that I would really love to do more with my baking) is that she doesn't use corn syrup. If she needs an inverted sugar, say for her caramels, she uses honey. And the difference in flavor is outstanding. I ended up buying 2 of each caramel she had there.
Another fantastic thing about the Farmers Market at Uncommon Ground was the fact that you could freely tour the roof-top garden they had. It is an incredible operation and somewhat unbelievable that so much produce could be made in a big city. Uncommon Ground has always been one of my favorite places to eat, but I have a whole new level of respect for what they do.



I think I may be becoming a hippie... Granted, I would never wear tie-dye and I don't smoke weed, but the idea of supporting local business, and buying fresh, local, organic product is becoming a way of life for me - I once viewed it all as a culinary fad, but I have now jumped on board. Yay, I once was lost, but now am found.

But back to pastry - I've been alerted my Mothra that the new menu will be going up at the end of July, so that made my internal alarms go off in panic and I've been kicking the menu writing into high gear. I'm posting an incredibly, painfully rough draft here with the ideas that I've come up. I'm doing this because I intend on showing Mothra my outline wither tomorrow or the next day and I think it'd be interesting to post what she loves, hates and what suggestions she has to vamp it up a bit. I think it'll give you a better idea of what I do, how this creative process works and I think it'll be great to look back on. So, without further delay, here is the very rough draft:

Main Desserts

Cherry Cornmeal upside-down cake

Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

Blueberry Trifle

Mixed Berry Cobbler

Plum or Peach Tatin Cake

Pavolva with Fresh Seasonal Fruit

Cherry Chocolate Almond Tart

Poached Pear Tart

Plum Tart

Summer Rice Pudding

-Light Rice Pudding with fruit coulis

Local Cheese and Fruit Platter

Chicago “Boston”

-variation on the Boston Cream Pie

Ice Creams/Sorbets

Cucumber-Mint Sorbet

Tri-Melon Sorbet

-Layered with different flavors (cantelope, watermelon, honey dew)

Noyaux (Cherry Pit) Ice Cream

Yogurt & Honey Raspberry Ice Cream

Black Forest Ice Cream

-Vanilla with dark chocolate swirl and crushed cherries

Cotton Candy Ice Cream

Sundae Ice Cream

-Vanilla Ice Cream swirled with caramel and chocolate sauce, chunks of brownie, maraschino cherries

Pies

Raspberry-Cilantro with Honey Crumble

Melba

-Peach and Raspberry Pie, served with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Fresh Cherry Pie

Peach Pie (Fresh peaches mixed with honey on bottom layer with a Almond/Marscapone/Whipped Cream Topping)

Pear-Anise Pie

Specialty Drink

Virgin Mint Bellini

Peach nectar, sugar, lemon, mint, sparkling water

Blueberry Ginger-Ale

I'll keep you posted on what happens here in the next few days. Wish me luck!