The Dessert Architect

373 Pages·2009·0.75 MB·English

by  Robert Wemischner

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Preface
VII
Acknowledgements x
CHAPTER I The Four Cornerstones
CHAPTER 2 Il1.!Jredients and Equipment
22
CHAPTER 3 Creatil1.!J a Dessert Menu
CHAPTER 4 P/attn,g
CHAPTER 5 Dessect & Beverage Painn,gs
72
CHAPTER 6 Desserts
Appendices
A: Resources for Ingredients 388
B: Web Sites Useful to the Pastry Chef 390
C: Organizations Offering Continuing
Education Opportunities 391
D: Important Temperatures for the Pastry Chef 392
Bibliography 393
Glossary 394
Index 402

rhe
frour Corners
Introduction
Cornerstone n. Chapter Objectives
somerhlng rhar IS essemial, Indispensable or basIc; rhe chief
After reading thIS chapter,
roundarlon on which somerhlng IS consuucred or developed
you should be able to:
.. /. .1"
• Describe what the Four
a
In analyzing any successful dessen, from the simplest pie la mode to the most Cornerstones are and why
they are important
elaborare multilayered cake or pastry, you will find thar what appears simple on the
surface may not in fact be so simple. Explain the role of ingredients
in taste
Building a dessert is not unlike construcring a building. However, insread of using
• Describe the importance of
steel, concrere, and glass, the pasrry chef's primary building blocks are flour, sugar,
different textures in creating
dairy products, and flavorings. Each of the elements comprising the whole plays
a dessert that is satisfying
a distinctive and important role in ultimately making rhe dessert satisfying and
Understand the interplay and
successful-successful because it illustrates to at least some degree each of the contrasts between elements
following Four Cornerstones. in a multicomponent dessert
In architecture, when all of the elements of the building work rogether to create an
aesthetically pleasing whole, we consider that building well designed. To the dessert
architect,adesserc properly plated and presented, on the righr-sized, -shaped, and -colored
plate is like a building well suited ro its location (appropriare to the tone of the food
service venue in which it is served), taking into account the placement and interplay of
elements on the plate.
When a building is completed, and aesthetically pleasing, it forms a harmonious whole,
making all who enter it feel welcome, comforrable, uplifted, or jusr secure. Likewise,
de~serts should comfort, not challenge, offering to rhe diner a moment when all of rhe
Intru,'ons of rhe workaday world can be blocked our, a way to escape to a place of pure
pleasure and sarisfacrion, uncomplicared by feel ings of guilr or self-doubt.
3
Building on principles of balance, both visual and physical, knowing fully the
weIght-bearing cap'Kity of building materials, and applying both principles of
good design coupled with functionality, the architect effectively translates a
design on paper into three-dimensional reality. So it is, too, with the work of the des
sert archirect who draws upon a full command of knowledge of ingredients, tools, and
techniques to create a well-conceived dessert, informed by what I call the Four Cor
nerstones: first and foremost, Flavor, and then Texture, Temperature, and COnttast.
All of this work begins with an undersranding of the primacy of Flavor, the first
of Four Cornerstones in the dessert architect's arsenal of knowledge, learning the
importance of using high-quality ingredients in correCt combinations.
La!JI'n.!J the Cornerstones
In this book, I will systematically present a series of basic preparations and techniques
of dessert making that may be combined in countless ways to ptoduce a myriad of ex
traordinary desserts. All of this flows, however, from an understanding of the primacy
of flavor, the first of Four Cornerstones in the dessert architect'sarsenal of knowledge,
which includes learning the importance of using high-quality ingredients in correct
combinations.
How can you learn to create if you haven't yet learned how to raste) All pastry
students and practitioners must taste, taste, and then taste again en route to the
perfect rendition of a dessert, sharpening their palates ro recognize the subtle but
important differences in ingredients and how those ingredients shape and influ
ence what ends up on the dessert plate.
The other three nearly inseparable cornerstones of £ine dessert making are texture,
temperature, and underpinning each of those, contrast. Whether the consumer
clearly perceives it or not, the text ute of a dessert affeCts one's perception of its domi
nant flavors and leads to pleasure on the palate. For example, take note of the texture
of a mousse in a dessert. Is it perfectly smooth, one texture throughout, or intention
ally enlivened with bits of still-whole fruit? In the context of the other elements on
the plate, would one version of mousse be preferable to another)
Temperature also plays an important role and is related ro texture. Consider the
shatteringly crisp layers of a freshly prepared napoleon pastry compared with one
that has been under refrigeration for a day. The former succeeds as a touchsrone of
the pastry maker's art, while the latter may be perceived as JUSt ordinary, or worse,
memorable for the wrong reasons.
Contrast, the last of the Four Cornerstones, represents an essential element in any
successful dessert. Thinking about desserts from the perspeCtive of contrast-sweet
versus tart, hot versus cold, soft versus frozen, and crunchy versus smooth-IS a
necessary precursor to crafting desserts that are memorable.
a
Consider an American favorite, apple pie la mode. An analysis of its elements-a flaky,
buttery crust, soft-crunchy apples, a fortuirous combination of spices, ice-cold ice cream
contrasting with warm pie-shows that it includes all of the Four Cornerstones,
" The Dessert Architect
The Four Cornerswlles
Every recipe in this book was crafted with the Four Cornerstones in mind: Aavor,
texture, temperature, and contrast. Whether an Individual has an intellectual ap
preciation of these four characteristics or not, the diner's senses nonetheless perceive
these multidimensional qualities. The characteristics are described here in enough
detail that you will be able to successfully apply them to your pastry creations.
Cornerstone One: Flavor
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It is no accident that flavor is the first cornerstone to any successful dessert. With
our it, the pastry chef's work would be pointless. As a pastry chef, keep the fol
lowing essential question in the back of your mind: Does the dessert have flavor or,
even though it may be pleasing to the eye, is it bland and does it, therefore, merely
represent empty calories'
Regardless of what inspires you, the first point of inspiration must be flavor, whethet
considering a perfectly ripe peach in season and how it may be treated in a dessert
(often minimal manipulation is best) or a well-balanced high-quality chocolate cou
verture. Even with a mastery of basic techniques, skilled pastry chefs can create des
sertS only as memorable as the flavors of their prime ingredients. Flavor comes from
flavor. What you start with is what you will end up with.
Developing Your Palate
In the quest for a highly flavored dessert, where should you begin?
First, it's essential to taste the main ingredients that you intend to use. How can
you create flavorful desserts if you haven't educated your own palate first? As men
tioned in the introduction, all students and practitioners of pastry must taste each
element of a dessert alone and then in combination to be sure that the end result
is satisfying, harmonious, and delicious at least in the eyes of the person ptoduc
ing it. Taste, and taste again. Ask yourself questions such as the following to help
ensure that your finished products encompass that first cornerstone, flavor:
• Does the fruit have a definite flavor? What is its flavor? Is it sweet, tart, floral, or a
combination of all of these?
• Is the chocolate creamy or coarse? Is its dimension sweet or complex, with what
balance of fruity or smoky notes?
Chapter 1 The Four Cornerstones S
• Are the nuts fresh tasting or rancid? How do the nuts taste raw? How do they taste
when roasted?
Tasting tharts ro help clarify your thinking about ingredients may be found below
and on p,lges 2 27, and 29.
I,
Categorizing Flavor
In order ro understand the role of flavor in a dessert, it is best ro start by putting
flavors into broad categories. Admirtedly, this process is often a subjective exercise,
so feel free to insert additional ingredients into the following chart, or move ingre
dients into other categories as your taste impressions dictate. Note that some items
with highly complex flavors appear more than once.
When using the chart to analyze the recipes in this book, you will note that the
components that make up a single dessert most often will each be drawn from a
different category, thereby making the overall flavor profile of the dessert more
complex and interesting. When developing desserts of your own, you can also use
the chart as a rool ro anticipate or plan for the dessert's multiple flavor dimensions.
a
In analyzing any successful dessert, from the simplest pie la mode to the most
elaborate multilayered cake or pastry, you will find that what appears simple on the
surface may not in fact be so simple. The instructions in this book are intended to
help you make the final result look effortless to the diner's eyes.
Flavor Inventory Chart
Description of categories
offlavor Ingredients that exhibit these characteristics
Flavors that dominate or are "forward"
Chocolate. banana. berries. cassis (black currant). ripe melons (Galia. can
taloupe. Charentais. pepino). white peach. ginger (fresh. dried. or candied).
hazelnut. gianduja (smooth hazelnut chocolate paste). Nutella (sweetened
chocolate-hazelnut spread). honey
Flavors that provide a backdrop for other
Sweet. rich dairy ingredients such as milk and cream. coconut. white
flavors. flavors that recede into the background
chocolate
Flavors that are soft. subtle. mute. faint.
Cherimoya. egg in pastry doughs or in sauces and custards. cream
otherwise elusive
cheese-based fillings
Flavors that "kick in" after the first few bites
Cardamom. plum. curry
Ravors perceived as sour; tan. acidic. acetic
Apricots. citrus of all kinds (including bergamot orange. lemon. Meyer
lemon. kaffir lime. lemongrass. limes. yuzu). tomatoes. persimmons. sour
dried plums. pomegranate. quince. rhubarb. tamarind. balsamic vinegar.
cranberries. lemon curd. dried hibiscus flowers. star fruit. cassis (black
currant). red currant. blackberry
FIa'OIi perceIVed IS saky (even in the arena
Salted caramel. malted milk powder
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Flavor Inventory Chart (continued)
Description of categories
Ingredients that exhibit these characteristics
of flavor
Lapsang Sou chong tea, Armagnac (brandy from southwest France),
Flavors perceived as smoky
Calvados (apple brandy from Normandy, France), Cognac (brandy from
the Cognac region of France), Scotch whiskey, certain chocolate
couvertures
Ginger (fresh, dried, candied), cardamom
Flavors perceived as pungent
Lyle's Golden Syrup, sugar cane juice, caramel, dates, dried figs, maple
Flavors perceived as sweet, intensely sugary,
syrup, honey, cajeta (a cooked mixture of goat's or cow's milk caramelized
caramelized (perceived as less sweet)
with sugar), condensed milk, soft and hard meringue, angel food cake,
butterscotch, milk chocolate, white chocolate
Astringent aperitifs with herbs and fruits (such as Campari, Cynar, and
Flavors perceived as bitter, sharp, biting
Punt e Mes), cocoa nibs, dark cocoa, tangerine, lime, key lime, white
peppercorns, black peppercorns
Lavender honey, violet essence, jasmine flowers and flower-based teas,
Flavors perceived as floral
Darjeeling tea, rose water, orange-blossom water, Asian pears, Muscat
grapes, nougat, Forelle pears, Iychee, lemongrass, white peaches,
Gewurtztraminer and Muscat grape-based wines
Flavors perceived as herbal Thyme, basil, fennel, tarragon, pandan leaf or extract (a flavoring
considered the "vanilla" of Southeast Asian cuisine), Pernod or other
anise-flavored liqueur, mint
Flavors perceived as vegetal, vernal, grasslike, Shiso (Japanese herb, also known as perilla), carrots, beets, fennel, anise,
"green" tamarillo, Kabocha squash, pumpkin, green tea. fresh mint
Flavors perceived as earthy Rice, polenta, couscous, whole wheat flour, prickly pear, chestnut.
sweetened chestnut puree, high-percentage couverture chocolate,
graham crackers, black teas, beets, carrots
Flavors perceived as spiced. with warm spice Cinnamon, allspice, star anise, cloves, ginger, chai
notes
Flavors perceived as winey. alcoholic, "hot." Fruits marinated in alcohol, such as brandied cherries; eau de vie,
fermented white alcohols (such as eau de vie de framboise or eau de vie de
poire), port
Flavors perceived as cultured, fermented. tart. Creme fraiche, buttermilk, goat cheese, blue cheese, sour cream, yogurt,
or acidic based on dairy products mascarpone
Flavors perceived as perfumed. exotic Passion fruit, feijoa (a tropical fruit in the guava family, also known as
pineapple guava mango), pineapple, tamarillo, cherimoya, bergamot
orange, Iychee, mirabelle plum
Flavors perceived as focused. concentrated. Vanilla, praline, coffee made from freshly roasted beans
memorable. unforgettable. leaving a strong but
pleasant aftertaste. with a lingering effect on
the palate
Flavors containing opposing impressions within Bittersweet chocolate, coffee, candied citrus rind (orange, lemon,
one main ingredient-such as sweet and tart. pomelo, grapefruit, sweet lime), kumquats, limequats, raspberries, port
sweet and sour, sweet and pungent wine, peches de vigne (red-fleshed peaches), plums of all kinds, including
purple, mirabelle, pluots
Flavors that are perceived as roasted. toasted. Coffee, nuts, nut pastes (almond, hazelnut, pistachio, walnut), sesame
burned, intensified by deep roasting
seeds and roasted sesame paste, tahini, halvah, peanut butter, browned
butter (beurre noisette), croquantine (commercially made crisp thin flakes
of baked pastry), Japanese genmaicha tea (green tea-based flavored with
roasted rice), green tea, oven-dried or oven-roasted tomatoes, dried fruit
chips (persimmon, pear, apple)
Chapter 1 1he four Cor. .