The Sweet Spot Asian-Inspired Desserts

309 Pages·2007·15.12 MB·English

by  Pichet Ong

T H E

S W E E T S P O T
-
A S I A N I N S P I R E D

D E S S E R T S

P I C H E T O N G
A N D

G E N E V I E V E K O
Foreword by Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Photographs by Pate Eng
To Ruby, my mother, and Vibul, my father—P.O.
To David—G.K.
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C O N T E N T S
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS VI
FOREWORD V I I I
Introduction 1
Equipment 3
The Sweet Asian Pantry 11
Cakes 27
Cookies 87
Pies and Tarts 123
Puddings and Custards 153
Candy 179
Fruits 199
Frozen Treats 225
Drinks 263
SOURCES 282
INDEX 286
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
CREDITS
COVER
COPYRIGHT
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
CHAPTER TITLE ■ VII
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
This book simply would not have happened with- the way. They are too numerous to name and they
out the generous contributions of people from ev- know who they are. This book is also for them.
ery corner of my life. My love and thanks go first I am grateful to Simpson Wong, who provid-
and foremost to my mother, Ruby, who taught me ed the setting for our photography sessions at his
many secrets, not only about cooking, but also beautiful restaurant. Equally meaningful and impor-
about life. My father, Vibul, who told me that it’s tant are the friends who contributed props for Pate
okay to start the day by eating dessert, has been Eng’s beautiful photography: Judy “JB” Prince,
a constant source of support and unconditional George Mendes, Izabel Lam, and Sylvia Weinstock.
love. Stuart has been by my side through thick Several gifted chefs have worked incredibly hard
and thin, and I’m grateful for his unfailing love, at maintaining the deliciousness of my desserts:
which keeps me sane through all the stress of res- Melissa Sacco, Christine Ko, Helen Yoo, Marissa
taurant openings. Martinez, Kenneth McGoey, Kiyomi Toda-Burke,
I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Jean- Jennifer Jupiter, Alfredo Garcia, Emilio Castillo,
Georges Vongerichten, who has been my mentor Chieh De Jong, Roshel Yusupov, Alara Nelson,
both in and out of the kitchen. He provided the Dana Lipkin, Hayden Ramsay, Tim Roberts, and
perfect showcase for my ambitions and always Tara DeLanghe. Most of all, I thank my successor
believed in my work. I am also thankful for all the at Spice Market and 66, the talented Frederick
amazing colleagues in the Jean Georges family Aquino.
with whom I have had the privilege of working over Pate Eng provided the elegant, understated
the years, especially Daniel Del Vecchio and Josh photography that was a perfect match for the rec-
Eden. ipes and text. “Bar Chef” Yvan Lemoine helped
I can hardly begin to count all the pastry chefs out with additional photo styling. I’m very grateful
who have provided me with friendship, support, ca- to both of them for the beautiful finished product
maraderie, and many, many delicious desserts along you’re holding now.
I am grateful to Steven Hall and Sam Firer for It has been an immense pleasure working with
getting my work out to the public even before this Pichet from the day we met. Not only has he in-
book. spired me with his creativity and taught me an im-
This book is a direct result of the efforts and measurable amount about pastries, he has also
commitment of my agent, Janis Donnaud, who de- been a great friend.
serves my sincere gratitude. Thank you to Mark Bittman for introducing me
Likewise, Harriet Bell, Lucy Baker, and Stepha- to the world of food writing and for being a won-
nie Fraser at William Morrow invested countless derful mentor, friend, and supporter. I am very
hours in editing this book and giving it its final form. grateful for Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel
I thank them for their patience and good sense. And Del Vecchio, and Pierre Schutz for welcoming me
a special thank-you to the design department for the into their kitchens with Pichet. Without all of you,
lovely design and the colors, which are perfect for this book would not have happened. Likewise,
the recipes in this book. Janis Donnaud, Harriet Bell, Lucy Baker, Stephanie
And last but not least, I thank my coauthor, Fraser, copy editor Judith Sutton, and designer
Genevieve Ko, for her beautiful writing and for Lorie Pagnozzi deserve my deep gratitude for their
her friendship. She has made the entire process a efforts in shepherding this project through to com-
pleasure. pletion. It was a joy working with Pate Eng, a truly
—Pichet Ong gifted photographer.
I appreciate those who have taught me how to
cook, love food, and be a writer, namely, Roy Ip,
Mark Oppenheimer, Steve Courtney, Ruth Lively,
Jean Bonk, and Jennifer McTiernan-H.
I could not have done this without the support
of my parents, Winston and Dorothy, and the rest
of my family: Emily, Kenneth, Mike, Jim, Joyce,
Drew, and Kat. A special thanks to Astrid Alva-
renga for her help in our home testing sessions.
My daughters, Vivien and Natalie, were eager
taste-testers and “Uncle” Pichet’s greatest admir-
ers. Thank you, David, for your love, support, and
unfailing generosity in all things.
—Genevieve Ko

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ■ V I I
F O R E W O R D
I first met Pichet Ong when he worked as a fish shared a love for truly authentic Asian cuisine. And
cook at my restaurant, Jean Georges, in 1997. Af- as we cooked sweet and savory dishes together
ter falling out of touch with him briefly, I was thrilled over the years, I saw that Pichet also shared my
to see him again four years later. I have been re- zeal for flavor combinations that are fresh yet fa-
creating and reinventing savory Asian dishes for miliar—complex yet simply spectacular.
the modern palate for years, and I wanted to inter- We also share the same approach to building
pret Asian sweets in the same way. When I tasted flavors. Starting with one ingredient, tastes, tex-
Pichet’s almond tofu at the three-star restaurant tures, and temperatures are assembled layer upon
where he was pastry chef in 2001, I knew we had layer. With that, we embrace the same Asian cook-
to work together again. ing principles, such as adding bitterness to reduce
Pichet explained that he was interested in intro- sweetness, saltiness to enhance sourness. And,
ducing New Yorkers to new Asian-inspired desserts, with our use of exotic and truly authentic Asian in-
which was exactly what I was looking for. Pichet’s gredients, we dare to tread where other chefs have
enthusiasm for using Asian ingredients and tech- not.
niques matched my vision for my Chinese restau- More than that, I consider Pichet a fantastic
rant, 66, and later, my Asian street food restaurant, friend who loves to have fun. He is a true gour-
Spice Market. He came on board to create Chinese mand and always in pursuit of better living through
desserts for 66, and his innovative style of cooking better eating. I have long envisioned the future of
without boundaries fell easily in line with the way I restaurant dining to be one that is engaging and
see food. entertaining. In Pichet, I have found someone who
At a tasting of dessert selections before the is more than willing to dazzle and surprise with
opening of Spice Market, other chefs declined yummy desserts that deliver as much amusement
his durian ice cream, made from the notorious- as flavor. When we opened 66, we had a lot of fun
ly pungent spiky tropical fruit, but I excitedly dug playing with iconic Chinese restaurant themes and
in. From that moment on, I knew that Pichet and I transforming them into refined desserts with whim-
sical presentations. Customers loved slurping so- ensures that anyone can try his desserts with-
phisticated dessert drinks through the fat straws out compromising the integrity of his creations.
normally found at Chinatown tapioca drink shops. No matter how bizarre and unfamiliar a dish may
The Frozen Orange Wedges, Almond and Choco- sound, the end product is always universally ap-
late Fortune Cookies, and Sesame Balls were also pealing.
a huge hit. This book is a tremendous contribution to the
At Spice Market, Pichet wowed diners once world of cooking literature. The Sweet Spot pres-
again with updated traditional street sweets from ents Asian flavors from an insider’s perspective as
Asia. Most who ordered dishes like Thai Jewels Pichet educates and entertains, walking the line
and Fruits on Crushed Coconut Ice and Ovaltine between Western and Eastern cuisine. While he
and Milk Chocolate Kulfi with Caramelized Ba- has organized his recipes according to traditional
nana had never tasted nor even heard of anything Western sweet classifications, you will be tempt-
like these desserts. But they always cleaned their ed by scrumptious desserts you’ve never heard
plates, and they quickly made these desserts the of and astounded by how the classics can be so
talk of the town. Pichet is one of the few pastry appetizingly new. The extensive pantry, equip-
chefs I know who can fashion desserts from com- ment section, and informative chef’s tips will an-
pletely new and esoteric flavors and still please swer any questions you have about novel ingre-
everyone—unadventurous eaters and restaurant dients and techniques. Most of all, on every page,
critics alike. from the stories to the photography, you will have
Even when dealing with classic ingredients, a taste of Pichet’s passion for fabulous desserts.
Pichet takes an original approach to technique. Be warned—that passion is contagious.
For example, he creams his butter with spices for —Jean-Georges Vongerichten
cookie dough and uses fresh citrus fruit zest as an
aromatic garnish. Both techniques are evidence of
his training in savory cooking and his daring spir-
it in applying them to sweets. These finer details
are groundbreaking in the world of pastry and fine
cuisine.
Pichet’s gift for re-creating Asian desserts for
a universal palate is as evident in this book as it
is on the restaurant table. He takes classic conti-
nental desserts and makes them with Asian ingre-
dients and techniques. He takes traditional Asian
desserts and adds Western flavors and textures.
And, of course, he invents his own techniques and
flavor combinations for truly inspired, and inspir-
ing, desserts. With practical hints and substitu-
tion suggestions for hard-to-find ingredients, he

FOREWORD ■ I X