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Will Cotton, RIBBON CANDY PORTRAIT, 2008, oil on linen, 36 x 32 inches
(Inspired by a sugar ribbon head piece designed by Restaurant Daniel’s Pastry Chef, Dominique Ansel)

How many times have you walked out on a soufflé?!

How could we reject such an ephemeral pleasure in the pursuit of 15 more minutes of time?
Dessert.
The oft overlooked, sadly dismissed, oh I couldn’t! part of the meal.

Then a brave soul ventures to order this final sweet dish among 4 guests, extra spoons are requested, and the crows attack the tiny parfait from all sides.Ahhh dessert.

Have you ever wondered how much more time is available to chefs to prepare the desert than the main meal?
Why, at least twice the amount of time and half the amount of stress.
Think about it.
If you are a gourmet desert fan, than I can offer you the names of a few pastry chefs to pursue in your future wanderings.
I shall concentrate on a mixture of traditional French and nouveau molecular gastronomists.

Jacques Torres
Having grown up in Provence France and training as a pastry chef since the age of 15, Chef Torres has climbed into the halls of fame.
He became executive pastry chef of Le Cirque in New York City in 1999. Reigning over this culinary temple, Chef Torres served Presidents, kings and queens, and movie stars.
Florian Bellanger
Pastry Chef of Fauchon in New York, NY, Bellanger combines savoury and sweet, molecular and traditional.
Here is an example of one of his exquisite recipes.

Black Truffle Crémeux with Tahitian Vanilla Foam

Chef Bellanger serves the crémeux in a shot glass. The white pepper enhances the vanilla flavor and makes the foam taste slightly “hot.”

Yield: 12 Servings

Ingredients:      Black truffle cremeux:
    * 450 milliliters (2 cups) heavy cream
    * 320 milliliters (1 1/3 cups) milk
    * 12 grams (1/2 ounce) fresh black truffles, chopped
    * 150 grams egg yolk (from about 8 large eggs)
    * 90 grams (scant ½ cup) granulated sugar
    * 2 sheets gelatin, soaked in 1 quart cold water

      Tahitian vanilla foam:
    * 450 milliliters (2 cups) heavy cream
    * ½ teaspoon white pepper
    * 1 Tahitian vanilla bean Method:
For black truffle cremeux:
Bring heavy cream and milk to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Remove from heat and add chopped black truffles. Cover with plastic film and let mixture infuse for 2 hours at room temperature.

Bring mixture to a boil again. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and sugar in a stainless steel mixing bowl. Whisk the mixture until a change of color (from yellow to light yellow color).Add yolk-sugar mixture to the truffle infusion. Cook like a crème anglaise: heat , stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 84ºC (183ºF) and naps the back of a wooden spoon.

Stop cooking immediately. Add rinsed and soaked gelatin. Stir well to combine. Fill each shot glass half full and refrigerate.For Tahitian vanilla foam:
Using a paring knife, open and scrape the seeds of vanilla bean into the heavy cream; add scraped pod also. Bring this mixture to a boil then refrigerate overnight.

The following day, discard bean pod and add white pepper. Whip this mixture by hand using a whisk to make sure to get the maximum volume.Spoon some of the foam on top of the Truffle Cremeux and serve immediately with 2 sugared puff pastry sticks.

Katrina Kanetani
Head Pastry Chef at Pier Restaurant, Sydney”Whether it’s the liquid sunshine of her honeydew melon soup with coconut sorbet, the Valrhona chocolate fondant with milk and mint sorbet or the “four textures of apple”, Kanetani has been entertaining well to do Sydney siders changing the face of desert as we know it.
Simon Thomsen, SMH, 2006

If you aspire to such heights, try a Certificate III in Cookery majoring in Pastry. This short course is essential to claim the role of pastry chef in any fine restaurant.

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