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Creations from The Art of the Dessert

gfron1

By gfron1
in Pastry & Baking

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gfron1

gfron1

Posted
Posted

Having just reviewed The Art of the Dessert, now we can start posting our creations from this fantastic book.

I started with three, and have a couple more coming this weekend.

The first thing I made was the Peach Souffle Tartlets with Ginger Peach Ice Cream

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Its been hot here in the high dessert, so I wanted to start with anything that included ice cream. The ginger peach ice cream was really outstanding. I wish I had riper peaches for a more pronounced flavor, but it was good nonetheless. The tartlets had a splash of Grand Marnier combined with lime and peach - great combination! I also really liked the pastry crust recipe for this one - very delicate.

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Next, I made the Sour Cream Waffles with Avocado Ice Cream.

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Again, I was wanting something a bit cooler to counter our heat. I had trouble getting my waffles to rise and crisp which I think was a function of my waffle iron. The taste of the waffles was absolutely wonderful and became our breakfast the next morning. The ice cream was as creamy as you would expect and tasted nothing like guacamole (thank goodness!).

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The last dessert was terribly mis-seasoned: Fried Mocha Custard Squares.

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I wanted to try things from the book that I normally would not have made, so I asked my spouse to pick a few. He made a long list, but neglected to tell me that some were for making in the fall...this was one of them. An espresso laced, cornstarch-based custard chilled, cut into squares, rolled in croissant crumbs and butter fried. I think that says it all. It was very good, and very not light and summery :raz:

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

Pam R

Pam R

Posted
Posted

Rob - thanks for starting this topic and for the great review!

I am always on the lookout for great books (especially pastry) and this one will be ordered straight away.

Is the fried custard sitting in . . more custard? It looks luscious.

Pam Reiss aka "Pam R"

Author: Soup - A Kosher Collection - Passover - A Kosher Collection - Pam's Cookie Collection - Blog - Demos - Pam's Kitchen FB 

Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted (edited)

Nice review. It's been a really long time since I bought any cookbooks (already have a ton both from my own collecting and inheriting my mom's large collection) and recently decided to remedy that by ordering a nice pile of books just a few days ago. This book wasn't among them so I can't play along. Maybe a "creations from..." thread using a book I have will come up one day because this sounds fun. Most of the books I ordered aren't particularly new though, just books I've been meaning to order and didn't get around to until now. I'll keep an eye on this thread, there are a few more books I want that I didn't order yet so maybe this one will make the list.

Edited by Tri2Cook (log)

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
Rob - thanks for starting this topic and for the great review!

I am always on the lookout for great books (especially pastry) and this one will be ordered straight away. 

Is the fried custard sitting in . . more custard? It looks luscious.

The custard is sitting in a chocolate sauce which was my pre-lunch warm-up today!

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

jumanggy

jumanggy

Posted
Posted

It hasn't yet been released at the best bookstore here in Manila... Till then, I'm excited to see what you guys are making!

W/r/t the lack of pictures... I get a little nervous because I might not be doing something right (even a picture of the end result helps), but I have to admit, when a book doesn't have pictures, it makes it even more rewarding to bake, style, and photograph a dessert you've made :smile:

Rob, that fried mocha custard square looks lethal.

Mark

The Gastronomer's Bookshelf - Collaborative book reviews about food and food culture. Submit a review today! :)

No Special Effects - my reader-friendly blog about food and life.

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Here's my thought on the pictures...I love pictures because they're inspirational, but 1/3 of the book are straightforward recipes like the fried custard and waffles and ice cream. The rest of the book are desserts made up of components that we're all familiar with. So even as I'm creating the desserts, since I'm using familiar components (genoise, buttercream frosting, custards, etc), I'm going to assemble them however I'm most inclined. None of the desserts above had pics and they turned out yummy enough for me to eat. So don't let that stop you when the book comes in - its well worth it.

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Caramel Nut Cake

gallery_41282_4652_7592.jpg

I need to work on my ganache coating, and I burnt my nuts...rough day! But, this is again super. In fact, I'm kind of sick to my stomach right now because I ate so much of the caramel sauce and caramel buttercream - both were absolutely super.

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

AnnaC

AnnaC

Posted
Posted

That corn brulee topped with the cheddar looks amazing, and for some reason seems like it would be the perfect snack post-midnight here on the east-coast! What was the texture of the brulee like? What made you decide to go with cubes of cheese versus, say, shavings?

signing off from the land of the deeply-jealous-of-that-dessert-

gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
That corn brulee topped with the cheddar looks amazing, and for some reason seems like it would be the perfect snack post-midnight here on the east-coast!  What was the texture of the brulee like?  What made you decide to go with cubes of cheese versus, say, shavings?

signing off from the land of the deeply-jealous-of-that-dessert-

I had leftover batter that I used again last night. Of course it fell b/c the rising had already happened in storage, but the taste was just as good. The texture...well, if a bowl of good grits made love to a parfait dish of fresh cooked pudding, and honeymooned in a warm hot tub for the evening...that would be the texture. :raz:

As for the cubes v. shaving. I thought about shaving and grating, both of which I thought would make the mind think of a savory dish. The cubes were less than a 1/4" square, and I thought it played better on the rounded ramekin.

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

  • 2 weeks later...
gfron1

gfron1

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I haven't made anything in over a week because temps have been near 100 for 2 weeks. But its starting to cool off up here in the mountains and I'm baking again. I wanted to make some low-heat recipes, so I'm doing tarts.

Mont Blanc - chestnut and rum!

gallery_41282_4652_4635.jpg

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I had to use the Faugier canned chestnut variation for these.

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

Mottmott

Mottmott

Posted
Posted
(I'm feeling kinda lonely in this topic  :unsure: )

Tonight was the Orange Frangiapane Tart.  This is an almond cream filling with Grand Marnier, glazed with apricot.  I tried two different decorations on top and prefer the almonds.

gallery_41282_4652_7621.jpggallery_41282_4652_11142.jpg

Beautiful. Don't give up. I've ordered the book from the library (to look it over carefully before buying it).

I really like cakes where nuts take the place of all or part of the flour. Does she have some of those? I always feel less guilty if I'm getting my Omega-3's while I indulge my sweet tooth.

"Half of cooking is thinking about cooking." ---Michael Roberts

tsquare

tsquare

Posted
Posted

I'm enjoying watching. It's summer, so heating up the house isn't ideal, plus we are trying to keep the sweets to a minimum. Perhaps traffic on this thread will increase in the fall. Now, with stone fruit season almost here, what is in the book in that area?

Bake another for me!

CanadianBakin'

CanadianBakin'

Posted
Posted
Caramel Nut Cake

gallery_41282_4652_7592.jpg

I need to work on my ganache coating, and I burnt my nuts...rough day!  But, this is again super.  In fact, I'm kind of sick to my stomach right now because I ate so much of the caramel sauce and caramel buttercream - both were absolutely super.

This picture keeps catching my eye. I think I'm going to have to make it very soon :).

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

Ann Amernick

Ann Amernick

Posted
Posted

I hadn't realized that anyone had responded to tthe recipe page. I'm impressed at all the desserts that have been made. If I can answer any questions or help someone in any way, don't hesitate to ask. Hope to hear from you.

Thanks,

Ann

jumanggy

jumanggy

Posted
Posted

I'm not a big fan of coffee but that looks really enticing! The book has many variations for pastry cream? (The book's not out here yet. Sigh!)

Mark

The Gastronomer's Bookshelf - Collaborative book reviews about food and food culture. Submit a review today! :)

No Special Effects - my reader-friendly blog about food and life.

Mottmott

Mottmott

Posted
Posted

I had a problem with The Turkish Rice and Rose Water Pudding. I hope Ann will have the answer to the problem I had.

As I'm still in recovery mode from a hip operation, I thought I'd treat myself to the comfort of the Turkish Rice and Rose Water Pudding. And it looked less demanding than most other recipes, not calling for lifting hot things from the oven. As I have a stool in the kitchen, hanging around to stir from time to time did not present a problem

I followed the recipe exactly, using the half and half for the Turkish Rice recipe. To my surprise it turned out to be a liquidy gruel, not "creamy and loose." The Rose-Water Pudding didn't "gel" completely, but was acceptably thinckened. I like rosewater flavor, so the dessert's flavor was agreeably subtle and suited what I was looking for in my present frame of mind.

The problem was the texture/consistency. I assume there is supposed to be some sort of pleasant interplay between the texture of the two elements.

Two possiblilities:

1. There's a misprint. The recipe as written calls for only 1/3 cup basmati rice to 2 quarts of half and half. This strikes me as a strange ratio for a rice pudding, but I tend to follow a recipe exactly the first time.

2. Sometimes grains and beans behave weirdly if they are too old.

"Half of cooking is thinking about cooking." ---Michael Roberts

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