Asian Desserts Haute and Not

[chocklateer]

I'm really intrigued by pandan now...I love floral notes...in the air, in wine and in desserts!!! I live in Vancouver Canada...and we do have a large Asian population. There are several areas to find Asian Ingredients. Looks like a trip to Chinatown is in order for me for starters! Thanks Gastro! Ofcourse NOW I need to know what mochi is! (I am actually an adorer of egg tarts...I just didn't recognize them by the name of dantat...hmmm, learn something new every day!!!)

Phaelon, I like the idea of the anise brulee. Thanks, I'm going to put it on my to try list.

D.

[Gastro888]

Mochi, mochi, mochi. Heavenly mochi. Ahhhh.

Well, it's Japanese (Chinese people have it, too) so I'm no authority on it but it's basically sticky rice pounded into a dough. There's more to it. Tokaris would know! Oooh, good stuff. Sticky, chewy and oh so good. I think there's a link in the Japan forum. Let me find it for you.

Oh my gosh, you live in like mini-HK. For sure you'll find alot of good stuff there. Too bad you're not nearby, I'd definitely go shopping with ya!

Oh, speaking of Japanese - Japanese style cheesecake. THAT is the bomb diggity bomb. I can polish off a whole cake. Gimme that over NYC style any day. (I won't turn NYC style down, for sure, but c'mon...this is fluffy heaven!)

FYI, alot of Chinese desserts don't have dairy products and use lard instead of butter because that is what was available and dairy products aren't used alot in Chinese cooking.

[Pan]

Here you go, chocklateer:

the mochi thread.

[Gastro888]

Japanese Cheesecake Recipe

Try this - the Japanese style cheesecake is alot fluffier than traditional cheesecake. There's a thread on it in the Japan forum as well. Click here.

Please post pictures when you're developing recipes.

Thanks!

[plk]

Ooh, I love mochi ice cream. It's so, so good! I have no idea how to make them, but they are wonderful for eating.

[Luckylies]

I hate faux-asian desserts but need to make one for dinner party/catering thing...

the menu is trite:

seared tuna with pickled mango and green curry basil

miso cod, braised bok choy, sweet potato mousse

whats a girl to do?

thanks already....

[merstar]

How about Red Bean (Adzuki) or Green Tea ice cream?

Another idea:

Blue Ginger Asian Banana Split

http://www.recipezaar.com/170450

Edited January 21, 2008 by merstar (log)

[Batard]

Not sure what you mean by "after the meal", traditional Asian meals don't have individual "courses", all the food gets brought at at once or in no particular order. There's usually no heavy "desert", just something simple like fresh fruit to end the meal. Yah there's ginger or green tea ice cream, but that's so overdone.

If you have to serve something, try a desert like Ice Kachang, which is really popular in Singapore and Malaysia. It looks impressive. Malaysian "Bubur Cha-Cha" would also be an exotic desert, but it has some un-desert-like ingredients in it, and may not be suited to western tastes.

Edited January 21, 2008 by Batard (log)

[nikkib]

http://www.zumarestaurant.com/zuma_uk.html

might give you some inspiration?

[Richard Kilgore]

Thai Mango Sticky Rice?

[merstar]

Check this out:

Steamed Coconut Custard

http://www.cookitsimply.com/recipe-0010-082y38.html

More ideas from the same site:

http://www.cookitsimply.com/category-0020-0s568.html

[sanrensho]

Just because heavy desserts aren't "traditional" ways to end a meal in many Asian countries, does not mean that you have to exclude these types of desserts.

I would look to what your guests are expecting. You could do anything from a Japanese souffle cheesecake to a panna cotta or layered cake (as well as the usual ices/sorbets/ice creams), depending on what your guests want. Flavor as desired, based on the theme of the rest of your ingredients.

Edited January 21, 2008 by sanrensho (log)

[cathrynapple]

You know, I typically do a custard like those, but i scoop out peach halves a little bit and fill them with the custard. Then I caramelize the surface.

[sheetz]

I remember having a ginger creme brulee at Chinois in Santa Monica, CA.

[ludja]

chilled lychees in a creme anglaise; serve with a nice crisp cookie

(Barbara Tropp has a nice collection of cookies inspired from or compatible with Asian flavors in her book, "The China Moon Kitchen". Her "walnut crisps" or "ginger moons"with crystallized ginger would go well with the lychees.

edited to add: I've mentioned this dessert on the boards a few times--but it was very good! This was a dessert from one of Hirigoyen's previous restaurants in SF called Pastis. He served a flourless chocolate cake and alongside was a quenelle of Thai basil ice cream covered with grated dark chocolate.

Edited January 22, 2008 by ludja (log)

[jumanggy]

Ah, thanks for reminding me that Pichet Ong's The Sweet Spot should really be in my bookshelf already I think the creme brulee/ pudding/ cookies would be good ways to go, too.

[baroness]

Thai Mango Sticky Rice?

←

Which is delicious and particularly dramatic when made with black rice!

[JasonTrue]

This time of year I break out my sweet potato or kabocha ice cream (skipping the usual American convention of pumpkin pie spices because the ones I've had in Japan kept it simple). Either one is ideally served with kuromitsu, a black sugar syrup (muscovado sugar syrup with a little honey works too). Sometimes I make a very, very simple, refreshing pear or apple sorbet, usually flavored only with sugar and pear brandy or calvados.

Chestnut ice cream is nice too. I've had good results with a black sesame and chocolate ice cream, too.

If you wanted it to be a plated dessert, you could serve the ice cream in cream puff shells.

I might serve a panna cotta style dessert or custard topped with a little kumquat marmalade.

There's a simple dish made with kumquats, caramelized dried figs (soaked in wine or spirits for a little while, ideally), a little sugar, and a gentle amount of cornstarch or katakuriko, which is nice served with a little candied ginger mascarpone. Candied ginger isn't exactly popular in most of Asia, at least not as a confection, but it works surprisingly well. I've stolen the concept and altered it to my whims from a Nadine Abensur cookbook, but it's hard to mess up unless you overdo the cornstarch or the sugar. You could serve it with a little cookie or wafer to make it more "plated".

Edited January 22, 2008 by JasonTrue (log)