"Modernist View of Plated Desserts" or

[aidensnd2]

Curious if anyone has tried any of the recipes from "A Modernist View of Plated Desserts" and "Grand Finale" by Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty.

I tried the peppermint mousse from Dan Budd in "A Modernist View.." but wasn't really pleased with the mintyness of it when strictly following the recipe. After tweaking it was good, nice texture.

I really like these books but haven't found the time/motivation/equipment to try any of the other recipes yet.

Would be interested in hearing of anyone elses experiences.

Thanks

[Wendy DeBord]

I have these books too. For the most part, they sat on my book shelfs for years collecting dust. I remember complaining about them, thinking they weren't practical. Like, who would ever have the time to make these items with those presentations.

Then..........this might sound strange, but I sort of grew into them. I reached a level in my baking that I wasn't distracted by the over the top photos. I went back to the books seeking out the recipes of these experts that were published in the books. Admitedly, I really didn't know who all these pastry chefs were when I bought the books. As I became more familar with the people in the industry I realized they had published some really good chefs and I wanted to study their work and learn from them.

So far I've had excellent results with all the recipes I've tried! With this caution: I don't always follow recipes literally. I make my own judgements on every point. I season according to my own tastes and ingredients available. For many cake components I'll sub in a recipe I have that I already know is excellent (and often I'll have a cake or two in my freeze ready to use).

Part of my growth too was learning that I didn't need the molds/forms that they all used. You can make the components in any size batch and proportion it out into your own dessert however you want. For example, I might take a individual dessert and turn it into a torte or I might take a torte from Pierre Herme's professional book and turn it into an individually sized dessert.

I'm open if you want to get into specific recipes.

[duckduck]

I've had all three of the Grand Finales books on my coffe table for awhile and I flip through them occasionally and think about the things I should make. Same with my recipe book from the World Pastry Forum and my PA&Ds. Sometimes I even get as far as buying ingredients but some how never get much beyond that. It seems to get lost in the pile of things I "should be" doing. Maybe this would be a good way to motivate me to actually do it.

Anybody want to do a bake along? Maybe once every week or two pick a recipe and play?

I've thought about it. Sometimes my problem is coming up with the ingredients. It's the same old problem of I can buy puree by the case at work but not an each container. Now that I've sourced out a local pastry chef willing to let me buy stuff off her, how much puree can my tiny freezer hold? One at a time. And then there's always the molds and equipment. I'm adding to my collection slowly and have found a few good sources but I don't have it all. I was looking at the plastic cones in the JB Prince catalogue but I don't want a whole bunch. Just one. Anybody have one out of a package they'd be willing to sell? I'd love to do one of the chocolate cone desserts that stand on the plate, either Norman Love's or Donald Wressel's. I think it would be fun.

Anybody interested in playing along?

[chiantiglace]

These are my favorite kind of books for many reasons, mainly they give you a large array of ideas and combinations to instill in your mind when comming up with something new. I have never used a recipe word for word but I have taken formula/ratio ideas from them and made my own recipes.

I actually make desserts like this all the time and would go farther into it if where I lived there was a clientel for it. Infact I've been gathering pictures to make a thread here solely on "plated dessert" for us egulleteers to play with, I should start my first post in a couple of days, I have to pick up the slide pics in about an hour actually.

Try to do exceptional desserts once and a while and practice photography is what I've been doing. Fortunately I have several photography friends that have been teaching me tricks.

Also, check the shapes in these books and figure out what you like most. Then later when constructing you already have an idea what works and looks good before you start plate presentation practice.

When I get older I hope to push for a larger variety of these style books in hopes people will start paying more attention because quite frankly I have taught myself more from these books than text style books packed with info. They don't give you "this is how it is and has to be" mood, it's more of a "i like doing this and it works/sells for me so why don't you try it".

[chocklateer]

I would love to participate in this plated dessert adventure. I've seen these books before but always shied away from them(having bought a couple of other books in the past which were full of fabulous looking desserts...almost impossible to recreate/impractical to recreate in the work place)...but I am ever looking to expand and fine tune my bag of tricks and knowledge and experience in this area.

Count me in!

D.

[duckduck]

I was flipping through the book last night and thinking that this might be kind of a hard one to pick a recipe and everyone make it like the other threads but it would be great to have a little show and tell. I've been dying to try one of the cone desserts. I'm going to go ahead and order some of the cone molds from JB Prince and go from there. What I've been obsessively thinking about this week is taking Branlard's exotic orange cake that we learned at the World Pastry Forum last year and see how many different ways I can shape the same recipe. I'd love to do it as one of these standing cone desserts. I think it would be great to play with as several variations of petit fours as well. If I had to start with one from the book though, it would probably be Wressel's cone.

[simdelish]

As I do mostly things like this every day, I love my 'Grand Finale' and use it a lot for ideas and individual component recipes. When I am designing a new dessert, I often skim the book for ideas/twists. My copy is now pretty dogeared looking. Altho it has been on my bookstobuy list, I never have picked up 'Modernist View'. Not that I didn't want, but just never got around to it, as I am more of a traditionalist I guess!

I think doing an exact follow-along would be tough due to ingredient and mold requirements. But I do like the idea of a thread with posted pics of successful desserts however. Or maybe a thread with a dessert used as a jumping off point (which then periodically changes to a different dessert in 2 weeks, etc)... say, people can do Wressel's cone or Branlard's EO cake, but do their own spin on it, and post results and pics.

I just got a digital camera and am experimenting with the photo aspect. (Jason, please note!:) I think still think a how-to photo food thread is a good idea. My family is getting tired of my taking a picture of dinner every nite for practice, however!!!!

[chiantiglace]

I have the Modernist View, and it was one of my first books I ever bought. Man I studied that book cover to cover over and over and over. When I first read it I thought everything in there was way over my head. Now I have a bone to pick with a few of them. It still is one of my favorite books and I like it more than grand finales but there are some desserts that are ridiculous and should not be served. One called "Moma" is just like lemon chiffon bread pudding with a pastillage structure holding it up. MOre than half of the dessert seems to be Pastillage, it's really lame but nice to look at.

[Wendy DeBord]

One called "Moma" is just like lemon chiffon bread pudding with a pastillage structure holding it up.  MOre than half of the dessert seems to be Pastillage, it's really lame but nice to look at.

←

If I'm thinking of the same dessert, I use the lemon Chiboust recipe from that pastillage nightmare regularly, it's terrific. I think it's from Norman Love, no?

Duckduck, I had the need to do the standing cones when I first bought these books and also didn't have any molds. You can use acetate sheets in place of the cones. You just roll them up into a cone (like you do for a pastry bag, first cut them into a triangle) and put a piece of tape on the sides to hold them. The hardest part is finding something to set them in so they don't fall over. I used a foil lined pan and punched holes in that to support them.

Anyway, it is fun....people aways are wow'ed by them. When you get to the part of standing them on your plates.........I found it very helpful and extremely quick to set up if I refridgerated my plates first. Then you use the tiniest dab of warm chocolate as your "glue" and they bond instantly on the cold plate.

[chiantiglace]

is it chibouste? I don't remember. I do use the lemon chiffon recipe and have posted it here.

The cones are only good if you have a relliable wait staff. My staff have never carried something flat, they are sure air heads and they really don't care about our plate presentations no matter how many times we have to discuss it with them.

[racheld]

You KEEP a staff which lets your hard work and beautiful creations fall over or break on the way to table? They need to be in a greasy spoon ferrying plates of potatoes and gravy--at least the thumb marks will fill in as soon as they set the plate down.

What do your customers/dining clientele say?

[chiantiglace]

I dont KEEP anyone, and I don't seem to have much say. I live in a resort town and anyone who does also will tell you the same as me, It's not just hard to find good help it's hard to find "help" period.

Clientel are usually so dazed and confused with tourism antics they don't even care much less realize.

I live in a very dumbed up area and am on the verge of shooting away for good.

[duckduck]

Duh. Yes, I could make my own cones, couldn't I ? Thanks, Wendy! I should have thought of that. It would be cheaper than buying the molds since I'm buying some sheets of acetate for other things anyway. I think picking a recipe for a jumping off point and then posting whatever we have whether it's the same recipe or not is a great idea. And I think every couple of weeks is a good time line.

[duckduck]

The lemon chibouste is by Richard Russell. Now that I'm looking at it, the recipe sounds really good. I'm not usually into lemon but it's doing something for me today. (Maybe I'm just hungry!) I think it might be a good jumping off point. Unless anyone else has a favorite they'd like to suggest, how about using this as the first dessert?