Guest chefs will include Ilan Hall, CJ Jacobsen, Alex Reznik, Marcel Vigneron, and Brooke Williamson from Top Chef and Danielle Keene from Top Chef Just Desserts.
Tickets are $55 and can be purchased here.
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Showing posts with label Top Chef Just Desserts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top Chef Just Desserts. Show all posts
Friday, March 29, 2013
Top Chef Pig Roast
Several former Top Cheftestants are participating in an event for Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry. Nyesha Arrington's Pig Roast will be held on April 28th, 2013, at Wilshire Restaurant, 2454 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica, CA from 1-4pm.
Guest chefs will include Ilan Hall, CJ Jacobsen, Alex Reznik, Marcel Vigneron, and Brooke Williamson from Top Chef and Danielle Keene from Top Chef Just Desserts.
Tickets are $55 and can be purchased here.
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Guest chefs will include Ilan Hall, CJ Jacobsen, Alex Reznik, Marcel Vigneron, and Brooke Williamson from Top Chef and Danielle Keene from Top Chef Just Desserts.
Tickets are $55 and can be purchased here.
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Just Desserts' Chris Hanmer's Holiday Baking Secrets
Using quality ingredients sourced from Sam’s Club, Chef Hanmer unveils three straightforward recipes: His Crispy Holiday Vanilla Cookie makes a great DIY gift; Roasted Honeycrisp Apple Crème Brûlée with fresh fruit is deceptively simple to bake; and Chef’s Heavenly Holiday Chocolate Almond Cake will satisfy guests with each bite.
The creme brulee recipe comes later in this post; find the other two recipes at SamsClub.com/meals. But first...baking secrets:
Chris Hanmer’s Holiday Baking Secrets
1. Measure out all the ingredients for any given recipe before you begin baking or cooking. In professional kitchens, we call this mise en place. It saves time and allows for faster prep and cooking.
2. To enhance flavor, brown plain butter in a pan before adding to a recipe for a great, easy way to infuse a rich, toasty flavor into baked goods.
3. Double or triple cookie recipes and freeze them. Make the cookie dough, scoop into balls and freeze. When it comes time to bake, just remove from the freezer and bake as directed. Should any holiday guests drop by unexpectedly, you'll be ready for them!
4. Baked goods make great, thoughtful gifts and are wonderful for sharing. Pre-pack "goody bags" with your favorite cookies or treats along with a recipe card for friends and family.
5. For holiday dinners, be sure to pick a dessert that can be made in advance, in part or in full, or save time by purchasing readymade desserts like fresh pies and rich cheesecakes at Sam’s Club. This way you'll have more time to spend with loved ones and require less time in the kitchen.
Chris Hanmer’s Roasted Honeycrisp Apple Crème Brulee
4 Servings
Warm the soul with this crème brulee dish. Taste buds will tingle as the seasonal flavors of honeycrisp apples and spiced walnuts mingle in your mouth.
Roasted Honeycrisp Apples
• 2 Honeycrisp Apples
• ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
• ¼ cup Unsalted Butter
• ½ tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
Crème Brulee
• ¾ cup Whole Milk
• ¾ cup Cream
• 6 Egg Yolks
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
Spice Crunch Walnuts
• ¾ cup Whole Walnuts
• 1 tbs Egg Whites
• 2 tbs Granulated Sugar
• ¼ tsp 5 spice blend
Roasted Honeycrisp Apples
1. Peel, core and slice the apples into ½ inch cubes. Cut the butter into cubes about the same size.
2. In a mixing bowl, toss the apples with the cubed butter, sugar, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg.
3. Place on a baking sheet. Roast the apples at 350°F for about 15- 20 minutes or until just tender. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Crème Brulee
1. Preheat over to 200°F.
2. Warm the milk with ½ the sugar in a saucepot. Add the remaining sugar with the egg yolks, mixing well with a whisk.
3. Mix the cold cream and vanilla extract into the warm egg milk mixture.
4. Divide the apples evenly on the bottom of four 4 oz oven safe dishes. Pour the custard mixture into the dish to just cover the apples. Bake for 1 hour or until set.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool in the refrigerator about 2 hours. This can also be made 1 day ahead.
Spice Crunch Walnuts
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Place on a parchment paper lined baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Putting it all together: Dust the top of each Crème Brûlée with granulated sugar and caramelize with a torch. Top the dish with a few spiced walnuts and serve.
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Monday, July 2, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Yigit Pura on Apartment Therapy
Check out Top Chef Just Desserts season 1 winner Yigit Pura's San Francisco condo. It's only a wee 570 square feet, but for Yigit, it's home. I'm loving his chartreuse refrigerator!
Image credit: Bethany Nauert
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Recap Roundup: Top Chef Just Desserts 2 Finale
Jordan Baker on shocking (or maybe not): "Gail explains their final elimination challenge, the one that will determine which of them gets $100,000 and which of them gets to be arrested on kiddie porn charges (and way to make me feel like a tit for thinking you weren’t as bad as Bravo and that pack of screeching hyenas they had you living with would have us believe, Morgan)."
Picktainment on The Help: "Sally is worried about the showpiece, though she has a bit of experience and gets some good advice from Chef Canonne. She’s going to focus on flavor and notes that she doesn’t cook for the 'common' palate. Oh, excuse me. She is even too good to zest her own limes, so thank god an MOF is doing that for her."
TWOP on the final Judges' Table: "First up is Matthew's key lime and speculoos bon bon, which everyone agrees was a standout. Then Johnny innocently asks him whether he's more comfortable with chocolate or sugar, and when Matthew says chocolate, Johnny kicks him in the teeth: So why didn't he do his showpiece in chocolate, numnuts? Matthew claims he just wanted to do something different to stand out. Dannielle thought the showpiece looked like a love letter to his wife and you can almost hear Johnny making gag-me-with-a-creampuff noises in the background. Then Sally gets asked again about letting Orlando do so much work on the showpiece and she swears that she was just playing to the strengths of her sous chef. Then Chris is scolded for letting a brioche ball take a tumble and he's not really into it and just shrugs, whatever, man, brioche takes a fall sometimes, deal with it."
Eater on Cranky Johnny: "Johnny looks a bit put-out the whole time. He has obviously had a bug up his ass about something this whole time and takes it out on Sally (over Orlando’s showpiece, natch) and Matthew (just to be a contrarian). He’s obviously in Chris’ court."
CultureMob on taking sides: "The chefs head into the stew room and I don’t have a real feeling for where this is going to land. The judges pick over the individual challenges, and the only thing that becomes clear is that Matthew isn’t going to win; he’s basically ignored for the entire conversation. It seems to be shaking down to Gail and Danielle on Sally’s side and Johnny and Hubert rooting for Chris; I guess we’ll find out who wears the pants amongst the judges."
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Picktainment on The Help: "Sally is worried about the showpiece, though she has a bit of experience and gets some good advice from Chef Canonne. She’s going to focus on flavor and notes that she doesn’t cook for the 'common' palate. Oh, excuse me. She is even too good to zest her own limes, so thank god an MOF is doing that for her."
TWOP on the final Judges' Table: "First up is Matthew's key lime and speculoos bon bon, which everyone agrees was a standout. Then Johnny innocently asks him whether he's more comfortable with chocolate or sugar, and when Matthew says chocolate, Johnny kicks him in the teeth: So why didn't he do his showpiece in chocolate, numnuts? Matthew claims he just wanted to do something different to stand out. Dannielle thought the showpiece looked like a love letter to his wife and you can almost hear Johnny making gag-me-with-a-creampuff noises in the background. Then Sally gets asked again about letting Orlando do so much work on the showpiece and she swears that she was just playing to the strengths of her sous chef. Then Chris is scolded for letting a brioche ball take a tumble and he's not really into it and just shrugs, whatever, man, brioche takes a fall sometimes, deal with it."
Eater on Cranky Johnny: "Johnny looks a bit put-out the whole time. He has obviously had a bug up his ass about something this whole time and takes it out on Sally (over Orlando’s showpiece, natch) and Matthew (just to be a contrarian). He’s obviously in Chris’ court."
CultureMob on taking sides: "The chefs head into the stew room and I don’t have a real feeling for where this is going to land. The judges pick over the individual challenges, and the only thing that becomes clear is that Matthew isn’t going to win; he’s basically ignored for the entire conversation. It seems to be shaking down to Gail and Danielle on Sally’s side and Johnny and Hubert rooting for Chris; I guess we’ll find out who wears the pants amongst the judges."
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Top Recipe - Chris Hanmer's Bon Bon, Coffee Infused Ganache, Caramel
Caramel:
250 grams sugar
50 grams glucose
100 grams butter, salted
150 grams cream
1 vanilla bean
Coffee Ganache:
500 grams cream
100 grams coffee beans
10 grams coffee flavor
600 grams 64% chocolate
50 grams glucose
50 grams butter
Caramel:
1. Warm the cream with the vanilla bean
2. Make a caramel by heating together the sugar and the glucose.
3. Add the butter to the caramel them slowly add the cream. Mix well and strain out the vanilla bean.
4. Cool to 88 Fahrenheit and fill into mold half way
Coffee Ganache:
1. Warm cream with the coffee beans and infuse for 15 minutes
2. Reheat cream and coffee. Add coffee flavor and strain over the chocolate
3. Add the glucose and mix
4. Cool the mixture to 95 degrees Fahrenheit add the soft butter
5. Let ganache cool to 88 F and fill on the top of the caramel than is already in the mold
6. Warm cream and pour over chocolate. Add butter and heat to 88 degrees Fahrenheit and fill on top of mold with caramel.
© 2011 CHEF CHRIS HANMER
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
All Top Chef Interview with "Top Chef Just Desserts" Season 2 Finalist, Matthew Petersen
Chef Matthew Petersen talks about his experience on the Bravo show.
Matthew is the Executive pastry Chef at CityZen restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington DC.
Click here for the podcast.
Thank you Chef Matthew.
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Chef Chris Hanmer is Top Chef!
This post is only for positive comments about Chef Hanmer. If you have anything negative to say, please do so on our Reactions post.
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Reactions to Top Chef Just Desserts 2 Finale
Pastry Kings Jacques Torres, Sebastien Cannone, and Stephane Treand served as mentors to the pastrycheftestants as they prepped their desserts on Day One. On Day Two, the formerly eliminated pastrycheftestants were brought back to act as sous chefs, with each finalist getting two. After drawing cookies for the first helper, the finalists were allowed to choose their second helper. In the end, we had Team Chris with helpers Rebecca and Amanda, Team Matthew with helpers Megan and Carlos, and Team Sally with helpers Vanarin and Orlando.
Because Sally was weakest in the showpiece department, she left the work up to Orlando, who frankly didn't want to be helping her or either of the other two. Chris of course is showpiece king so he happily made his own, as did Matthew, who decided to make his primarily of pulled sugar because the other two were doing chocolate. Not that pulled sugar was one of his strong suits, mind you....
The chefs first presented their dessert tables to the judges, who included sundry pastry folks Jordan Kahn, Hasty Torres, Valerie Gordon, Jacquy Pfeiffer, and Ludo Lefevbre, as well as regulars Dannielle Kyrillos and Hubert Keller.
After presenting their tables, the chefs go back to the kitchen to finish their plated desserts. The diners seem to have mostly complimentary things to say, but then they get to Judges' Table where we find that the race is between Chris and Sally.
Matthew's best item was his bon bon, flavored with key lime and speculoos. Both Dannielle and Gail claim that this was the first time they heard the word speculoos, which makes me think they need to have their foodie credentials taken away. Guess they've never bothered to try the Waffles and Dinges truck in New York, which offers speculoos spread as a topping. And I'm pretty sure I've seen a recipe for them (or the Dutch version, speculaas) in just about every cookie cookbook I've ever owned, particularly those specializing in holiday cookies, as they are customarily eaten on St. Nicholas Eve (Dec 5 or 6).
Anyhoo...
Chris wins.
I'm guessing that the main reason Chris won out over Sally was that she didn't make her own showpiece; the judges seemed really enamored of her desserts otherwise, making the competition really close. Did you think that was the right decision?
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Top Chef Just Desserts 2 Finale Previews
*FINALE* BRAVO's Top Chef Just Desserts, It's down to the final three and the competitors that are left are prepared to fight for the $100,000 prize and title of Top Chef. With the last challenge in their sights, the finalists think about what brought them to the competition and why it's so important that they win. Fierce competitor Chris Hanmer thinks about his wife and baby that he left behind in order to chase his dream. Will all the hard work pay off, making it worth the time? Which pastrycheftestant will be named Top Chef and who will go home defeated? Find out tonight, 10/26, @ 10/9c!
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Recap Roundup: Top Chef Just Desserts 2.9
Picktainment on the challenge: "Anyways, the chefs will be creating a dessert inspired by an international cuisine. Chris picks France, Orlando picks Spain, Matthew takes Italian, and Sally (who worked in Miami for a while) picks Cuba. They must create a dessert that looks like an iconic savory dish from one their country."
TWOP on culinary icons: "The chefs all look like they want to die as Gail adds that they have a whole panel of chefs waiting to judge their dessert on increasingly bizarre unattainable and constantly shifting standards. Orlando is in an extra tizzy because his culinary icon Iron Chef Cat Cora is on the panel! He is obviously totally reading that off a teleprompter because NO ONE has Iron Chef Cat Cora as a culinary icon."
CultureMob on Johnny needs a drink: "Johnny shows up in the kitchen, and you know that he’s pissed Gail didn’t tell him about drinks in time for him to get out of this. He immediately starts taking it out on the chefs, shooting down Chris’ idea to make his dessert look like beef wellington with a terse 'Isn’t beef wellington English?' A quick Wikipedia search reveals that no one’s really sure where it comes from, but I’ll go with Johnny on this. Johnny is more accepting of Matthew’s idea to re-create manicotti, which is undisputedly Italian, so instead goes the old 'man, you must be feeling a LOT of PRESSURE! Do you think you’re going to be in the finale? DO YOU??' route. He also can’t shoot Orlando’s paella idea down, so he continues his tour of terror and asks Orlando who he’s threatened by, forcing Orlando to contemplate everyone else’s dish instead of his own. Insidious, Iuzzini. Sally’s up, and when she reveals that she hasn’t decided which route to go down yet, Johnny pounces. 'Are you tired? Are you stressed out?' he asks, clearly hoping to incite a nervous breakdown. 'Tell me what you’re going to do right…' he pauses, '…to make sure your dessert is better than anyone else’s.' Johnny’s a good mean girl. 'You don’t even have a plan!' he states, relentlessly. 'You’ve only got an hour and a half left!' Don’t keep Johnny away from the cocktails again, Gail. He gets angry."
Eater on "salads": "Sally’s Cuban sandwich is awfully impressive looking, especially for being so indecisive for most of the challenge. Cream cheese and pineapple makes us think of things our grandmothers made with Jell-O and canned fruit cocktail (heavy syrup, of course). We gag a bit at the thought of the combination, but the judges mustn’t have had such a grandmother and thus no such association — so they dig it okay."
Jordan Baker on winning: "They call the chefs back, and Cat announces that the winner of this challenge is… Sally. Boooo. She’s happy to have finally won a challenge. Matthew gently and handsomely says 'I knew it was you' and hugs her. Oh, god, I bet his hugs are so good. I bet they’re like wearing a Snuggie made of cotton candy and dreams."
Posted on AllTopChef.com
TWOP on culinary icons: "The chefs all look like they want to die as Gail adds that they have a whole panel of chefs waiting to judge their dessert on increasingly bizarre unattainable and constantly shifting standards. Orlando is in an extra tizzy because his culinary icon Iron Chef Cat Cora is on the panel! He is obviously totally reading that off a teleprompter because NO ONE has Iron Chef Cat Cora as a culinary icon."
CultureMob on Johnny needs a drink: "Johnny shows up in the kitchen, and you know that he’s pissed Gail didn’t tell him about drinks in time for him to get out of this. He immediately starts taking it out on the chefs, shooting down Chris’ idea to make his dessert look like beef wellington with a terse 'Isn’t beef wellington English?' A quick Wikipedia search reveals that no one’s really sure where it comes from, but I’ll go with Johnny on this. Johnny is more accepting of Matthew’s idea to re-create manicotti, which is undisputedly Italian, so instead goes the old 'man, you must be feeling a LOT of PRESSURE! Do you think you’re going to be in the finale? DO YOU??' route. He also can’t shoot Orlando’s paella idea down, so he continues his tour of terror and asks Orlando who he’s threatened by, forcing Orlando to contemplate everyone else’s dish instead of his own. Insidious, Iuzzini. Sally’s up, and when she reveals that she hasn’t decided which route to go down yet, Johnny pounces. 'Are you tired? Are you stressed out?' he asks, clearly hoping to incite a nervous breakdown. 'Tell me what you’re going to do right…' he pauses, '…to make sure your dessert is better than anyone else’s.' Johnny’s a good mean girl. 'You don’t even have a plan!' he states, relentlessly. 'You’ve only got an hour and a half left!' Don’t keep Johnny away from the cocktails again, Gail. He gets angry."
Eater on "salads": "Sally’s Cuban sandwich is awfully impressive looking, especially for being so indecisive for most of the challenge. Cream cheese and pineapple makes us think of things our grandmothers made with Jell-O and canned fruit cocktail (heavy syrup, of course). We gag a bit at the thought of the combination, but the judges mustn’t have had such a grandmother and thus no such association — so they dig it okay."
Jordan Baker on winning: "They call the chefs back, and Cat announces that the winner of this challenge is… Sally. Boooo. She’s happy to have finally won a challenge. Matthew gently and handsomely says 'I knew it was you' and hugs her. Oh, god, I bet his hugs are so good. I bet they’re like wearing a Snuggie made of cotton candy and dreams."
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Top Recipe - Sally Camacho's "Cuban Sandwich with Potato Salad & Plantain Chips" Cream Cheese Mousse, Passion Fruit Mustard and Strawberry Caramel
Ok, so maybe this recipe has too many components and special ingredients for a home cook, but I thought it was interesting from an educational standpoint.
"Cuban Sandwich with Potato Salad & Plantain Chips" Cream Cheese Mousse, Passion Fruit Mustard and Strawberry Caramel
Cuban Sandwich:
“Cuban Bread” – Brioche
“Mustard” – Passion Fruit Fluid Gel
“Ham” – Strawberry Caramel
“Pork” – Cream Cheese Mousse
“Cheese” – Flexible White Chocolate
“Pickles” – Compressed Pineapple
“Cuban Bread” – Brioche:
25 grams whole milk
396 grams whole eggs
28 grams fresh yeast
75 grams sugar
660 grams bread flour
14 grams salt
800 grams butter, cold and cut into large dice
“Mustard” – Passion Fruit Fluid Gel:
250 grams passionfruit puree
70 grams sugar
3 grams agar
2 grams sea salt
“Ham” – Strawberry Caramel:
50 grams sugar
140 grams strawberry puree
140 grams heavy cream
10 grams sugar
3 grams agar
2 grams gelatin sheets, bloomed
2 drops red food coloring
“Pork” – Cream Cheese Mousse:
550 grams cream cheese
315 grams crème fraiche
10 grams gelatin, bloomed
2 lemons, juiced and zested
75 grams water
250 grams sugar
160 grams yolks, pasteurized
570 grams heavy cream, soft whipped, kept cold
Ground feuillitine, as needed
“Cheese” – Flexible White Chocolate:
25 grams water
50 grams Sorbitol
1.5 grams agar
25 grams glucose
450 grams heavy cream
1 gelatin sheet, bloomed
200 grams white chocolate
2 grams sea salt
“Pickles” – Compressed Pineapple:
1/4 each of a pineapple
1 each vanilla bean, scraped
10 grams sugar
1 gram citric acid
2 grams fleur de sel
Brown and green food coloring, as needed
Plantain Chips:
10 limes, zested
2 grams citric acid
50 grams muscovado sugar
8 grams sea salt
20 grams tapioca maltodextrin
3 under ripe plantains, sliced
Oil, for frying
“Potato” Salad:
2 Asian pears, small dice
1/4 pineapple, small dice
2 Granny Smith apples, brunoise
2 vanilla beans
3 ounces fromage blanc
3 ounces yogurt
3 ounces honey
“Cuban Bread” – Brioche
1. Place milk, eggs and yeast in the electric mixer with hook attachment. Mix on speed 1 to partially dissolve. Add sugar and flour and mix on speed 1 until dough comes together. Add salt and butter. Turn to speed 2 and mix until slapping noise is heard. Check elasticity of dough with window test.
2. Place dough in refrigerator overnight.
3. The next day, on a sheeter, roll brioche to #4. Cut dough in 3” x 4 1/2” rectangles. Place on a sheet tray. Brush with egg and sprinkle with Maldon salt. Proof in a proof box for one hour. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until brown and done.
“Mustard” – Passion Fruit Fluid Gel
1. In a small saucepot, place passion fruit puree. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, agar, and salt. Sprinkle the agar mixture over puree. Whisk to combine. Turn on medium heat.
2. Allow to come to a continuous boil for one minute. Pour onto Anolon sheet tray to cool and set in the refrigerator.
3. Once set, place gel into blender and blend on high until smooth and no lumps. Set aside.
“Ham” – Strawberry Caramel
1. In a small saucepot, on low heat, combine strawberry puree and heave cream. Hear to scald and keep warm.
2. In a medium saucepot, on high heat, make a dry caramel with the sugar by adding 1 tablespoon at a time until the sugar caramelizes.
3. Once the sugar is carmelized, break it by adding the hot strawberry and cream mixture. Cook on low hear to dissolve caramel.
4. In a small bowl, combine sugar and agar. Sprinkle misture over caramel and whisk to combine. Bring mixture to a full boil for 10 seconds and remove from heat.
5. Add gelatin and food coloring. Stir to combine.
6. Pour onto Anolon, nonstick pan, thick so it is the thickness of ham. Place in fridge and set for an hour.
“Pork” – Cream Cheese Mousse
1. Place cream cheese in electric mixing bowl with whip attachment. Whip to smooth. Add crème fraiche and scrape bowl all the way to the dimple.
2. Place juice, zest, and gelatin in microwave safe container. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, just to melt gelatin.
3. Add melted gelatin mixture to cream cheese mixture. Whip to combine. Scrape and whip again to mix well. Set aside at room temperature.
4. Place water and sugar in a small saucepot on medium heat.
5. Meanwhile place yolks in electric mixer with whip attachment. Whisk on medium speed.
6. Bring sugar water to 115 degrees Celsius.
7. Stream hot sugar into mixer while whisking the yolks. Make sure to pour along the side of the bowl and not into the whisk, or you will get unwanted sugar threads.
8. Continue to whip yolks and sugar to light, fluffy, and tripled in volume. Once mixture is cooled to about 32-34 degrees Celsius, fold yolk mixture with cream cheese mixture to incorporate.
9. Last, fold in cold, soft cream. Fold to combine.
10. Pour mousse into frame with acetate lined straight sheet tray. Spread to evenly distribute mousse. Cover mousse with feullitine all over mousse, both sides.
11. Once frozen, cut into 3-inch x 4 1/2- inch rectangles. Use frozen when building sandwich.
“Cheese” – Flexible White Chocolate
1. In a medium saucepot, combine water, Sorbitol, agar, glucose, and cream. Place on medium heat, bring to a full boil and turn off heat. Pour over chocolate, bloomed gelatin, and salt. Allow to sit for 2 minutes to melt chocolate. Burmix to smooth. Then pour onto acetate lined sheet tray and place in refrigerator to chill and set.
“Pickles” – Compressed Pineapple
1. Take off core of pineapple, cut slices 1/4” thick of the pineapple. In a bowl, place all ingredients and toss to coat pineapple.
2. Add green and a little brown food color to achieve the color of a pickle. Place in a Cryovac bag and Cryovac it.
“Potato” Salad
1. Cut and scrape seeds from vanilla bean. In a bowl, mix vanilla and its beans, fromage blanc, yogurt and honey.
2. Add Asian pear, pineapple, and granny smith apples. Toss with yogurt dressing.
3. Place in a ramekin for service.
Plantain Chips
1. Slice plantains on slicer to get 1/8-inch thick slices.
2. Fry in 350 degree Fahrenheit oil until crisp and light brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
3. In a spice grinder, place lime zest, citric acid sugar, salt and tapioca maltodextrin. Grind until fine.
4. Toss plantains in sugar mixture.
Plating:
1. Cut brioche in half to make the sandwich. Spread “mustard” (passion fruit fluid gel onto both sides of the brioche. Place pieces of “pickles” (compressed pineapple) on one side of brioche. Cut a rectangle of “pork” (cream cheese mousse) and place on top of “pickles” (compressed pineapple). Cut slices of “ham” (strawberry caramel) and place on top of “pork” (cream cheese mousse). Then dot “ham” (strawberry caramel) with “cheese” (flexible white chocolate). Place other side of brioche on top to make a sandwich.
2. Wrap sandwich in sandwich parchment paper and cut in half on a diagonal line. Place sandwich on plate and place ramekin of “potato” salad on plate and handful of the plantain chips.
© 2011 CHEF SALLY CAMACHO
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Cuban Sandwich:
“Cuban Bread” – Brioche
“Mustard” – Passion Fruit Fluid Gel
“Ham” – Strawberry Caramel
“Pork” – Cream Cheese Mousse
“Cheese” – Flexible White Chocolate
“Pickles” – Compressed Pineapple
“Cuban Bread” – Brioche:
25 grams whole milk
396 grams whole eggs
28 grams fresh yeast
75 grams sugar
660 grams bread flour
14 grams salt
800 grams butter, cold and cut into large dice
“Mustard” – Passion Fruit Fluid Gel:
250 grams passionfruit puree
70 grams sugar
3 grams agar
2 grams sea salt
“Ham” – Strawberry Caramel:
50 grams sugar
140 grams strawberry puree
140 grams heavy cream
10 grams sugar
3 grams agar
2 grams gelatin sheets, bloomed
2 drops red food coloring
“Pork” – Cream Cheese Mousse:
550 grams cream cheese
315 grams crème fraiche
10 grams gelatin, bloomed
2 lemons, juiced and zested
75 grams water
250 grams sugar
160 grams yolks, pasteurized
570 grams heavy cream, soft whipped, kept cold
Ground feuillitine, as needed
“Cheese” – Flexible White Chocolate:
25 grams water
50 grams Sorbitol
1.5 grams agar
25 grams glucose
450 grams heavy cream
1 gelatin sheet, bloomed
200 grams white chocolate
2 grams sea salt
“Pickles” – Compressed Pineapple:
1/4 each of a pineapple
1 each vanilla bean, scraped
10 grams sugar
1 gram citric acid
2 grams fleur de sel
Brown and green food coloring, as needed
Plantain Chips:
10 limes, zested
2 grams citric acid
50 grams muscovado sugar
8 grams sea salt
20 grams tapioca maltodextrin
3 under ripe plantains, sliced
Oil, for frying
“Potato” Salad:
2 Asian pears, small dice
1/4 pineapple, small dice
2 Granny Smith apples, brunoise
2 vanilla beans
3 ounces fromage blanc
3 ounces yogurt
3 ounces honey
“Cuban Bread” – Brioche
1. Place milk, eggs and yeast in the electric mixer with hook attachment. Mix on speed 1 to partially dissolve. Add sugar and flour and mix on speed 1 until dough comes together. Add salt and butter. Turn to speed 2 and mix until slapping noise is heard. Check elasticity of dough with window test.
2. Place dough in refrigerator overnight.
3. The next day, on a sheeter, roll brioche to #4. Cut dough in 3” x 4 1/2” rectangles. Place on a sheet tray. Brush with egg and sprinkle with Maldon salt. Proof in a proof box for one hour. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until brown and done.
“Mustard” – Passion Fruit Fluid Gel
1. In a small saucepot, place passion fruit puree. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, agar, and salt. Sprinkle the agar mixture over puree. Whisk to combine. Turn on medium heat.
2. Allow to come to a continuous boil for one minute. Pour onto Anolon sheet tray to cool and set in the refrigerator.
3. Once set, place gel into blender and blend on high until smooth and no lumps. Set aside.
“Ham” – Strawberry Caramel
1. In a small saucepot, on low heat, combine strawberry puree and heave cream. Hear to scald and keep warm.
2. In a medium saucepot, on high heat, make a dry caramel with the sugar by adding 1 tablespoon at a time until the sugar caramelizes.
3. Once the sugar is carmelized, break it by adding the hot strawberry and cream mixture. Cook on low hear to dissolve caramel.
4. In a small bowl, combine sugar and agar. Sprinkle misture over caramel and whisk to combine. Bring mixture to a full boil for 10 seconds and remove from heat.
5. Add gelatin and food coloring. Stir to combine.
6. Pour onto Anolon, nonstick pan, thick so it is the thickness of ham. Place in fridge and set for an hour.
“Pork” – Cream Cheese Mousse
1. Place cream cheese in electric mixing bowl with whip attachment. Whip to smooth. Add crème fraiche and scrape bowl all the way to the dimple.
2. Place juice, zest, and gelatin in microwave safe container. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, just to melt gelatin.
3. Add melted gelatin mixture to cream cheese mixture. Whip to combine. Scrape and whip again to mix well. Set aside at room temperature.
4. Place water and sugar in a small saucepot on medium heat.
5. Meanwhile place yolks in electric mixer with whip attachment. Whisk on medium speed.
6. Bring sugar water to 115 degrees Celsius.
7. Stream hot sugar into mixer while whisking the yolks. Make sure to pour along the side of the bowl and not into the whisk, or you will get unwanted sugar threads.
8. Continue to whip yolks and sugar to light, fluffy, and tripled in volume. Once mixture is cooled to about 32-34 degrees Celsius, fold yolk mixture with cream cheese mixture to incorporate.
9. Last, fold in cold, soft cream. Fold to combine.
10. Pour mousse into frame with acetate lined straight sheet tray. Spread to evenly distribute mousse. Cover mousse with feullitine all over mousse, both sides.
11. Once frozen, cut into 3-inch x 4 1/2- inch rectangles. Use frozen when building sandwich.
“Cheese” – Flexible White Chocolate
1. In a medium saucepot, combine water, Sorbitol, agar, glucose, and cream. Place on medium heat, bring to a full boil and turn off heat. Pour over chocolate, bloomed gelatin, and salt. Allow to sit for 2 minutes to melt chocolate. Burmix to smooth. Then pour onto acetate lined sheet tray and place in refrigerator to chill and set.
“Pickles” – Compressed Pineapple
1. Take off core of pineapple, cut slices 1/4” thick of the pineapple. In a bowl, place all ingredients and toss to coat pineapple.
2. Add green and a little brown food color to achieve the color of a pickle. Place in a Cryovac bag and Cryovac it.
“Potato” Salad
1. Cut and scrape seeds from vanilla bean. In a bowl, mix vanilla and its beans, fromage blanc, yogurt and honey.
2. Add Asian pear, pineapple, and granny smith apples. Toss with yogurt dressing.
3. Place in a ramekin for service.
Plantain Chips
1. Slice plantains on slicer to get 1/8-inch thick slices.
2. Fry in 350 degree Fahrenheit oil until crisp and light brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
3. In a spice grinder, place lime zest, citric acid sugar, salt and tapioca maltodextrin. Grind until fine.
4. Toss plantains in sugar mixture.
Plating:
1. Cut brioche in half to make the sandwich. Spread “mustard” (passion fruit fluid gel onto both sides of the brioche. Place pieces of “pickles” (compressed pineapple) on one side of brioche. Cut a rectangle of “pork” (cream cheese mousse) and place on top of “pickles” (compressed pineapple). Cut slices of “ham” (strawberry caramel) and place on top of “pork” (cream cheese mousse). Then dot “ham” (strawberry caramel) with “cheese” (flexible white chocolate). Place other side of brioche on top to make a sandwich.
2. Wrap sandwich in sandwich parchment paper and cut in half on a diagonal line. Place sandwich on plate and place ramekin of “potato” salad on plate and handful of the plantain chips.
© 2011 CHEF SALLY CAMACHO
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Friday, October 21, 2011
All Top Chef Interview with "Top Chef Just Desserts" Season 2 Chef Orlando Santos
Chef Orlando talks about his experience on the Bravo Show.
Click here for Orlando's Chocolate Treasures website.
Click here for the podcast.
Thank you Chef Orlando.
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Thursday, October 20, 2011
ATC Love to Chef Orlando Santos
Chef Orlando Santos made it far in the competition, but probably not as far as he wanted. We wish him nothing but success in the future.
This post is only for positive comments about Chef Santos. If you have anything negative to say, please do so on our Reactions post.
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Reactions to Top Chef Just Desserts Episode 9
This week, we skipped the formalities of a Quickfire Challenge and jumped right into the Elimination. For no good reason, Chef Suzanne Goin is in the kitchen with Gail to announce the challenge: each of the four remaining pastrycheftestants must prepare a dessert disguised as an iconic dish from a particular ethnic cuisine.
Chris picked France, so he goes with Beef Wellington. Johnny has to wonder why he has chosen a British dish, but it obviously has roots in France so fine. (Puff pastry and duxelles? What's not French about that?) Orlando chose Spain and works on a faux paella. Matthew wisely chose Italian, which allows him the relative ease of mocking up a pasta dish like manicotti. And finally, Sally is stuck with her choice of Cuba, which gives her a hard time. Eventually she decides to play with a Cuban sandwich.
The judges for this contest are random: former Top Chef Masters competitors Michael Cimarusti and John Sedlar, restaurateur Sang Yoon, Suzanne Goin, Hubert Keller, and special guest chef Cat Cora. Orlando loooooves Cat Cora for some reason and pees his pants a little at the thought of her judging his food.
So they present their disguised desserts and lots of nice things are said at the table. But at Judges' Table, Chris gets dinged for not making his own puff pastry, Matt for not using tomatoes like he said he would, Orlando for his fluffy, broken, rice-cooker-cooked rice, and Sally's squishy white mousse. However, Sally's dish was pretty convincing otherwise, and her side dish of "potato salad" was a smash hit, so she got the win. And Orlando gets to go home.
Why he didn't make the very logical rice pudding for paella, we'll never know.
What did you think? Are you happy with the final three? Please leave a comment!
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Chris picked France, so he goes with Beef Wellington. Johnny has to wonder why he has chosen a British dish, but it obviously has roots in France so fine. (Puff pastry and duxelles? What's not French about that?) Orlando chose Spain and works on a faux paella. Matthew wisely chose Italian, which allows him the relative ease of mocking up a pasta dish like manicotti. And finally, Sally is stuck with her choice of Cuba, which gives her a hard time. Eventually she decides to play with a Cuban sandwich.
The judges for this contest are random: former Top Chef Masters competitors Michael Cimarusti and John Sedlar, restaurateur Sang Yoon, Suzanne Goin, Hubert Keller, and special guest chef Cat Cora. Orlando loooooves Cat Cora for some reason and pees his pants a little at the thought of her judging his food.
So they present their disguised desserts and lots of nice things are said at the table. But at Judges' Table, Chris gets dinged for not making his own puff pastry, Matt for not using tomatoes like he said he would, Orlando for his fluffy, broken, rice-cooker-cooked rice, and Sally's squishy white mousse. However, Sally's dish was pretty convincing otherwise, and her side dish of "potato salad" was a smash hit, so she got the win. And Orlando gets to go home.
Why he didn't make the very logical rice pudding for paella, we'll never know.
What did you think? Are you happy with the final three? Please leave a comment!
Posted on AllTopChef.com
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
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