Today it is not sunny and there is really no inspiring fresh produce to work with. It is that time of year when Pastry chefs are using culinary staples available year-round such as; nuts, chocolate, vanilla, coconut, and the precious few fresh fruits (mostly citrus) in season, to create their desserts. To use produce out of season in any decent establishment is considered culinary blasphemy. Although it can be a bleak time of year, there is hope! Re-thinking uses of common ingredients and exploring new flavor combinations can create some amazing desserts. This is actually a time to be extraordinarily creative by A; Creating new tastes and textures with familiar ingredients. B; showcasing technique by creating technically difficult creations without being bogged down by the need to incorporate all the fresh fruits in season, as there aren't many. One of the most important ingredients to check into are spices. Not the old standards like cinnamon and nutmeg, but the rarely used and unexplored ones like my new interests; grains of paradise, anise, cardamom, and hyssop.
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