Archives for March 2009
Milk Chocolate Cheesecake: BAM!!
30 March 2009 | Ten 01, cake, chocolate, delicious, dessert, faithful readers, plated dessert, recipe | 3 Responses
As my faithful readers may guess, I hesitate to utter or type the word “bam,” let alone “BAM!” I find it appropriate here however because of two things. Firstly, I stole this recipe from none other than the “bam-man” himself, Emeril Lagasse. Second this cheesecake hits you like so many extra handfulls of whatever it may be, BAM! Leaving the audience (you,) asking for more. At first glance, any pastry minded person would wonder at the food processor method and the addition of flour for this cheesecake. Also, no water bath while baking? My employer Adam mused that it was no doubt some kind of shortcut or compensation for poor technique. The likelihood of him being correct doesn’t change the silky texture and pure indulgence of this tangy chocolately treat. The only thing did I differently was to increase the milk chocolate by 2 ounces. I use a water bath, too. I just have to. I also use a milk-chocolate feuillitine crust after baking and chilling and an oreo cookie round when it hits the plate. I make the milk chocolate crust by melting the chocolate over a double-bloier, then mixing in enough feuillitine to have a fluid but crunchy texture. I bet you could use chopped cereal flakes and have similiar results, if you’re having trouble finding the feuillitine. I hate soggy graham cracker crust. At first I baked it in a square and cut rectangles, but soon switched to the demisphere, which due to gravity actually bakes things into truncated domes. I glaze them in dark chocolate and pipe the cute little milk chocolate lines. For sauce I use a blood orange caramel, which balances with he milk chocolate nicely. When I sauce the plate, I envision the mask of Rorschach from Watchmen, because I’m a silly dreamer.
Emeril Lagasse’s Milk Chocolate Cheesecake
3 pounds cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup bleached all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
10 ounces milk chocolate, melted
Beat the cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add the sugar and process. Add the eggs 1 at a time, running the processor in between each addition. Add the heavy cream, flour, salt, and vanilla and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the motor running, add the chocolate in a steady stream. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake (in a water bath) until the center of the cake sets, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Oreo Cookie
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
8 oz soft butter
1 tsp salt
1 tblsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups A.P. Flour
Cream the butter, salt and sugar well, but not to light and fluffy
Sift in the flour and cocoa powder, then mix to form a dough
Cover with plastic and chill at least one hour before rolling on a floured surface and cutting out cookies
Bake at 350 for 12 minutes
Weird Desserts.
22 March 2009 | Ten 01, chocolate, creative presentation of the week, delicious, dessert, jack yoss, plated dessert | 10 Responses
In my exploration of flavor combinations, I’ve made up some weird desserts. I mean, for awhile, all I made was weird desserts. I liked things that were different, that made people think! At Carlyle I tried to deep fry bread pudding. It was good. People didn’t get it. I put a doughnut on the plate with poached pears. People didn’t get it. At ten-01, I’ve refined my style a little bit. I did less weird, but still unusual. Twists, if you will. Well, you can sell that shit to the fucking tourists; people still didn’t get it. Chef Jack taught me to write menus that sounded as good as they tasted. Chocolate Whiskey Cake with Brown Butter Caramel and Dulche de Leche Ice Cream sounds pretty fucking good. I have to cook for your demographic. I have to make desserts that people don’t think about, they just buy. The average Portland diner isn’t a jaded big city type; used to everything from fried mayonnaise to “weird fish.” Sure they got behind grassy sage ice cream, but they seem to want desserts well inside the comfort zone. Vanilla Creme Brulee. Pear fritters. I sell more ice cream then anything else. I’ve got a new cheesecake; which is going over well, but I find my plating skills have hit a plateau. At least dessert of last year is off. I’ve enjoyed some banquet dessert success as well recently. I need some input…some inspiration. Fuck, I need some fucking berries already!!
7 days in Colorado.
18 March 2009 | jeff, people, vail | No Responses
Kate and I took a short trip back to Colorado a few weeks ago. We had some wedding details to work out, so I added a few days to my trip to snowboard with my brother and party. The snowboarding was sunny and fast, I got a wicked burn sun-bathing afterward while eating sliders. Kate and I had a world class meal at Splendido, the restaurant where we’ll be wed. They sliced the foie thick and the room was subtley beautiful; dark and warm. My brother Thomas had a Skate Jam at his house, the band played and the kids skated. His apartment has a couple of quarter pipes and a pump bump running through it. The band squeezed into the living room, pounding out metal while I drank beers and watched the skaters. There were about fifteen people there which was perfect, any more and would it would have been to crowded to skate. We traveled to Denver at one point to see Coheed open for Slipknot, but missed most of the show because of a ridiculous mile-long line. The next day, back in the high country, I met up with some of my old boys and we hit up the Minturn Country Club. It’s a cook-your-own steakhouse, and they do prime rib-eye by the inch. I had them slice off a fatty and I grilled up mushrooms and onions to cover the top. I had about three too many 90 Shillings and two shots, but the huge steak kept me upright. It was a great trip that was much needed after a long couple of weeks. I finally got to meet my brother’s dog Bean, and his girlfriends dog Bentley. My boys at the restaurant held my station down for me, and it wasn’t all cook-handed up when I returned. At least not that badly.
Jack Yoss Caps Career in Oregon with Epic Plated, Speech.
14 March 2009 | Ten 01, blog, chef, jack yoss | 2 Responses
I stood behind Chef Jack and watched him address the crowd. His words numbed me, the lights were warm and dazzling. My body was worked and my brain was out of breath, the past weeks whirlwind had me winded. Having been pitted against a punishing prep list, long days and busy nights, I end up here. On a stage, people applauding; dessert service forks and tinkling wine glasses, laughter in my ears. My mind flashed back onstage, the past year, month, week, moment. My career’s skyrocket since meeting Jack and starting at Ten-01. Working, always working. So many great dinners, so many memories. Perez and I working Sunday before investor sponsored staff party. This whole day, prepping and plating; flashing in my mind. We just kicked out the best dinner this group’s seen, over a thousand plates over five courses in 2 hours. I left the hall elated and grabbed an icy cold bottle of white and hit the showers. That night, its was late night shots and darts with one of the best chefs I’ll meet, a friend and mentor. He believed in my talent and demanded my proper execution, encouraging and strong. It was an easy parting for him and I; just farewell, both sure of our permanent friendship. Besides, I know he’ll never really get lost out there. Our paths will cross again.
