Johnny Iuzzini like's Michelle's Gluten-free trio

Michelle Tampakis gluten-free trio

Gluten free desserts have come of age.  I saw proof on Monday night:   I watched Johnny Iuzzini swoop into kitchen 501 at the 2010 Top Pastry Chef Awards and absolutely scarf down the gluten-free Trio prepared by Michelle Tamapakis.   After eating the first third he proclaimed “Gluten-free? That’s awesome! It’s delicious”

So that’s two giant steps forward for Gluten-free desserts in one night, the first being Michelle Tampakis choosing to prepare a Gluten-free dessert for the awards and nailing it.

In case anyone was wondering what DessertBuzz thought of the trio, I thought it rocked too.  The sushi-like, carrot cake piece was outstanding.  Check out the video below to see Michelle serve the trio to Johnny Iuzzini and to hear more details about the trio.

More coverage of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs of 2010 Awards:
Part I is here.
Part II is here.

The Dessert Professional Magazine website is here.

The Institute of Culinary education web site is here.

Special Events, Top 10 Pastry Chefs of 2010 Awards | 6 Comments »

A chocolate tie for Father's day from Jacques Torres

If you need a last minute Father’s Day gift and dad has a sweet tooth you might try swapping out the classic standby of a silk tie with a dark chocolate version from  Jacques Torres. He won’t be able to wear it (I don’t think) but it will make going off to work more bearable if he consumes it for breakfast-I’m no dad but that’s what I would do.  There ’s also a tool kit for the dad who likes home improvement projects and additional chocolate definitely improves the home.

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Pistachio financier...

Frank Vollkommer was clearly not put off by having to bring 300 servings of a dessert to the Top 10 Pastry chefs of 2010 awards where he was being honored.  In fact, he actually brought two different items, neither of them very simple.  And if that wasn’t enough, he also brought some handmade chocolates as well.

From the Chocolate Mill in Glens Falls NY

The first item, a pistachio financier with vanilla parfait, lemon custard and rosemary infused blueberry compote, was a real crowd pleaser based on the comments from the attendees standing near me. “Not too sweet” and “this one in the glass is to die for” were two comments I wrote down while i was setting up the DessertBuzz video crew.

The second item which was designed by his wife Jessica, was a parfait with tropical soft ganache, passionfruit marmalade, buttermilk chocolate cake and milk chocolate mousse (!).   Jessica is also a chef and partner in the Chocolate Mill pastry chop and cafe in Glens Falls, NY where they both work.

Check out the video where Frank explains the ingredients  and what inspired these desserts.

More coverage of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs of 2010 Awards:

Part I  featuring photos of each of the top 10 honorees is here.

Part II featuring Nicholas Lodge of the French Culinary Institute of Chicago is here.

Part III (with Johnny Iuzzini and Michelle Tampakis) is here.

Part IV featuring executive pastry chef Yannis Janssens of the Fontainbleau resort in Miami Beach in here.

The Dessert Professional Magazine website is here.

The Institute of Culinary education web site is here.

Interviews, Special Events, Top 10 Pastry Chefs of 2010 Awards | 1 Comment »

Yannis Janssens Foret Noire: Manjari, Kirsch Chantilly and Griottines

While I was absolutely blown away by all of the desserts from the top 10 honorees, I did have a few favorites. These desserts not only showcased each chefs masterful pastry skills, as they all did, but also happened to be in line with my personal sweet tastes.  One such dessert was Yannis Janssens Foret Noire: with Manjari, Kirsch Chantilly and Griottines.  This was a modern spin on black forest cake (which normally I don’t even like).

The key to this dessert was the masterful handling of the two different layers of chocolate in each component which I learned are hand dipped.   Each component had a very uniform and smooth outer chocolate layer.   Then, inside there was a completely different type of chocolate with the same smooth texture.  The two types of chocolate in the darker half were very rich and flavorful and not too sweet.  Yannis notes one of the chocolates in the title of the dessert “Manjari”, in reference to Valrhona’s Manjari dark chocolate which features Madagascar beans.  Very pro!

Easily worth a trip to Miami.   Check out the video to learn more about the dish.

More coverage of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs of 2010 Awards:
Part I is here.

Part II is here.

Part III (with Johnny Iuzzini and Michelle Tampakis) is here.

The Dessert Professional Magazine website is here.

The Institute of Culinary education web site is here.

Interviews, Special Events, Top 10 Pastry Chefs of 2010 Awards | 1 Comment »

It’s rare for DesserBuzz to have so much access to so many great pastry chefs in the middle of a dessert service. In a restaurant there would be many reasons why they wouldn’t want me in there snapping pictures, asking silly questions and sticking video cameras in their faces.  Last night however, while they were prepping the desserts, there was plenty of space and relative peace and quiet. Plus, the chefs still had plenty of energy left to chat about their creations.

The first honoree I spoke with, Chef Nicholas Lodge of the French Pastry School in Chicago, had one of the most colorful and beautiful looking desserts of evening. He called it “chapeau chic” but later described it to me as a fantasy of a cherry blossom. One of Nicholas’s specialties is gum paste flowers, fondants and wedding cake design.

He told me it take about 2-3 minutes to make each gum paste flower.  Now consider that he had to make 300 of them and you are looking at 600-900 minutes and we haven’t even gotten to the main part of the dessert yet! Here’s some video of Nicholas in action with his creation.

Interviews, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

Yannis Janssens Foret Noire: Manjari, Kirsch Chantilly and Griottines

Last night I had the pleasure to attend the awards for the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America presented by Dessert Professional Magazine at The Institute of Culinary Education.   I was truly blown away by the quality of each and every dish – there was not one weak dessert.  Even though each chef and their team had to prepare over 300 servings it didn’t seem to deter them from making really involved creations with many components (see home made chocolate covered pop rocks).  Without exception, these were some of the most spectacular desserts I have ever eaten.   Over the next few days (weeks?)  I’ll be posting some video and going into more depth about some of the desserts.  The first wave of pictures are below.  Enjoy.

2010 Top 10 Honorees:

Nicholas Lodge - French Pastry School, Chicago IL

Chapeau Chic - the flowers looked real Nicholas specialty

Roy Pell - The Phoenician, Scottsdale AZ

My overall favorite dessert among a 3-Star field of desserts

Jacquelan

Christopher Boos - Dunkin Brands

Milk Chocolate Jasmine Tea Tart: Baskin-Robbins Cranberry Sorbet w/ Soaked Cherries, Dunkin Dark Roast Coffee Cream

Kimberly Bugler - Restaurant 21, NYC

Strawberry Upside Down Cake with Kalamansani Silk, Basil Ice Cream and Vanilla-Roasted Strawberries

Steve Evetts - Marriot Marquis Hotel, NYC

Hazelnut Passion Green Tea and Corazon

This dessert had chocolate covered pop rocks and sorbet in a working lipstick dispenser

Bill Foltz - L’Auberge du Lac Resort Casino, Lake Charles LA

Honey Cake, Coconut Haupia, Valrhona Cream and Pineapple Lemongrass Salsa

Yannis Janssens - Fontainebleau, Miami Beach FL

Michelle Tampakis - Institute of Culinary Education, NYC

Gluten_free_trio Carrot Cake

Robert Truitt - Corton, NYC

Rhubarb Bavarois, Sorrel Cucumber Granite Pistachio Sable

Frank Vollkommer - The Chocolate Mill, Glens Falls NY

Pistachio Financier with Vanilla Parfait Lemon Custard & Rosemary Infused Wild Blueberry Compote

Hall of Fame honoree: Gary Guittard

The Dessert Professional Magazine website is here.

The Institute of Culinary education web site is here.

Part II with Nicholas Lodge is here.

Part III (with Johnny Iuzzini and Michelle Tampakis) is here.

Part IV with Jannis Janssens is here.

Special Events, Top 10 Pastry Chefs of 2010 Awards | 6 Comments »

chocolate chip semifreddo dessert from A Voce

On a hot and sticky night it was nice to stay somewhat local and visit A Voce in the Time Warner Center.  We got a table near the windows and it had nice views of the tops of the trees (and buses) that surround Central Park.  The staff was extremely friendly as usual and all of our savory dishes were excellent – the grilled calamari is simply the best I have had anywhere. I have no idea how they make rubbery squid so tender (do they beat it with a mallet like Gallagher?)

The dessert:

Despite having already tackled two small pastries from Francois Chocolate Bar earlier in the day I decided to “take one for the team” and have another dessert at A Voce.  I’m glad I did.  The not-too-sweet, cool, chocolate chip semifreddo was perfect for a warm sultry night.  Semifreddo is basically a partly frozen mousse.  It’s cold like ice cream but much lighter and just as flavorful. The semifreddo contained nice dark chocolate chips and the dessert was set in a small pool of bitter orange preserve/syrup.  The syrup cut the sweetness nicely.  The finishing touch was a cocoa flavored pizzelle (waffle cookie).

Recommended: Chocolate chip semifreddo

Savory recommendation: Grilled calamari app and the Brussell sprouts side dish

A Voce’s Dessert menu is here.

A Voce has 2 locations: One in the Time Warner Center the other at 41 Madison Ave.

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