Strawberry Tarts with Cassis Cremeux

February 22, 2011

Lately I have been preparing quite a few tarts made with puff pastry. Sure, in a way somewhat old fashioned and certainly far more difficult to handle if compared to shortbread style tart dough. However, I think that we can all agree that most people find pure butter puff pastry simply irresistible. It is one […]

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Kouing Aman

February 15, 2011

It is fair to say that most people find a perfect pure butter croissant or a delectable apple turnover simply irresistible. It is partly about the texture, the buttery flakes, the aroma and the desire for more.  Like nearly everyone, I am also a huge aficionado of Palmiers. To me, Palmiers caramelized crust and its […]

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Valentine Dessert

February 1, 2011

Valentine menus tend to be filling and oftentimes rich. For such occasions I like to select a dessert which is either light or is very strong in flavor. This lemon and passion fruit cream does the trick. If desired serve with raspberry, champagne and rose or blackberry sorbet. For the heart I made a lemon […]

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Valentines Petit Four Sec

January 25, 2011

For the weeks leading up to the day of love, I am sharing some of the things which I find of interest and which could be possibilities to serve on or before Valentine.   The first in the collection is a shortbread finished with raspberry jam, almond macaronade and chocolate. It is an excellent petit four […]

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Cheesecake made with SteviaCane

January 18, 2011

At times a pastry chef has to make desserts which address certain dietary needs. Sometimes the product needs to be without gluten, lactose, salt or it may require having high fiber content. Some people chose or by doctor’s order need to reduce their sugar intake. Making ingredient changes in desserts can be easy or challenging. […]

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Gâteau Ferrini

January 4, 2011

Some of the finest cakes in the pastry shop oftentimes contain almonds. Just to name a few: Financier, Dacquoise, Pain de Genes, and Joconde…. Indeed they are some of a pastry chef most beloved cake layers to work with.  For this particular gâteau I used biscuit joconde as it allows me to moisten it with […]

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Red Grapefruit Marmalade

December 28, 2010

It‘s no wonder that the botanical name for grapefruit is Citrus Paradisi. The scent, the flavor, the cholesterol lowering properties and the endless list of healthy attributes make it a fruit straight from paradise indeed. Grapefruit is one of the fruits I love to use in desserts since it brings an unmatched flavor to countless […]

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Lambic Raspberry Sorbet

December 23, 2010

This past summer Lieve Blancquaert and her amazing crew came to Houston and filmed me nonstop for 4 days for an episode of her beautiful documentary, titled “Made in Belgium”. It’s a series of 8 shows, each featuring a chef who works somewhere in the world. Her program took her to South America, Africa, North […]

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Macaron

December 14, 2010

A fruit which never seems to escape my interest are cranberries. I adore them in savory applications as well as in desserts.  Their acidic bitterness is particularly welcome in desserts which are by nature sweet and are in dire need of a touch of balance. Think for example of wonderful baked meringue layered with cranberry […]

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Brioche

November 30, 2010

Brioche with candied Buddha hand toasted hazelnuts Good quality butter, a few ordinary ingredients and close attention to detail can make a most extraordinary brioche. The brioche I feature here is made with a sponge and therefore may not be as convenient to prepare, compared to a brioche where the dough is matured overnight in […]

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