Beignet

So I have put a new dessert on the menu called "beignets". Using liquid nitrogen I am able to dip scoops of roasted banana ice cream into a beignet batter and fry it. The result is a light crispy beignet filled with frozen banana ice cream. I was somewhat surprised by the customers' feedback. Many of our "old school" diners did not hesitate to tell their servers, "NOW I've been to New Orleans.... (this is how they all started their statements).... and this is NOT a beignet...." So the server would ask..."Oh, I am sorry, but did you not like the dessert?" and to the reply of the diner.. "oh no, it is the best beignet I have ever had." I mean c'mon people! Its banana ice cream filled doughnuts!!!! The beignets are also served with a passion fruit curd, a passion fruit jam, roasted banana-clove puree, clove shortbread, and a butterscotch made with japanese black sugar. This sugar is awesome and goes incredibly well with the flavors of the roasted banana. It is a completely raw and unrefined sugar that is very dark, literally almost black. It has intense molasses and caramel notes and the staff at the restaurant love snacking on it like candy. It makes a great caramel that almost looks burnt because it is so dark, but it tastes perfectly bittersweet.

A great article about Chef Tyler Anderson and Chef Noel Jones from ON20

http://www.ct.com/entertainment/restaurants/nm-ff49dining-20111201,0,7535574.story

Nutella

This is truly my favorite dessert to eat. It is very inspired by my italian-american roots. What is better than nutella on toast? That is the inspiration for this dessert. The baker at the copper beech inn makes the most incredible baguettes I have ever eaten. Seriously. So I wanted to use them in a dessert. I make a cocoa baguette crisp that is the "toast" on the dessert. The main component is a classic italian semi-freddo made with valhrona manjari chocolate. It is served with a valhrona chocolate cremeux, or custard. It also has a rye streusel, a nutella ganache and toasted hazelnuts. In my hometown of New Haven, many of the italian pastry shops use a lot of ricotta cheese in their desserts, especially cannolis. So I make a ricotta gelato using Calabro Ricotta cheese. The cheese making company is literally about a mile away from my house and they arguably make the best ricotta cheese ever. This dish pays homage to all the italian-americans in New Haven who love dessert. Haha.

Pear Dessert

I am very happy with this new dessert I have been working on. It is a bartlett pear and vanilla bean mousse that is aerated with NO2 and then dispense into a vacuum. It is a very aerated and fun to eat mousse. I love CT pears and I am so tired of restaurants poaching them or making crisps with them. I like them barely touched or manipulated. They are delicious with floral flavors such as honey. So in this dessert I serve the mousse with a vanilla-pear pate de fruit that is cut very thin. I serve it with raw pears, an acacia honey foam  and honey flavored kataifi. The kataifi is a form of phyllo dough that is shredded and looks beautiful on a plate and it also goes very well with honey. To add to the floral flavors I made an elderflower sorbet that is flavored with St. Germain liquor. The sorbet is very soft and has a very delicate flavor. The dessert also has a lychee puree. Whenever I eat canned lychees they remind me of more floral canned pears so I thought the combination would be perfect. Pear, vanilla, honey. Simple flavors that remind me of being a kid again.

New Year

So I have been very busy recently and this is why my posts have been seriously lacking. I have left Arrows and beautiful Maine to move back to Connecticut. I love CT and I have missed it dearly. I have recently become pastry chef at The Copper Beech Inn, in beautiful Ivoryton CT. Another new kitchen to create in and i couldn't be happier! Check out Chef Tyler Anderson and his work at thecopperbeechinn.com. He was recently on Food Network's "Chopped" and won the 10 grand! I currently have a three course dessert tasting menu at the restaurant so don't miss it! If you are in CT come check the restaurant out.