This was a dessert that had some interesting components, and I wasn't sure how well they'd all come together in the end. It consisted of chevre panna cotta as the main component, with vanilla granny smith apples draped on the top. It was garnished with a nutmeg tuile nest, and a thyme gelee and port sauce on the side.
The goat cheese panna cotta was very rich, therefore the small portion was perfect. Further, the thyme gelee by itself didn't taste that good, in my opinion. But when coupled with the panna cotta and the apples, it worked very well. The flavors all really complemented one another. I'm learning that generally a pastry chef's intention is for guests to taste all flavors on a plate together. This was a lovely, dainty dessert.
Red Velvet Opera Cake
This plated dessert is one of my favorites thus far. I love the taste, the presentation and how well the colors work together on the plate. It consisted of flourless chocolate cake, pecan dacquoise, molasses ganache and milk chocolate buttercream all assembled into the opera cake. The sauce was a bourbon sabayon, and it was garnished with a candied pecan, pecan croquant and dark chocolate.
The cake tasted quite good. However, some of my classmates felt the molasses flavor was a bit strong. I could see how that flavor profile could be in the love/hate category. This was the first time I'd made a chocolate garnish like this. It wasn't as hard as it looks. The more I work with chocolate, the more interested and intrigued I become. There's so much you can do and the legs for creativity are endless. I think the chocolate garnish on the plate really makes a big impact and sells it.
As the quarter progresses, I'm learning to think broader in terms of how everything works together on a plate. For example, when it comes to garnishing and plating, and considering everything that's important (a sauce, height, etc...).
