Week 2

Donuts

This week's plated dessert consisted of plain and chocolate raised donuts tossed in a spiced sugar, along with a vanilla bean parfait and layered hot chocolate. The garnish was a dark chocolate circular plaque. Again, I plated it as shown in the text book and a second way as well. 

The donuts were the main component on the plate and I wanted to do something unexpected in terms of the shape, a filling, etc..  Further, I love the chocolate and peanut butter combination and since I had made peanut butter ganache to make chocolates, I wanted to incorporate it into this dessert. I decided to make small pillow-like chocolate donuts, similar to a ravioli, filled with peanut butter ganache. I had a vision of three of the donuts fanned on the right side over a puddle of the layered hot chocolate . And on the left I wanted to create a tower with the vanilla parfait, rolled in chopped peanuts, layered between chocolate plaques. I was excited about the vision in my mind, and thought it would look great on the plate!

The execution of my vision did not turn out as I had expected. The donuts puffed up quite a bit when frying, and therefore were not as delicate and small as I had envisioned. Three of them together looked too big. The vanilla parfait and chocolate tower turned out alright. Overall, all the components just didn't work as well as I thought they would. I learned that the vision in my mind doesn't always translate onto a plate. The photo below is a variation that Chef Sid helped me with that worked a lot better with the elements I had created.

I am working on my ability to envision how elements will work together on a plate. I'm learning this is a process and takes practice.

Chocolates

Chocolate making was great fun! I have made rolled truffles before, but this was my first time making filled chocolates in molds. Each person made a different ganache, and I chose peanut butter. I learned so much about the chocolate making process, and thoroughly enjoyed it. All the chocolates looked so professional, and were so tasty!

                                          Plated as show in the textbook.

                                         A variation that Chef Sid help me with. 

                                          Molds lined with chocolate.

                                          Filling with peanut butter ganache.

                                           The final product!

Week 1

I am very excited for Plated Desserts this quarter. I'm looking forward to learning more about combining flavors, textures, temperatures and multiple components on one plate in a visually appealing way. Ultimately, flavor is most important but garnishing and overall plate presentation is intriguing to me as well. Even though it has only been one weekend, I really like the overall structure of the class in terms of a mix of individual and team work.

Strawberries & Cream
Our first plated dessert creation was Strawberries & Cream. This consisted of toasted almond cake, ice milk, marsala reduction, strawberry foam, and strawberries. I plated it as shown in the textbook, as well as another way that allowed for some creativity. The almond cake was a straight-forward recipe. The creativity came into play when slicing the cake. It was challenging to think of a different presentation of the cake, that would work with all the other components on the plate. I learned how to make a quenelle which adds a nice touch to the presentation of ice cream, or in this case, ice milk. I had never made ice milk before. This was the first time I'd learned about using foam on a plate, too. I used to think it was just there for color and decoration on the plate, but I learned a chef's intent is to taste all flavors on the plate together. In terms of taste, the top note is the smell of the dessert. The middle note is the first taste which is usually sugar and then a burst of flavor. Lastly is the finish, which is the final impression and flavor left in the mouth.

When I had to create my own plate presentation, it was challenging to visualize all the elements on the plate. This is a skill I hope to improve upon as a result of this class. I found myself wanting to do things over after I had put them down on the plate (when it was too late to move them for the purpose of class timing, etc...). I love the fact that we are given creative license, and I'd like to expand in this area by looking for inspiration in in books, trade publications, online, etc.. I really like how each student presents his/her plates at the end of class, and we all spend time talking about them. It's a great learning tool.

Marshmallows
We made Strawberry Marshmallows, too. Again, this is something I've never done. My group made the type without egg whites, and I actually preferred these over the kind with egg whites.  

Final Thoughts
It is amazing to me how much thought goes into a plated dessert. I've started thinking about what I'd like to do for my deconstructed dessert project, but I have not made a final decision. I'm thinking about desserts that have a few elements that would be able to be broken down into flavorful, and visually appealing, components. As far as I can tell, I think I'm really going to enjoy this class. It's "uncharted territory" for me which is a bit intimidating right now, but exciting at the same time. 

                                              My presentation of Strawberries & Cream.

                                           Textbook presentation of Strawberries & Cream.

                                           Unmolding marshmallows in a pan of warm water.

                                           The final Stawberry Marshmallows.