in the kitchen x vacherin mont blanc with a twist

Vacherin mont blanc is a classic dessert of meringue & chestnut cream layers. Topped with some warm poached cherries, it's the perfect winter indulgence. While this dessert is great on it's own, I wanted to add my own twist to this classic. Why not duck? Chestnut and cherries go perfectly with duck. I added crispy duck skin as a garnish that would change the dimension of the dish, with the vacherin still the main focus. This dessert is comprised of meringue shards, chestnut cream, cherries poached in spiced wine, and crispy duck skin that was glazed in passion fruit. This is a light and creamy dessert, with cherries that are sweet & spiced. The glazed duck skin acts like bacon on top, with an acidic touch. An unassuming dessert, with a twist.

in the kitchen x chocolate, chestnut, and butternut squash

I feel like you've reached a certain level as a chef when you start to improve on your dishes from the year before. Last fall, I perfected this butternut squash sorbet (3 months of tweaks!) to be paired with chocolate. This year, I perfected the chocolate components. The second fall dessert to go on the menu is chocolate chiboust, chocolate sauce, chocolate ganache, caramelized cocoa nib crumble, spice cake (with a hint of cocoa), butternut squash sorbet, and bruleed chestnuts. The chocolate chiboust, sauce, ganache, and cocoa nib crumble are my typical foundation for a plated chocolate dessert. The chestnuts are packed in vanilla syrup and so they are very tender and sweet. I like to drain them and pat them dry before sprinkling sugar and torching them for a caramelized crunch. This spice cake is delicate, airy and soft, a nice texture to go along with the bruleed chestnuts and rich chocolate flavor. The star is the butternut squash sorbet. It is decadent with a good blend of fall spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and cardamom. I have to really credit the PacoJet for its texture, as it really helps  aerate and create such a smooth flavor without dairy and added ingredients.