in the kitchen x persimmon, the star

Sometimes the best things come to you when you least expect it. This dessert was inspired by my lazy saturday breakfast of persimmon, farmer's cheese, and raw honey. So simple and so satisfying. Fresh and ripe fruit is a dessert unto itself. Seriously, nothing compares. Since I can't exactly hand someone a persimmon and call it a plated dessert, this dish is comprised of a pistachio cardamom cake, ripe persimmon, persimmon chips, farmer's cheese, raw honey, and pistachio oil. The persimmon goes incredibly well with the tangy and rich farmer's cheese. You would think adding honey to the already sweet persimmon would be too much, but it highlights the fruit and adds a fun granular texture to the dish. The pistachio oil adds a nuttiness that goes well with the farmer's cheese. The pistachio cardamom cake adds the right amount of spice. I just love that all the flavors are so distinct from one another, but together add up to one delicious bite. Isn't that the most important thing?

in the kitchen x black sesame bavarois

Ever since I tried black sesame ice cream, I have become obsessed with creating a black sesame dessert. This is not your typical black sesame "cake". The dacquoise is made with a mixture of flour and ground black sesame. The black sesame is steeped in heavy cream, for a delicate and luscious bavarois. The first version of the black sesame dessert is topped with red currants, frais de bois, black sesame seeds and vanilla ice cream. While pretty, I wasn't convinced that strawberries and vanilla were the best accompaniments to black sesame's nutty and distinct flavor. What finally made it on the menu is a thicker black sesame "cake" topped with blueberry compote, sesame tuile, honey powder, and ginger and lemongrass ice cream. The texture of the delicate bavarois and crunchy tuile is a great contrast, and juicy, bursting blueberries complement the black sesame perfectly. The ginger and lemongrass ice cream hold their own next to the black sesame flavor. This is the perfect dessert for a warm summer night.