in the kitchen x chocolate mousse, chocolate rocks, and maldon sea salt sherbet

It's been quite a busy few months that I haven't even been able to touch my blog. There's a few posts in the works showcasing my winter desserts (as we sit here through the April showers LOL). This chocolate mousse has been on the menu for a few weeks, and I am excited by the feedback and general popularity. Let's be serious though, when has chocolate not been a hit?  Anyway, this is one of the desserts that had been floating around in my head, so here goes. Milk  chocolate mousse (we use Valrhona Jivara 40%) is molded in a cube and then sprayed with a mixture of cocoa butter and Valrhona Manjari 64%. It is garnished with chocolate cremeux (Valrhona Extra Bitter 61%), chocolate cake, and chocolate rocks. The chocolate cake is technically steamed in the microwave, making it delicious and spongy. The chocolate rocks are a combination of cacao nib, cocoa powder, butter, and flour that has been mixed with tempered chocolate and afterwards dusted with confectioner's sugar and a bit of tapioca maltodextrin. As they are technically called chocolate rocks, I like when mine resemble coral and have crazy irregular shapes. Note to self: experiment with other flavors. All of this is paired with a maldon sea salt sherbet. I like to jokingly call it salted milk but it is very addictive. Sweet and salty. I love this dessert because it is purely focused on chocolate through percentages, flavors, textures, and different techniques with the maldon sea salt accenting the chocolate notes.

in the kitchen x caramelized pineapple v. 2

This dessert is an updated classic of last year's caramelized pineapple. Updated to the point where it's a new dessert. It is comprised of a roasted pineapple glazed in honey, cardamom, ginger, orange juice, and lime. It is topped with a whole wheat jaggery cake, coconut sorbet, sweet and salty caramelized popped sorghum (resembling miniature popped corn!), lime gel, and mint. It is sweet and refreshing, reminiscent of warm tropical beaches, but substantial enough for this gust of arctic weather we are currently experiencing in NYC. Sweet and salty, with a punch of acid, and a variety of textures. A delicious start to the new year.

in the kitchen x pear & blue cheese

Sometimes I can't decide on having cheese or dessert after a meal. I just want both. This dessert/cheese hybrid satisfies both cravings. The pears are poached in lemon rose geranium (a highly floral and beautiful herb), sugar, vanilla, and water. After they are poached, crumbled spanish blue is placed on top. It's drier, more crumbly, and stronger than other varieties I am used to eating, and I love how it stands up to the natural sweetness of fruit. 100% maple syrup is drizzled on top, nasturtium added because of their peppery and fresh note, and fresh pomegranate seeds added.  

finding your bliss x canellini bean and pancetta pizza

There's nothing I enjoy more than a cold slice of pizza. You wake up after a late night, find leftover pizza in the fridge, and start munching while brewing coffee in your pajamas. Is there no better way to celebrate a successful night and the beginning of a new day? Because I love leftovers, I purposely made extra. My boyfriend is partial to a simple margherita, but I love a white pizza. Trying to find a healthy alternative without tomato (just a bit tomato-ed out from this summer), I settled with a cannellini bean and pancetta pizza with fontina cheese and a lot of arugula on top. Some confit garlic and chili flakes sealed the deal. I had so much dough, and so little oven space, all my pizzas had to be baked in quarter sheet pans. Juggling a ton of quarter sheet pans of pizza with limited counter space, I vowed never to be greedy about making so much for leftovers. Ah the joys of apartment living in NYC. We'll see how my promise holds up.

in the kitchen x late summer cannoli

I call this a deconstructed cannoli in the loosest possible way. I remember a dessert that I learned in one the first restaurant I worked in, that was an interpretation of a cannoli. It was one of my favorite desserts, and whenever I plated it, I would inevitably eat some of the mise en place involved. Instead of the traditional shell, we fried up pasta strips that would be topped with confectioners sugar. It was delicious and funnily enough, tasted like funnel cake. I sought to recreate this aspect for the dessert, but changed everything else. This is comprised of deep fried pasta strips, whipped ricotta with honey and vanilla, and super ripe figs and strawberries. It's pretty simplistic, and I sought to add more to the dish. I played around with pistachio honey, caramelized nuts, ice cream, but in the end, I left it as is. When the fruit is ripe, the ricotta is fluffy and smooth, and deep fried pasta warm from the fryer and topped with sugar, that's all you need.