It's been exactly 2 months since I have been working at the restaurant now and I've realized that the pace of things is a lot quicker than I had expected. Already one of the desserts, what used to be known as the Stone Fruit Crumble has been transformed to a strudel which shortly changed its filling to apple (to be specific: Northern Spy currently but it changes over time to different local favorites). Has anyone ever tried an apple called Hidden Rose? Amazingly, me being the oddball with fruit allergies, was not allergic from eating a slice of it. When you cut it open, it's really beautiful inside; white weaved in with shades of pink, which gives off an impression of a rose. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have thought of a rose if I saw it without knowing its name.
Over the past two weeks or so, the chefs have been developing a new dessert that was to replace my favorite, the Cremeux. After the experimentation and trials, from caramel sauce to chocolate sauce, the "Poire belle Hélène" Trifle was created. Vanilla mousse made with bourbon vanilla beans, a disc of caramel biscuit, Valrhona dark chocolate mousse, Pear William poached pear brunoise mixed in with a sweet gelée, warm chocolate sauce drizzled on, topped with a vanilla marshmallow square: all packed in a little glass jar. Oh and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. At first, I thought the alcohol was too overpowering but that could just be me since I'm prone to the Asian glow. After it became official on the menu, it turned out that there were diners who felt it was too strong as well. With an immediate revision of removing the additional alcohol from the gelée, the dessert has become a hit. I wish I could bring my dSLR into the kitchen but unfortunately, all I have are phone pictures that aren't so clear.
It's really enjoyable to see this entire process. Although every day the work is nearly the same, I'm loving the kitchen. I hope it stays with me for a good long time to come.
It's really enjoyable to see this entire process. Although every day the work is nearly the same, I'm loving the kitchen. I hope it stays with me for a good long time to come.
