Friday
Evening, March 28, 2003
The chefs then divided into four sub-groups
for ideation, or brainstorming, sessions. Each group was
to work as a team, developing a concept and dessert menu
for a new operation about to open. Assignments ranged from
a casual restaurant to a bakery, and from a hotel pastry
buffet to a formal restaurant. Menus had to reflect the entire
Mediterranean, include 10 to 15 separate dessert ideas, and
utilize sponsor’s products at least once. The theme
behind each operation was “Mediterranean Flavors -
Celebrating the Past, Exploring the Future.” The ideation
groups were a combination of pastry chefs, Greystone instructors,
presenters, and students, which led to spirited and diverse
discussions. The chefs were in their element and creativity
ran rampant. Sparks flew. Ideas exploded. Laughter and passionate
discourse could be heard through the halls. During this process,
the participants became not just colleagues, but also friends.
The groups worked through lunch and broke only to listen
to Joyce Goldstein talk about sweets in Spain, Portugal and
North Africa.
Joyce, author of numerous books on Mediterranean
cuisine and former owner of Square One restaurant in San
Francisco, gave fuel to the creative fire by covering a staggering
number of pastries in these countries. She stressed the inescapable
influence of the Arab occupation which contributed almonds,
citrus and sugar cane to the pastry chef’s repertoire,
and described some of the favorite sweets from each country,
including the Aletria of Portugal (a thin pasta drenched
in egg yolk custard), the Tocino de Cielo of Spain (a translucent
egg yolk flan with ground almonds and sometimes pumpkin),
and the Kenefa of Morocco (a sweet bastilla with almond custard
or pastry cream and almonds between the layers). She spoke
of common threads weaving through Spain and Portugal, including
the abundant use of egg yolks in sweets (left from the whites
used to clarify wines), puddings (including flans and rice
puddings), quince paste, turron (nougat) and all manner of
marzipan sweets and deep-fried treats. North Africa, though
it does not share a devotion to egg yolks, has similar passions
concerning rice pudding (flavored with almonds and orange
blossom water), nougat (called jabane), and many desserts
featuring almond paste, such as Gazelle’s Horns (crescent-shaped
pastries filled with almond paste) and M’hencha (“the
snake”, warka rolled around logs of almond paste, then
placed end to end to form a coiled snake).
The chefs were curious about Joyce’s
experiences serving “real” Mediterranean desserts
at Square One. She admitted that back in 1984, she couldn’t
sell an authentic Mediterranean dessert, though that wasn’t
surprising. She reminded the chefs that “desserts are
comfort for people - it’s the end of a meal and guests
don’t want to think too hard.” Her suggestion? “Give
them something new paired with something sexy that they love.” For
instance, she suggested putting a Mediterranean sweet that
is unusual as an accent on a dessert that you know the customers
want, such as the popular liquid center chocolate cake. The
chefs appreciated her honesty and down-to-earth approach
for marketing flavors or desserts that may be new to customers.
Following Joyce’s presentation,
the chefs returned to their ideation groups and finalized
their dessert menu concepts for presentation to the entire
group. At 4 p.m., the chefs reassembled in the Ecolab Theater
to share their ideas. The casual restaurant team designed
a sophisticated yet friendly menu, appealing to their wide
range of clientele with desserts such as Honey Yogurt Panna
Cotta in a Shredded Filo Nest, served with Peaches and Orange
Blossom Syrup, Fresh Strawberries splashed with Balsamic
Vinegar, served with Basil Ice Cream and Almond Tuile, Espresso
Mascarpone Semifreddo with Truffle Center, and Toffee-Date
Pudding with Chestnut Honey Mousseline. They even had ideas
for a children’s menu, including Churros with Hot Chocolate
Fondue, topped with Cinnamon Ice Cream.
The formal restaurant team addressed the
group next, profiling their customers as well-traveled, sophisticated
and adventurous. Dessert concepts included a Warm Lemon Cake
with Frozen Yogurt and Spoon Sweets; Poached White Peach
with Amaretti, Dolce Gelee, and Lemon Verbena Sorbet; Almond
Milk Panna Cotta with Pomegranate Molasses and Olive Oil
Biscotti; and Rice Pudding with Ginger-Macerated Raisins,
Saffron Essence, and Candied Sicilian Pistachios.
The
bakery team was up next, and entertained the audience with
their concept of a bakery and cafe featuring such offerings
as Gianduja Chocolate Chip Cookies; Earl Grey Bittersweet
Chocolate Truffles; Moroccan Doughnuts (orange blossom brioche,
fried in olive oil and dusted with cardamom sugar); Quince
Tart Tatin (featuring quince poached in Dolce wine); and
Galliano Ricotta Cheesecake with golden raisins and a pine
nut crust. The bakery also offered a proprietary blend called “Mediterranean
Five Spice”, consisting of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger,
vanilla and white pepper, as well as a line of candied nuts,
spoon sweets and pate de fruits.
The hotel pastry buffet team ended the
day’s presentations with a very creative and elaborate
concept called “Midnight at the Oasis”, replete
with six separate dessert stations, an anise liqueur bar,
and finger bowls scented with rose water. Ice creams ranged
from Coffee Cardamom to Apricot Amaretto to Mascarpone with
Honey and Dates. The crepe station featured a range of flavors
(semolina, chestnut, faro) offered with a selection of compotes
such as Fig Compote with Rosemary, Orange and Black Tea,
Wild Strawberries and Rose Petals, and Fresh Curd Cheese
with Raisins. Other stations offered traditonal delights
like stuffed dried fruits and biscotti, modern interpretations
like halva cheesecake, and, of course, a range of chocolates
including a Dolce truffle and a Middle Eastern Mendiant with
fennel, cardamom, almond, raisin and candied orange. The
fact that this group had consumed the entire bottle of limoncello
in their mystery basket gave the rest of the groups cause
to consider doing the same. Alas, the day was over and the
remaining liqueurs safely back in the kitchen...but the evening
was still ahead.
At 7 p.m., the group re-convened, this
time dressed up and ready to dine at the Dolce/Far Niente
Winery. Hors d’ouevres were served in a “garage” housing
a stunning collection of antique and modern cars in showroom
condition. The chefs enjoyed a tour of the winery, including
the caves and the beautiful, Italian-inspired wine library.
The tour ended in an elegant dining room set with one long
table where the group feasted on four superb courses by executive
chef Michel Cornu, each course accompanied by two superb
vintages of a Far Niente varietal. Desserts were accompanied
by the silken sweetness of a 1999 and a 1993 Dolce, masterfully
paired with a hazelnut soufflé, an almond clafouti
with griottes cherries, and a double crepe creme brulee with
lavender ice cream. The evening ended with toasts to the
chefs, the generous winery hosts, and the Culinary Institute
of America for making such an experience possible.
