The Art Of Plated Desserts Where does the word dessert come from? It is the French term for “clear the table”. Dessert

Remember dessert is the last impression Remember dessert is the last impression. We eat with our eyes but the second bite is determined by the first. It’s gotta look good, but it had better taste GREAT”. -Dan Budd CEPC - CIA

A great dessert is a fine balance of… FLAVOR TEXTURE TEMPERATURE COLOR (not always in this order) “Desserts must have the four cornerstones to be successful.” - Chef Robert Wemischner

Flavor Olfactory Senses Both physical and mental process Physical is the tongue Mental is “Retro Nasal Perception” Your brain remembers the smell from past memories. A smell can trigger memories and cause reactions. Large percentage of what we label as taste is attributed to smell The Tongue Tastes SWEET, SOUR, SALT, BITTER Mouth feel, temperature and textures are important factors Discuss Flavors being picked up though different sensory and that a blend of these is a plus

Flavor: Sweet and Sour Sweet How to add sweetness Add sugars Natural sugars Honey Apples Watermelon Process of sugar release through cooking procedures Sour Not all sours are “Airheads Candy” Right proportion of sour can work with the sweetness of most desserts Citrus fruits and wines are great additions Sugar can have many profiles depending on the application of carmelization process

Flavor: Salt and Bitter Salt is a flavor balancer Opens the pores allowing for full flavor WARNING – don’t add too much! Bitter Most times an unexpected result in pastry, but it can be a great counterpart to sweet dishes. Examples: Coffee Un-sweetened chocolate Coca powder Cranberry Orange zest A touch of salt is sometimes all that is needed to balance the dessert

Flavor Strategies Sweet tastes should not overpower the natural flavor of the components Accentuate the sweetness with traces of salt, combine with bitter flavors, or sour/acidic flavors salt – butter cream, salted caramel mocha profile- classic example of bitter and sweet lemon meringue pie- classic example of sour and sweet Study wine and food pairing techniques and concepts Matching flavor with food or opposing the flavor Study books on taste and flavor

Textures Crunch factor is a major quality point to create a texture contrast. Examples: Tuiles Sugar Garnishes Mille-Feuille Density contrasts of creams and fillings. Examples: Italian meringue based mousse, Bavarian cream, egg custard, heavy ganache, gelée, pate de fruits Creamy texture contrasted with crunchy textures Examples: Tuiles, croquant, crisp baked meringue “This lends itself to choices in composition”

TEMPERATURES People love to experience hot and cold on a plate Hot and Cold Tips Hot should be Hot (Soufflés and Tatins) Fresh fruits should be cold and clean Coulis cold & caramel warm Frozen creams should be frozen but not hard Examples Crème Brûlée Apple Pie and ice cream Molten chocolate cake with coconut sorbet Temps in Contrast are helpful to make well composed items. The blend of cold and hot has always been a plus think Pie Ala Mode

COLORS Remember you eat with your eyes Careful with Whiteout or Blackout Colors should be pastel, natural looking, and never gaudy. Shine and matt contrast in the finish is also important Balance is good and can be achieved Colors should be on the plate Not in the Plate….White plates are a nice palate to work on. “whiteout” plates means white/light sauces on a white plate, and “blackout” plates means dark sauces on a black plate.

ALWAYS LEARNING Read National Culinary Review Giga Chef Chefs Companion Pastry Chefs Companion The Great Dessert Book by Christian Teubner The Advanced Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg Dessert Art by Robert Oppeneder Frutta Prima, Dessert Composition from Albert Uster Imports LOOK AT LOTS OF PICTURES GET INSPIRED Remember the pastry community is small. Imitation is frowned upon!!!!! Gather inspiration but make the dish your own Take a look at your audience if more are young student culinarians then imitation is ok as they are young and still learning.

MOST FAILURES OCCUR BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE… CUSTOMER INGREDIENT TECHNIQUE EQUIPMENT OR FACILITY Remember to watch techniques, clean lines, perfect piping, proper baking and finishing techniques. This is straight forward but the emphasis is on Educating yourself as a Chef

THE 3 “P’S” PLANNING PROCEDURE PERFORMANCE Execution with precise clean lines and perfect technique are the mark of the expert pastry chef Planning Know your basics Know your goal Know the path to get there PROCEDURE Know your Basics Know the Execution Precision and Professionalism PERFORMANCE Know your basics (get the point) Know your Final Plate Cold is Cold Hot is Hot Positively Reach the goal

Knowledge combined with repetitive practice = excellent execution KNOW YOUR ENVIROMENT KNOW HOW INGREDIENTS WORK…… TOGETHER KNOW THE MASTERS AND GIVE THEM…….. RESPECT Knowledge combined with repetitive practice = excellent execution This is important and usually where a student or young culinarian loses focus Also where the chef understands that usually three flavors is enough

GARNISHES Everything on the plate should be edible. Garnishes should promote harmony in flavor. Give contrast in texture. Should give height. Examples Fresh fruits, berries and zest Thin sliced de-hydrated fruits miniature apples and pears Cookies- Tuiles, Hippenmasse, Linzer cookies, Sable cookies Chocolate garnishes- Filigree, plaques, curls, cigarettes Sugar garnishes- bubble sugar, sugar corkscrews, caramel decorations Garnishes should make sense and add something to the plate not be a deterent

Putting it all together The Menu The menu should represent diversity. Do not prep so many components that you never go home. Times the number of components on the dish by number of guest to make sure it can be completed A variety of textures and temps Remember Where you are , Who you Are, and What the facilities Capabilities are this really gets discussed in slide 16

The Industry Standard Examples: Creamy dessert Chocolate dessert Nutty dessert This is Standard conversation the wild card is chefs choice though and important to the creativity for most chefs

The Industry Standard Examples: Frozen dessert Signature dessert Citrus dessert Frozen dessert Signature dessert Warm/hot dessert This is Standard conversation the wild card is chefs choice though and important to the creativity for most chefs 18

Styles Plating Strategic plating

THREE MAIN SAUCE STYLES… Sauces are an compliment to dessert items of a dryer nature Add enough sauce for every bite Placement can be controlled sauce painting or loose sauce Try a hybrid of both (Combo) Don’t choose the sauce for the color There are many choices for products in sauces There are 3 main types of painting And all 3 …………have a place ……what are your reasons for the plate to have sauce and how it works

Sauce Painting Techniques When sauce is an integral part of the dessert Free flow compotes, crème anglaise, swirled in with two or three sauces When sauce is used as an artistic accent Brush on chocolate piping filled with fruit coulis

DURING SERVICE Frozen should be frozen Hot should be hot Served on cold plates Hot should be hot Served on hot plates Develop a sense of urgency Don’t serve anything you wouldn't serve yourself or someone you love This is most important ….lots of hard work got it here

DURING SERVICE Anchor items to the plate Use a product that compliments the dish Make sure the anchor is edible and goes with the other items on the plate Use honey, molasses, glucose or chocolate This is most important ….lots of hard work got it here 23

Tips for exams and competitions Group mise en place scaled ingredients by order of preparation Make frozen items or gelatin bound creams first using (to give time to freeze or set in a short time) Bake or cook all items (Cookies, tarts, sauces to leave time for cooling) Make fillings (creams etc.) Prepare garnishes last (relax and concentrate on breathing slowly in order to make the most intricate, delicate garnishes) Plate up and present

Tips for exams and competitions Develop good recipes first and review and dissect each component separately and combined Practice at least 6 to 8 times Allow extra timing for any issues that could happen Get other experts advice prior to exam or competition Work clean and organized every day so as to become second nature Practice in another kitchen or bake shop because exam or competition will be in unfamiliar site

YOU HAVE TO STAY….. Clean Focused Fast Effective Efficient Purpose driven Most importantly….”Organized” It is the end of the meal make sure you achieve the goal

Points to ponder… Dessert is the last impression! You can’t please all of the people all of the time…go for the majority. Dessert course should be included as part of the entire dinner menu Check plates when they return Visit the tables when possible Walk a freebie by for everybody to BUY! Get feedback from the service staff They are the sales force (so don’t piss them off)

REMEMBER …… Be inspired by the media that you absorb. You will become your own “Pastry Chef” with your own style over time. Tie things up and offer questions at this point