In the Best of Taste
Although dessert may be an adornment, a superfluous gewgaw laid upon a life-sustaining repast, it also sends us away from the table with the smile that comes from having had luxury melt in your mouth. The same could be said of jewelry, whether it’s a pearl and emerald necklace or a simple silver ring. Who--other than Liz Taylor--would claim that a diamond tiara is necessary for sustaining life? In India, life is regarded as an illusion and there are no weighty Judeo-Christian qualms about gilding the lily. In fact, says Neela Paniz, owner of the Bombay Cafe in West Los Angeles and author of the cookbook by the same name, jewelry-loving Indians have adorned themselves and their desserts with gold and silver for thousands of years. We asked Paniz and two of the top pastry chefs in town--Michelle Myers of Boule and Sona and Nancy Silverton of La Brea Bakery fame--to adorn their favorite creations with the precious element of their choice ... while we adorned them.
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Carrot Pudding
Gajjar ka Halwa
From Neela Paniz, the Bombay Cafe, West Los Angeles
Serves 6 to 8
6 cups whole milk
8 green cardamom pods, split open and tied in cheesecloth
2 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and grated (7 1/2 to 8 cups)
1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons melted ghee
1 tablespoon slivered almonds
2 tablespoons raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup heavy cream, lightly whipped
Oyster pearls, for garnish
Wash a quart saucepan, but do not dry it completely (the moisture will keep the milk from forming a skin as it boils). Pour in the milk and cardamom pods tied in cheesecloth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to boil slowly until reduced by almost half, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the grated carrots and continue to cook for 35 to 45 more minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping down the sides of the pan. Once all the liquid has cooked away (this could take as long as an hour), add one-half cup sugar, mixing well. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if necessary. The sugar will cause the carrots to release more liquid. Continue to cook until it has dried up. Remove from the heat and set aside. Remove the cardamom pods.
In a small skillet heat the ghee and add the almonds. As they start to brown, add the raisins and cook until they plump up. Remove from the heat and add the ground cardamom. Immediately pour the mixture into the pudding, mixing well. Serve warm with a tablespoon or two of whipped cream and garnish with crushed oyster pearls.
Ghee is available at Indian markets. Oyster pearls are available at Surfas Restaurant Supply & Gourmet Food in Culver City.
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Mimosa with Blood Orange Sorbet, Tangerine Bubbles, Champagne Granita and Gold Leaf
From Michelle Myers, Sona, West Hollywood
Serves 6 to 8
2 1/2 cups water, divided
2 cups sugar
2 cups Champagne
2 cups blood orange juice (2 1/2 to 3 pounds blood oranges)
2 cups tangerine juice
1 (2-inch) vanilla bean
1 packet powdered gelatin
Gold leaf, for garnish
To make a simple syrup, combine 2 cups water and the sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and refrigerate.
To make the Champagne granita, combine the Champagne, one-fourth cup water and one-half cup simple syrup. Pour into a shallow pan and freeze until set. After granita starts to harden, scrape with a fork every 30 to 40 minutes until frozen and slushy, about 4 to 6 hours.
To make the blood orange sorbet, add one-fourth to one-half cup simple syrup to the blood orange juice until it’s slightly sweet. Process in an ice cream machine and freeze.
To make the tangerine pearls, add one-fourth to one-half cup simple syrup to the tangerine juice until it’s slightly sweet. Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds with the dull side of a knife. Add the vanilla seeds to the juice. Put one-half cup of the tangerine mixture in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin slowly over the juice until it is all absorbed. Allow it to sit for 1 minute. Place the saucepan with the juice and gelatin mixture over low heat until the gelatin is melted. Combine the dissolved gelatin mixture with the remaining tangerine juice. Chill in a tall container until set, about 1 hour.
To assemble, place two tablespoons of granita into a martini glass. Sprinkle with gold leaf. Top with a scoop of sorbet and garnish with more gold leaf. With a hand-held (immersion) blender, buzz the tangerine juice until bubbles form. Spoon the bubbles around the sorbet and top with gold leaf.
Edible gold leaf is available at Sur la Table stores, Nicole’s Gourmet Foods in South Pasadena and Surfas.
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Dark Chocolate Nougatine Tart
From Nancy Silverton
1 (10-inch) tart
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
5 egg yolks, divided
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups high-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
Silver leaf, for garnish
Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the 1/2 cup butter and salt on low speed until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add one-fourth cup sugar and the brown sugar. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 more minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Turn off the mixer and add the cocoa powder and the cornstarch. Mix on low speed until well-blended. Add 1 egg yolk and the vanilla extract, and mix on low for 1 minute. Turn off the mixer and add the flour. Mix on low until the flour is just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, making sure all of the ingredients are incorporated. Remove the dough from the mixer and place on a piece of plastic wrap. Pat the dough together, flatten into a disk and chill until firm, about 15 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 10-inch tart pan with nonstick cooking spray. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan, creating a one-quarter-inch layer. Trim the excess dough with a knife so that the top of the crust is flush with the pan. Bake until the shell appears dry, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
To make the nougatine, add one-fourth cup water to a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Pour in three-fourths cup sugar and stir, making sure it is evenly moistened (the sugar should be the texture of wet sand). Without stirring, heat the mixture over medium heat until it turns . Wash down the sides of the pan periodically with a clean pastry brush dipped in water. Mix in the almonds and 1 tablespoon butter and cook until honey-colored and the almonds are light brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour immediately into the tart shell. Using a small (3-inch) offset spatula, carefully spread the nougatine so that it covers the bottom of the shell in a thin, even layer. Set aside.
Place the chopped chocolate in a heat-proof metal or glass bowl and position over a pot of barely simmering water to melt, stirring often. Make sure the bowl is several inches larger than the pot so that no steam gets into the chocolate, or the chocolate will seize up. When the chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and reserve. Wipe any moisture from the bottom of the bowl.
Whisk the 2 eggs and 4 egg yolks with one-half cup sugar on high until the mixture is light-colored and thick, about 3 to 5 minutes. (When the whisk is lifted, the batter should fall in a ribbon-like pattern that will sink into the batter after a few seconds.) Fold in the melted chocolate by hand. Do not over-mix or deflate the egg mixture. Pour the chocolate mixture into the nougatine-lined tart shell just to the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, rotating the tart after 5 minutes, until the surface has a matte finish and the tart is firm to the touch (the inside will be gooey).
Let cool and carefully remove the tart from the pan. Cut with a sharp knife to serve.
Edible silver leaf is available at Surfas.