Posted by Gerard on November 13, 1998 at 17:50:41:
In Reply to: Re: Chocolate Thermometer posted by Steve on November 13, 1998 at 13:50:30:
Steve,
I think I tend to agree with you, I'd only seen one issue of P.A.D and wouldn't have seen that if we hadn't done an interview, I didn't even know it existed. Talk about being out of the loop!
I've since found a previous copy, Maybe I'll buy a copy of grand finales and take a look.
I like the whimsy but wonder about discombobulated elements arranged in modernist fashion.
Looking at job posting on the starchefs site today I read a need for a pastry chef who could do plated desserts without elements being on a plate for no purpose.
I also agree its all enjoyable ..I just wouldn't personally take the quick "out". I suppose
Freddy Girradaux (sp?) said years ago that American chefs were cutting the corner on innovation "carrots with apricots is not innovative, its unfortunate".
It cuts across all disciplines in the food trade, fresh flowers on a cake? ,when that became all the rage in Boston I wondered how many couldn't make pulled sugar roses.? just tell the customer its more classy...uh..pesticides?
P.A.D said plated desserts are very American, perhaps the tendency for over-reaching is but not the plating itself. Extrapolation is not innovation.
If innovation is the goal then maybe something different from plating altogether is in order.
When the French first started plating I had a sense of dread, I just knew it would come to this. So they can't exactly turn their noses up now.
The desire to surpass what has been done previously can be a slippery slope to pretentious concoctions. American cuisine is VERY young, it has no cultural foundation upon which to rest when compared to the French so things like plated desserts can quickly get out of control before drawing back to centre again.
The woman who did the interview did say they were seeing a trend away from art and back to food, comfort desserts foods .
Networking I like, exposure and promo I'm not sure about, I've seen MANY a chef read too much of his own press, you know the kids who get out of school, some newspaper calls them a starchef and in truth they are only serving the publications purpose, America has some sort of need for great chefs whether they are ready for it or not.
I had a celebrity pastry chef work in the store one day, he was a close friend of my partner, couldn't write happy birthday on a cake besides lacking other basic skills, but to read the Boston Globe he was one of the best pastry chefs in the country. He's not in the food business anymore.Thats the danger.
Celebrity chefs are a French concoction, once again.
Also re sprayguns , you can spray other elements such as crystalising sugar coating, you ever see the truffles from Belgium with a frosted sugar glaze?
I knew it was possible to brush a simple syrup on baked items, place them in the oven and force the syrup to crystalise into a frosted look but couldn't figga out how they did it with truffles.
Heres what you might try, take some fondant, simmer til it starts to to turn clear , let cool a couple of minutes then strain into a spraygun cup .
I haven't tried it but I am certain it will work, the fondant will completely crystalise with this treatment and is also used to fill column molds for cake tier seperators.
Last time I was in Paris heres what I noticed, we were eating dinner at some awesome bistro(normal for Parisiens)there was a toy poodle trotting around the dining room, obviously the owners. It never begged for food(well trained!).
Looking through the door into the kitchen you could see the chef, cigarette hanging from his mouth putting out the best food I ever ate.
I only remember dessert, a rasp ice that was almost black as coal and intense tasting. Not much else on the plate and if it was I didn't notice because I was blown off my feet by the flavor.
The whole experience was just so normal it had to be... French.
Thank god the French will always be there for a reality check. haha
The jist of it all is trends in France aren't necessarily importable.
But what we can do is absorb the skills they have refined, then hope we can put them to good use.
Maybe something truly American for a switch.
Cheers, Gerard.