THE ‘TOP TEN’ TURNS TWENTY!

DESSERT PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE ANNOUNCES
THE TOP TEN PASTRY CHEFS IN AMERICA…

…At the 20th Annual Awards Ceremony
On Monday, June 3rd at The Institute of Culinary Education in NYC

New York, NY - May, 2013 - Dessert Professional magazine, the nation's leading
publication of the pastry, ice cream and chocolate industries, will name the top toques
of tuile, cocoa and sugar at a ceremony and tasting event on Monday, June 3rd at The
Institute of Culinary Education in New York. As dessert professionals have taken their
rightful place as culinary luminaries, the magazine that leads the industry will honor
those individuals who lead the pastry pack.

"With more and more remarkable talent filling the ranks of dessert professionals, being
recognized as one of best has gained a new level of prestige," notes editor Matthew
Stevens. Co-editor Tish Boyle adds, “The talented chefs on this year’s list possess that
rare blend of technical skill, artistry and motivation – their desserts are truly inspired, and
they deserve to be honored at this industry event.”

"We set out to recognize outstanding chefs who elevate the industry as a whole with
their contributions in talent, innovation, and community service. These are the chefs who
have proven they most embody the spirit of excellence and hospitality that we are all
committed to," said publisher Jeff Dryfoos. Selected from around the entire country, this
year's Top Ten, the crème de la crème are:

Andy Chlebana Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL
Bill Corbett Absinthe, San Francisco, CA
Christophe Feyt Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV
Brooks Headley Del Posto, NYC
Malcolm Livingston II wd-50, NYC
Jimmy MacMillan JMPurePastry, Chicago, IL
Laurie Jon Moran Le Bernardin, NYC
Clarisa Martino Mesa Grill, NYC, Las Vegas, Nassau
Nancy Olson Gramercy Tavern, NYC
Roy Shvartzapel Common Bond, Houston, TX

This year's Hall Of Fame honoree is renowned pastry chef, macaron pioneer, and Food
Network's Cupcake Wars judge Florian Bellanger of MadMac.

 Pumpkin French Macarons

Macaron recipe. (24 macarons cookies/ 48 shells)

Recipe by Florian bellanger and Ludovic Augendre, Chefs Owners of Mad Mac Macarons

(day1) Pumpkin Cream Recipe (make the day before and refrigerate overnight)

Heavy Cream  1/3 cup (60grs)

Milk 1/4 cup  (40 grs)

White chocolate  5 oz (140 grs)

Pumkin Puree (canned)  2 oz  (56 grs)

1 pinch cinnamon powder

1 pinch Nutmeg powder

Salt + pepper

Chop thinly white chocolate and place it in a mixing bowl

In a sauce pan, bring to a boil heavy cream + milk, once boiling pour this mixture on the white chocolate , whisk until combine, then add pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper , whisk until combine.

Refrigerate this cream overnight.

(Day2) Macaron Shell Recipe

Almond Flour 1 cup (100 grs)

10 X Powder sugar 1/3 cup + 1 tblespoon  (80 grs)

Egg white 1 unit (30 grs)

Orange Food Colouring

Pumpkin Seeds

Sugar 1/3cup (68 grs)

Egg white 1 unit (30 grs)

 Process:

 Using a whisk Combine in a mixing bowl, almond flour and  powder sugar, add the egg white and mix until combined.

In a Mixing machine (kitchen aid) using whisk attachment, Whipp the egg white / half way, start to add the granulated sugar little by little, to strentengh the whipped egg whites (stiff peak) .add food colouring at the end until nice bright orange color (has to be bright because color fade away a bit during baking)

Add 1/3 of your egg whipped white (meringue)  into the first mix, mix using a spatula,  until combined,  (repeat) …. add the rest of your egg white  and do the mix by hand with a rubber spatula, mix until combined  and shinny.

Pre-heat your oven at 375 F

Using a pipping bag , form the macarons shells on a sheet pan tray lined with non-stick parchemine/baking paper,  no more than 1 inch diameter .

Important before baking :

Let the macarons shells rest at room temperature (for about 15 minutes) or until the top of your cookies get dry a bit and does not stick to your fingertip anymore.

 bake at 375 F  for 12 to 14 min.

Once out of the oven , let them cool at room temperature , then take out (gently/ French Macarons shell are very Fragile) Flip over your macarons and using your thumb  press a bit the center  of it to get a small hole using a pipping bag or teaspoon, apply filling (pumpkin cream) on only one side of the cookies and stick both part together .

 Note : once all done you can either serve the Macarons the same day or refrigerate them (up to 5 days) in an air-tight container , the inside will absorb some moisture from the preserve and they will get even more nice and tender.

My French Crepes

 by Executive Pastry Chef , Florian Bellanger

French Crepes Batter Recipe:

 (yield : about 20 crepes)

1 Cup all purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 table spoon granulated sugar

1 table spoon oil

1 teaspoon of Rum

1  cup of fresh milk

In a mixing bowl, blend all purpose flour, eggs, sugar, oil and rum.

Pour in fresh milk gradually and keep whisking until combine , leave this batter (covered) to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

On a stove (gaz or electric) and Using a non stick pan (medium size)  , apply some oil (brush or using a paper towel) to prevent sticking ,

Using a ladle, pour 1 ounce of crepe batter onto the very hot pan, rapidly moving the pan in a figure of 8 motion to spread the batter evenly over the surface.

Brown the crepes for about 40 seconds, using a spatula, flip over the crepe to brown the other side for about 40 seconds.

Place the crepe on a plate and repeat with the rest of the batter.

Crepes can be stack on pile and left at room temperature (cover with plastic wrapping) until using.

Lets Talk about Vanilla Beans

Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. Etymologically, vanilla derives from the Spanish  word "vainilla", little pod. Originally cultivated by Pre-Colombian Mesoamerican peoples peoples, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is credited with introducing both vanilla and chocolate to Europe in the 1520s.

When it comes to sweets, "vanilla is the basic spice, and the best flavor comes [not from an extract, but] from the bean,"  the best bean of choice is Tahitian, not the more common Bourbon. "It's a little shorter — about 5 1/2 inches long — but Tahitians are the fat boys, two or three times wider [than the Bourbon], and the flavor is different, very fruity, intense and really sweet.

"As a pastry chef, I use vanilla in many [dishes, including] some where you don't want to have a vanilla flavor, but I use it because it enhances the flavor [of other ingredients] ... For example, I use it in almost every dough we make except for bread, I use Vanilla in Macaron recipes of course and even in some products that are not "Vanilla" flavored (I use it in White chocolate Macaron for example).

 If you use vanilla lightly, you don't really taste it, but if it was not there, the product wouldn't taste the same."


 When buying vanilla beans for home use, avoid very short ones. They're immature and don't have much flavor. Look for fat, flexible beans. If they're in a cellophane package, press lightly to see if you can feel some paste inside the bean. If not, the bean is probably old and dried out. 

Walnut Cookies

These are some of my favorite cookies , easy to make and bake they are just "simply delicious" 

300 grs of cake flour

150 grs of almond flour

½ teaspoon of baking powder

150 grs of 10x confectionary sugar

300 grs of room temperature fresh butter in pieces

1 whole egg (55 grs)

150 grs of crushed walnuts

Using a kitchen aid mixer and paddle, pour in the bowl all dry ingredients (cake flour, almond flour, baking powder and 10x sugar, mix for a minute in 1 st gear.

 Add butter in pieces, mix for 2 minutes then add the whole egg, mix until combine.

Then finally add crushed walnuts, mix until combine.

Wrap this dough in plastic film and let it rest at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before using.

Roll the dough ¼ of an inch thick and cut them using a cookie cutter.

Bake on sheet pan trays with parchment paper at 325F for about 10 minutes to light brown color (adjust baking time to cookie size)
cool down at room temperature and dust with some confectionary sugar, enjoy ! 

“Mad Mac” Raspberry French Macarons

Macaron recipe. (24 macarons cookies/ 48 shells)

Recipe by Florian bellanger and Ludovic Augendre, Chefs Owners of Mad Mac

Almond Flour 1 cup (100 grs)

10 X Powder sugar 1/3 cup + 1 tblespoon  (80 grs)

Egg white 1 unit (30 grs)

Apricot Jam 1 tbs (8 grs)

Sugar 1/3cup (68 grs)

Egg white 1 unit (30 grs)

+ 1 Jar of Raspberry Preserve with seeds (ex : Bonne Maman Brand)

Process:

Using a whisk Combine in a mixing bowl, almond flour and  powder sugar, add the egg white and the apricot jam, mix until combined.

In a Mixing machine (kitchen aid) using whisk attachment, Whipp the egg white / half way, start to add the granulated sugar little by little, to strentengh the whipped egg whites (stiff peak) .add food colouring at the end until nice bright pink color (has to be bright because color fade away a bit during baking)

Add 1/3 of your egg whipped white (meringue)  into the first mix, mix using a spatula,  until combined,  (repeat) …. add the rest of your egg white  and do the mix by hand with a rubber spatula, mix until combined  and shinny.

Pre-heat your oven at 375 F

Using a pipping bag , form the macarons shells on  a  sheet pan tray lined with non-stick parchemine paper,  no more than 1 inch diameter .

Important before baking :

Let the macarons shells rest at room temperature (for about 15 minutes) or until the top of your cookies get dry a bit and does not stick to your fingertip anymore.

 bake at 375 F  for 12 to 14 min.

Once out of the oven , let them cool at room temperature , then take out (gently/ French Macarons shell are very Fragile) Flip over your macarons and using your thumb  press a bit the center  of it to get a small hole using a pipping bag or teaspoon, apply filling (raspberry preserve) on only one side of the cookies and stick both part together .

Note : once all done , refrigerate Macaron over night on a tray cover with plastic wrap or an air-tight container , the inside will absorb some moisture from the preserve and they will get even more nice and tender.