SHORTBREAD TIRAMISU + CHOCOLATE

Usually made with light and sweet ladyfinger sponges, this version of tiramisu adds a tiny modern twist to the traditional presentation.  It is meant to look like an ice cream sandwich that is much sexier and way more grown up. Hardly revolutionary, I used shortbread cookies and shaved semi-sweet chocolate to be a little playful. My point is that you don’t need fancy equipment or ultra-modern tools in order for a dish to be visually stimulating and surprising. Something that is traditional, and absolutely wonderful in its traditional form, can still be spruced up every now and again to add some vibrancy and a bit of wonder. Life and the experiences it contains, expressions of fashion and human capability, arts and language, music and drama all evolve to the suit the time. I attended a small production of Taming of the Shrew this summer that incorporated “google” and “wtf” into the dialogue and it was tremendously entertaining. So too should food evolve. This is why I believe that as a cook you should challenge yourself to be adventurous and be playful. In the end, wtf do you have to lose? Happy playing.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

·         180 ml heavy cream

·         4 tbsp icing sugar

·         250 g mascarpone cheese

·         4 tbsp brandy

·         1 vanilla pod

·         200 ml espresso

·         24 shortbread cookies

·         50 g semi-sweet baker’s chocolate

·         Cocoa powder to dust

-          Combine the cream with 3 tbsp of the cream in a mixing bowl with a whisk until the mixture has thickened

-          Beat in the mascarpone with 3 tbsp of the brandy and the scraped seeds of the vanilla pod

-          Meanwhile, slightly sweeten the espresso with the remaining icing sugar and add the rest of the brandy

-          Quickly dip 4 shortbread cookies in the espresso making sure not to immerse the cookies in the coffee as they will disintegrate

-          Use these cookies to create the base of the tiramisu on the serving plate

-          Put the mascarpone into a piping bag with a star or other desirable tip

-          Pipe a little mascarpone over each cookie

-          Repeat the dipping step for 4more cookies and layer on top of the piped mascarpone

-          Repeat the piping step over each cookie

-          Place the serving plate in the refridgerator for at least 15 minutes

-          During this time, using a vegetable peeler, create chocolate shavings from the semi-sweet chocolate

-          Remove the tiramisu from the fridge and scatter shavings in the center of the tiramisu

-          Using a sieve, sprinkle cocoa over the tiramisu in one straight line across the dish and serve immediately

CHAI COFFEE GRANITA WITH MINT BASIL STRAWBERRY SOUP

I’m not much of a coffee drinker. I never have been and most probably, never will be. In spite of that though, and admittedly somewhat strangely, I find the smell of coffee to be entirely pleasing and I absolutely adore coffee in food. Give me tiramisu any day. I suppose that is where the idea for this dish came from. I wanted to come up with something that packed that aromatic coffee punch, but was refreshing in the midst of the muggy Toronto summer. What could be better than a coffee granita? I think of this dish as a grown up version to the cherry flavored snow cones I had as a young boy in primary school back in Guyana. I got that stuff on my white shirt almost every day, much to the dismay of my mother who seemed to be progressively less enchanted by my boyish untidiness. Anyway, I digress; in order to add some depth to the coffee I decided to derive from the ever popular South Asian chai teas and infuse the trifecta of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The strawberry soup itself is clean and crisp and delicately but noticeably uplifted by the herbs. It certainly holds true to being refreshing but more than that the soup communicates the purity of a wonderful fruit. The two work, in my opinion brilliantly well together. Although not entirely traditional, the combination is certainly not culinary novelty. The truth is that the summer can at times be an assault on the senses, in all its vibrant glory. From my humble kitchen, I wanted to communicate that vibrancy to you and in some small way influence the way you experience touch, sight, feel, smell, taste, and even sound.  I hope I succeeded.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

BASIL MINT STRAWBERRY SOUP

•          1kg strawberries (hulled)
•          2 tbsp superfine sugar
•          3 basil leaves (medium to large)
•          2 mint leaves (medium to large)
•          1 vanilla pod
•          1 tbsp icing sugar

CHAI COFFEE GRANITA

•          150ml water
•          100g water
•          1 cinnamon stick
•          ½ nutmeg (seed)
•          3 cloves
•          ½ tbsp. orange zest
•          500ml  fresh coffee (cooled)

TO SERVE

•          Edible flower petals (optional)
•          Baby mint and basil leaves (optional)

-          Roughly chop ¾ of the strawberries and place into a mixing bowl over simmering water (bain marie)

-          Add the seeds of the vanilla pod, superfine sugar, and the mint and basil leaves, and mix gently

-          Cover with cling film and leave the strawberries over the heat for 30 minutes to allow the juice to emerge

-          Remove from the heat and allow the strawberries to cool

-          Pass the liquid through a fine sieve making sure not the squeeze the pulp

-          Discard the drained strawberries and cool the reserved strawberry juice in the fridge for at least 1 hour

-          Prepare the coffee granita by first bringing the water and superfine sugar to a boil in a saucepan

-          Remove the pan from the heat and add the spices and orange zest to the dissolved sugar

-          Allow at least 1 hour for the spices to infuse

-          Pass the sugar mixture through a fine sieve to remove the spices and the orange zest and reserve the sugar solution

-          To the sugar solution, add the coffee and mix

-          Place the coffee into the freezer for 3 hours to allow the granita to freeze; mixing every 45 minutes to ensure the desired granular texture

-          15 minutes before serving halve the remaining strawberries and lightly dust with icing sugar

-          To serve, place a few of the halved strawberries on one half of a shallow serving bowl/plate

-          Scrape the granita and place desired amount on the other half, it should be about one cup in volume

-          Working quickly, add the strawberry soup to the bowl to the side of the berries, allowing it to fill the spaces on the plate

-          Add the baby mint and basil leaves and edible flower petals as desired if using

-          Serve immediately          

RASPBERRY MILLE-FEUILLE WITH ORANGE MANGO CURD

This dish represents a lighter version of the traditional mille-feuille which is usually made with all butter puff-pastry. Although strictly adhering to local ingredients is the best way to ensure paramount freshness and quality, I must admit with some guilt that this version of a mille-feuille bends the rules a bit in that it combines typically tropical citrus and mangoes with temperate raspberries. The dish does, however, manage to stand on the strength of a few culinary principles. First, as with any dish worth making, there is a balance of flavors. Although the orange is comparatively mellow and subtle when stacked up next to the sharp zing of the usual lemon, it works brilliantly well with ripe, fragrant mangoes. The bright red raspberries offer their usual vibrancy and distinctive tartness. The whole thing is held together by the butter fried pastry and icing sugar. The dish also demonstrates a pleasurable balance of texture, with crispy pastry and creamy curd providing enjoyable contrast.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

LEMON MANGO CURD

·         1 ripe mango

·         1 orange

·         180g sugar

·        85 g butter

·         3 large eggs

PASTRY

·         3 large sheets phyllo pastry

·         2 egg whites

·         Icing sugar to dust

·         60g clarified butter

·         1 pint raspberries

-         Peel and chop the mango into small chunks and purée in a food processor until smooth. Pass through a sieve to ensure any fibers are removed. Set aside.

-          To make the curd, whisk to combine the juice and zest of 1 orange, 180g sugar, 85g butter, and 3 large eggs over a bain-marie. When the contents are up to temperature the mixture should thicken slightly.

-          Add 3 tbsp of the mango purée to the curd mixture and pass through a sieve into a bowl and place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes for the curd to set.

-          As the curd is setting, prepare the phyllo pastry. Place one sheet of the pastry on a surface that has been dusted with icing sugar. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of this layer of pastry with the lightly beaten egg whites. Place the second sheet of pastry on top of the first layer, and egg wash once more before placing a third and final layer of phyllo on top. Dust the final layer of pastry with icing sugar.

-          Using a pastry ring or a glass, cut out 12 circular pastry discs

-          Heat the clarified butter in a non-stick frying pan and quickly fry the discs for about 1 minute on each side

-          Place the pastry discs on paper towels to absorb the excess butter

-          After the curd has set, spoon a little of it in the center of 4 plates to avoid the mille-feuille sliding. Place one pastry disc on top of the curd in each plate.

-          Arrange raspberries on the disc and spoon over 2 tbsp curd. Repeat exactly with a second disc.

-          After placing the third disc on top of the mille-feuille, add a few extra berries on to the plate and sprinkle over icing sugar to serve.

MY CRÈME CARAMEL WITH SUMMER BERRIES

The triumph of the crème caramel is in the smooth and creamy texture. Although there are a few variations including the crème brûlée, which has a hard caramel surface, the crème caramel’s soft caramel top distinguishes it from the rest. A classic and ubiquitous dessert in many European countries, it is easy to see the attraction. Few dishes are able to evoke childhood nostalgia as successfully as the crème caramel. This is probably because most regions boast some type of local variation. Delicate creamy custard with the enjoyable contrast of slightly bitter and sweet caramel creates a beautiful binary effect. To effectively ward off the monotony of sweet on sweet, tart and vibrant summer berries add terrific balance to this dish. The ingredients and recipe are as follows:

·         220g caster sugar

·         650 ml whole milk

·         50 ml double cream

·         1 vanilla pod

·         3 whole eggs

·         1 egg yolk

·         Selection of mixed berries

• Preheat the oven to 180°C
• Place 140 g of sugar with 3 tbsp water in a medium sized non-stick frying pan and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and there is a light brown caramel color
• Being careful to work fast, divide the caramel into four 150-200 ml ramekins. The caramel cools and hardens quickly so work swiftly to ensure the bottom of the ramekin is entirely coated
• Without bringing to the boil, warm the milk and cream in a large pan with the seeds of the vanilla pod scraped in
• Place all eggs into a mixing bowl with the rest of the sugar and whisk until smooth
• Combine the warm milk and cream with the eggs mixture slowly and whisk gently
• Strain the mixture through a fine sieve
• Place the ramekins into a deep oven proof dish and pour boiling water around the outside, about half of the way up the ramekin to create a water bath
• Cook for 20 minutes in the preheated oven
• Remove the ramekins from the dish and allow to cool for 10 minutes
• Place in the fridge for at least an hour to allow to set
• When ready to serve, detach the crème caramel from the ramekin by running a knife around the edge
• Place the serving plate over the ramekin and overturn in a swift controlled motion
• Lift the ramekin and add summer berries around the crème caramel
• Spoon some of the caramel liquid over the berries for a glossy finish

MY BUTTERSCOTCH MANGO MOUSSE

I have been fortunate enough to avoid an entire month of the sometimes painfully cold Toronto winter while on vacation during the last few weeks in a blissfully warm tropical Guyana. Revisiting my childhood kitchen has brought back memories long since forgotten. I still remember being intimidated at the sheer height of the kitchen counter and the job which my mother did with repetitive diligence everyday. She fed a family of five with curries and stews of the most incredible local meats and seafood imaginable. Among other dishes, there were also pastries and cakes made from unique and exotic local fruit that exist nowhere else in the world. The unsolved mystery of my chubbiness becomes more apparent when I think about it, I just could not get enough! The kitchen seems so small now and my respect for the humble ingredients that nurtured my early  understanding of food has since been magnified. 

On this particular trip, the mangoes were the perfect embodiment of bold and robust flavour. I can’t help but wonder if the accounts of El Dorado’s existence in Guyana were not in fact a direct reflection of the seasonal golden mangoes in December. They are absolutely extraordinary, I can’t emphasize this enough, and deserve to take centre-stage in my first recipe of this trip; a simple butterscotch mango mousse. The mousse itself is made only of mangoes and heavy cream, with no extra sugar. The idea is to let the mangoes shine on their own merits, and they do so with noble brilliance. The butterscotch lends a helping hand in establishing a complimentary sweet profile and the amaretto biscuit crumble contributes a textural difference and introduces an earthiness to establish a very delicate flavour contrast. This is essential in establishing balance and elevating the recipe to something truly special. The recipe is as follows:

• Make the butterscotch by placing 100g of demarara sugar with 40g of unsalted butter and 150 ml of heavy cream into a pan at low to medium heat until the light brown butterscotch color becomes apparent, about a minute of two after the sugar has melted and the butter has dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool.
• Chop the flesh of four ripe mangoes reserving a few slices for presentation. Pour 400 ml heavy cream with the chopped mangoes into the blender and blend until creamy.
• Into the serving glasses place 1 to 2 tbsp butterscotch and then pour over the mousse. Finish with a little more butterscotch. Place in the fridge until mousse is set and ready to serve.
• To present, crumble over amaretto biscuits and place one of the reserved mango slices on top. 

GORDON RAMSAY'S APPLE TART FINE

For anyone afraid of baking desserts, there is no simpler recipe than this one. In a very uncomplicated way, it combines all the things that make French food spectacular. The buttery aromas of puff pastry approaching crispy perfection and excitingly seasonal apples perfuming the air around the oven are enough to entice anyone, even the most cynical of dessert non-believers. This dessert makes it easy to share something wonderful with deserving friends without having to sacrifice strenuous effort and valuable time. The addition of French vanilla ice cream at the end might be caloric suicide to some, but is gastronomically essential and visually impactful. The contrast of textures, flavors, and importantly temperatures serves to promote this creation to the realm of perfection. The ingredients and recipe are as follows:

·         250g puff pastry

·         3-4 Braeburn apples

·         20g unsalted butter, melted

·         1-2 tbsp golden caster sugar

·         Icing sugar to dust

• Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Roll the puff pastry out on a lightly flowered surface. Cut out 4 circles of the pastry using a small plate as a guide and prick to avoid the pastry rising. Place on baking sheet.
• Peel, core and thinly slice the apples using a mandolin.
• Arrange the apple slices in a circle on top of the pastry discs, overlapping them slightly, placing 2 rings in the middle to finish. Brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with a fine layer of caster sugar.
• Bake the tarts for 10 -15 minutes until the pastry is cooked. Dust with icing sugar and glaze with a blow torch.
• Serve the tart warm with French vanilla ice cream.

MY HOT BANANA SOUFFLÉ

The perfect soufflé is as enchanting as it is delightful. Few single dishes can evoke emotions like a soufflé; wide eyed surprise, childish intrigue, and eventually, warm satisfaction. In the most unique way, the soufflé demands technical appreciation and execution second to no other dish, but at the same time permits playful expression of creativity in a most rewarding way.

You see, my own personal culinary journey is intricately tied to this most impressive of desserts. Having failed miserably at my first six attempts to create a gorgeous chocolate soufflé, my confidence was badly jaded. However, after revisiting the recipe with renewed focus, I was able to see the seventh attempt rise to a most glorious and rewarding wobbly stature.

Sitting on my kitchen floor peering through the oven window, I believed in myself again.  It was one of my most fulfilling moments in the kitchen, and something I will hold near to me for the remainder of my days. I sincerely hope that this recipe, my banana soufflé recipe, can bring to you even a fraction of what it has brought to me. The humble soufflé has reminded me that determination, patience, and confidence are all part of what defines a good cook.

Any soufflé is essentially made up of three parts, a crème pâtissière or confectioner’s custard, a French meringue, and a flavoring element, in this case the bananas.

• For the crème pâtissière, pour the milk (150 ml) into a small pan, add the cream (100ml double cream) and 1tbsp of sugar and slowly bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Meanwhile sift the flour (15g) and corn flour (100g) together. Beat the egg yolks (3) with the remaining sugar (25g) and add the flour and corn flour mixture.
• Combine the yolks with the milk mixture and while simmering gently, whisk for 3 minutes then continue off the heat. When cooled, incorporate 2 pureed bananas into the mixture until smooth.
• For the French merengue, whisk the egg whites (200g) to soft peaks. Gradually start to add in the sugar (150g), whisking well in between each addition. Once all the sugar has been added, continue to whisk until you have a thick and glossy mixture. 1/3 at a time, fold the merengue into the flavored crème pâtissière.
• Into buttered ramekins sprinkled with evenly distributed grated chocolate or sugar (roll the ramekin around to distribute), place the soufflé mixture. Level the surface with a palate knife and run your thumb around the edge of the mixture to ensure the soufflé does not fall over the edges when rising. Bake the soufflé for about 10 minutes or until risen in a preheated oven at 190 °C.

On my most recent trip to the Caribbean, admittedly perhaps influenced by leftover contentment from the flowing spirits that are synonymous with West Indian culture, I used a rum sauce as an accompaniment. Rum and bananas go beautifully together. I encourage you to be creative with this step; there are many rum sauce recipes out there. Don’t be afraid to try one.

PEAR FINANCIERS

Here’s the thing, although we live in a society with alarming divorce rates, we can always take solace in knowing that some marriages are made in heaven, in kitchen heaven anyway. The classical combinations will never stop working; basil and tomato and the like. Almonds and pears are worthy of similar praise. Together, they form a holy union that is bound in culinary matrimony. This is a love story. The French have told the almond pear love story in many ways; tarts and clafoutis stand out. I want to tell you this story, however, with a little French financier. It’s a sort of light almond sponge cake. It is unlikely that words will do the financier justice, but indulge me the opportunity to explain.

First, browned butter does a few things. It introduces earthy nutty elements and strengthens the dish in remarkable ways, but more than just that, the aroma of browned butter lets you know something extraordinarily satisfying is on the way. Second, poached pears really need not be talked up, few things in life are as satisfying as a simple pear, and the financier stands firmly atop its recognizable flavor. Third, almond batter is in a league of its own. Made with egg whites, flour, and sugar, the base of the financier is incredibly light and uplifts the pears to make them worthy of new levels of appreciation. The finished product, the final love story, is nothing short of divine. It’s enough to make one believe in the sanctity of marriage and the existence of soul mates again. Pear and almonds work beautifully together.

This recipe comes from my favorite Gordon Ramsay cookbook, Kitchen Heaven, and has remained unchanged. I've included a few tips I've picked up along the way.

• Preheat the oven to 190C (375F). Put the butter in a pan over a high heat and cook until it starts to go brown. Pay very close attention to the pan as you don’t want to burn the butter, only brown it.
• Strain through a fine sieve and leave to cool.
• Peel and core the pears and chop into 1 cm dice.
• Put 75 g of the caster sugar into a warmed pan and heat gently until caramelized. Patience is important here, don’t disturb the pan, just be patient.
• Add the diced pear and cook for about 4 - 5 minutes, until it just starts to break down. It is absolutely important not to let these disintegrate too much; you don’t want a watery batter.
• Take out the pan and leave to cool on a tray.
• Mix the flour, the ground almonds and the remaining sugar in a large bowl.
• Slowly fold in the egg whites, then stir in the melted butter.
• Grease four moulds or ramekins with butter, and dust with a little flour.
• Put in the fridge for 10 minutes for the butter to set.
• Combine the almond mixture with the pears, then pour into the mould until three quarters full. They will rise so don’t full the ramekins too high.
• Bake at the top of the preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown and firm.
• Serve with crème fraîche, sprinkled with chopped mint. This wouldn't seem incredibly important, and the dish is fine on its own, but the crème fraîche and mint provides a refreshing balance.

SPICED RUM RICE PUDDING WITH APPLES

Growing up in an Indo-Caribbean household in Guyana I was never a stranger to desserts using rice as a starch base. In fact, if I am being completely honest, combining rice with milk and sugar wasn’t uncommon as a quick and cheap dessert fix. In a strange way, limited resources allows one to enjoy the flavor foundations of a dish and sometimes inspires creative modification not heavily influenced by a repetitive experience of the intended finished product. As you no doubt know to be true of food, necessity often breeds creativity. I suppose in much the way that an apple pie induces sentimental reaction in many Americans, anything that combines rice with sweetened milk does the trick for me.

The more complex “kheer” or Indian rice pudding was and is a prominent part of the meal accompanying Hindu religious ceremonies. Sort of a grand finale after enjoying many strongly flavored and spicy curries, the rich, sweet, dense kheer would neutralize the lingering effects of spice on the palate resulting from the curry main course. The kheer, although delicious, often tastes of rice that is immensely overcooked. This version of the dish attempts to move away from that.

The idea behind this dish (quantities given here for 4 people) is to combine milk, cream (equal volumes to the milk) and rice (150g to 300ml milk) to slowly simmer and not overcook. Whisked sweetened egg yolks (1 egg yolk and 40 grams of sugar to every 50 ml of milk) and are then combined with the rice to lend creamy, light, fluffy, and sweet components to the dish. You might want to add a little spiced rum at this point, to add some complexity reminiscent of many apple cocktails. Of course, if this dish is created for religious purposes, you can skip this step. Finally, caramelized apple (cooked in hot caramel for 5 minutes) is able to contribute the much neglected textural contrast lacking in many versions of the dish, bringing us closer to perfect balance. The finished product is visually stunning and is sure to appeal to most palates. 

CRÈME BRÛLÉE WITH SEASONAL STRAWBERRIES

Crème brûlée has to be my absolute favorite dessert. Okay I take that back. Maybe I don’t. I don’t know, so much to choose from! How is the heart of a fat kid to choose such a thing?! Where my heart is uncompromising is in acknowledging the unquestionable divinity of the most perfect, luxurious crème brûlée. I like to think of it as the French love letter to the world.

What makes it so brilliant? To me it superbly combines rich, decadent creaminess with a sort of lightness that’s hard to describe. Not too sweet, just right. The fundamental principle of balance is kept with a hard but thin caramel layer. This layer introduces a sharp textural contrast to the smooth custard and importantly, a slightly bitter element to combat the overall sweetness. Extraordinary! This dish is simply extraordinary. Food adjectives are often misused, or overused, but in this case, someone had the vision to take sugar, egg-yolks, cream, and milk, and create something magical. This creation is truly one of life’s little presents. The existence of  crème brûlée has made the world a sweeter place. 

COFFEE AND ALMOND CRUNCH CAKE

I got this recipe from Gordon Ramsay’s “Cooking for Friends” cookbook. I was attending a small birthday get together and thought it would be a good idea to try this out. The strength of the cake is the play that Gordon achieves with textures, moist yet crunchy. The use of espresso elevates the cake into something special.

The recipe is as follows:

INGREDIENTS

CAKE:

170g unsalted butter

170g caster sugar

3 large eggs

½ tsp almond essence

100g ground almonds

4tbsp cooled espresso or strong coffee

100g self-raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

icing sugar, to dust

CRUNCH TOPPING:

60g plain flour

40g light brown or demarara sugar

40g cold unsalted butter, diced

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 150ºC/butter and line 20cm cake tin with removable base/

For the crunch topping mix flour + sugar in a bowl and rub in the butter (breadcrumb consistency)

For the cake cream the butter and sugar using hand-held electric beater until light and fluffy

Beat in the eggs, a little at a time. Add the almond essence and mix. Fold in the ground almonds + half the espresso. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold through then add the remaining espresso.

Spread the mixture onto cake tin and level. Sprinkle the crunch topping evenly over the top.

Bake 50 minutes until the top is golden brown and skewer comes out clean. Remove and leave to cool slightly. Dust with icing sugar when completely cooled.