12/30 ArtChallenge: Most Recent Accomplishment

***IMPORTANT NOTICE: My laptop met a glass of white wine in the most unfortunate of ways. She is currently at Betty Ford Apple getting a tune-up. Until she is released, we are going to put the ArtChallenge project on hold.***

 

After five months of working at 5 Corners Kitchen the Chef/Owner offered to make me the Pastry Chef. While he likes to call me that, it makes me uncomfortable considering how little restaurant experience I have. It is a great gig because I can come in while my kids are at school and I don't have to do nights. 

He has been encouraging me to come up with my own ideas for desserts and the one thing that has been nagging at me is cheesecake. It is a dessert loved by many, it can change with the seasons, and is actually best when made in advance. 

So a few weeks ago I set off on my own to develop a winter cheesecake to put on the menu. My first thought was to do a chai and blood orange cheesecake. In the end I just used the cardamom spice from the Chai blend. 

All said and done, I created a cardamom cheesecake with a ginger almond crust and a blood orange cranberry topping with candied blood orange peel. The day it was ready the Chef was absent most of the day with a family emergency so the Sous Chef, the line cooks, and I all tasted it. It was well received all around but the deciding factor would be the Chef himself. 

He arrived just as I was about to leave. I quickly ran to plate a slice with all the toppings and presented it to him. He was impressed with the presentation so things started off well.

After he took a bite, these were his words.

"That is delicious. Wow. That is really good. I wouldn't change a thing and I will proudly put this on the menu here at the restaurant. I want to serve it tonight"

My response:

"OMG. Thank you so much. Oh Shit I didn't make enough sauce for service."

But a week later it became a staple on the menu and there is enough sauce for everyone.

I am very proud of the Cardamom Marscapone Cheesecake with Ginger Almond Crust served with a Cranberry Blood Orange Sauce and Candied Blood Orange Peel I created all on my own, that now resides on the menu at a highly acclaimed restaurant.

Don't forget to visit the other half of my ArtChallenge...my daughter, SweetPea, and her art can be found here: SweetPea Prose