Creating a lasting impression
Complement and contrast to create desserts with pure, clean and explosive flavors.

by Charlie Trotter

A meal should be thought of as a whole, rather than individual parts of a whole. A flavorful dessert is just as important as a savory main dish item. Whether you choose to serve a single dessert or a progression of smaller dessert courses, it's the grand finale to the meal and it must leave a lasting impression.

The best desserts allow the flavors of the ingredients to shine through. The time of architectural wonders and "fussy" desserts has passed. Consumers are expecting pure, clean, explosive flavors that maintain their integrity and elegance.

When formulating new desserts, it's important to consider the season, what aspect of the dish you want to focus on and how to incorporate complementary flavors and contrasting textures or temperatures.

Let the season affect your choice of flavors. A variation of Key lime pie is an excellent warm-weather offering.

Fruits: seasonal sensations
In mid-summer when beautiful tree-ripened peaches are available, I'll make a warm peach tart. After all, how can you improve on the perfection of a perfectly ripe piece of fruit in the height of its season? For the crust, I'll use cream cheese dough, and I'll serve the tart with peach compote, preserved ginger and some tiny sage leaves. The focus of the dish is peaches, the cream cheese dough crust is crispy, yet almost melts in your mouth, the compote echoes the peaches in the tart and the preserved ginger and sage leaves add complementing flavors and a little sharpness to keep the dish light and fresh.

Fruit desserts offer a myriad of possibilities for flavor combinations. You can combine several fruits, or pair them with different grains, nuts, spices, or herbs depending on the use. But, again, the season should affect your choice of pairings. For example, in the warmer months a chilled green apple soup infused with ginger, lemongrass, or lemon verbena served with a creamy yogurt sorbet would be very refreshing. Whereas, in cooler months a warm apple cider soup flavored with cinnamon, clove, or allspice and served with maple syrup ice cream would be truly satisfying.

Herbs: a depth of flavor
Herbs are another way to add flavor and interest to desserts, but they very often get overlooked. Herbs are extremely versatile; they can be infused into ice creams, sorbets, or custards. They can be made into syrups, or added to doughs. They can be candied or tossed in powdered sugar to use as a garnish. No matter how they are used, they add a depth of flavor that cannot be achieved any other way.

When working with herbs in desserts you need to match the strength of the herb to the strength of the accompanying items. The flavors should complement one another without one overpowering the other. For example, stronger herbs such as basil or rosemary go well with stronger flavored fruits such as berries or pineapple. Mild-flavored herbs like tarragon and thyme go well with more subtly flavored fruits such as peaches, apricots, pomegranates or plums.

Herbs are a great way to add a new twist to old favorites. Try spooning basil syrup (simple syrup puréed with basil leaves and spinach and then strained) around a strawberry shortcake and garnishing it with tiny basil leaves dusted with powdered sugar. Lemon balm, lemon verbena and lemongrass all make great sorbets or ice creams. They can be served alone, with other sorbets such as pineapple or kaffir lime, or, for a light dessert, try one of them in a warm pineapple soup.

Tarragon is great infused into ice cream or custard and served with slices of more subtly flavored fruit such as plums or pomegranates, with a tarragon syrup spooned around the plate.

Marjoram and thyme have very delicate flavors which make it difficult to infuse them into ice creams or custards, but, by tossing the small leaves in powdered sugar, they make a stunning garnish that adds a hint of flavor to any berry dish.

Even herbs that are considered more savory, such as rosemary, can be great in desserts. For a great combination, try infusing rosemary into ice cream and serving it with a strawberry-rhubarb crisp.

Chocolate: the grand finale
Chocolate is class unto its own in the dessert world. It is generally served at the end of a dessert progression, and with good reason. The flavors and textures of chocolate desserts are usually very rich, and anything that is served afterward seems to pale in comparison.

Chocolate is very versatile and blends well with most types of nuts, spices, and fruit. Chocolate desserts can also vary drastically in intensity depending on the effect you desire. It can be prepared very subtly in a milk chocolate custard on a bittersweet chocolate tuile with caramelized bananas. The primary flavor in this dessert is the mild milk chocolate custard, the chocolate tuile adds texture and emphasizes the chocolate and the bananas and their juices bring in fruit and caramel flavors.

For a rich, hedonistic dessert that focuses solely on chocolate, then the contrasts need to come in the form of different types of chocolate and texture or temperature. Perhaps a warm bittersweet chocolate cake with a white chocolate liquid center served with a milk chocolate ice cream. The differing sweetness of the chocolates adds an interesting flavor contrast while the ice cream on the warm cake adds temperature contrasts that will keep this pure chocolate dessert from being monotonous after the first few bites.

There is no end to the number of combinations possible between the myriad of different fruits, spices, herbs, nuts and chocolate. The point is to experiment with different flavor combinations and don't worry about mistakes. Just remember James Joyce's comment: "A person's errors are his portals of discovery." This is never truer than in cuisine.

Almond Sherbet & Candied Almonds
Almond Sherbet Yield: approximately 2 cups
1 cup milk 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice 1 1/2 cups toasted, ground almonds	6 tablespoons corn syrup 1/2 cup Simple Syrup
Purée the milk, orange juice, and nuts for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and add the corn syrup and Simple Syrup. Refrigerate to chill, and then freeze in an ice cream machine. Keep frozen until ready to use.   Candied Almonds Yield: 1 cup
1 tablespoon corn syrup Pulp of 1/2 vanilla bean	1 teaspoon Simple Syrup 1 cup sliced almonds
Mix together the corn syrup, vanilla, and Simple Syrup. Toss the syrup mixture with the nuts and spread on a nonstick sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the nuts are golden brown. Remove from the oven, let cool, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

 

Peach-Polenta Upside-Down Cake with Almond Sherbet
The slight graininess of the polenta in this cake gives a wonderful rustic feeling to the preparation, and the caramelization that develops on the peach and around the top of the cake heightens that effect. The Almond Sherbet is light but bursting with flavor, and a few pieces of candied almond add just the right amount of crunchy texture. This cake is at its best right out of the oven; however, it can be made several hours ahead and reheated just before serving with fine results. Serves 12
3/4 cup butter 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar 3 eggs 6 egg yolks 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornmeal 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt	3/4 cup water 8 small Indian red peaches 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup almonds, toasted Almond Sherbet (see recipe above) Candied Almonds (see recipe above)
METHOD To make the cake: Cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the batter, mixing completely. Cook 3/4 cup of the sugar and 1/4 cup of the water in a small, heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and caramelized. Wrap the bottoms of twelve 2 1/2"-diameter by 1 1/2"-high ring molds with aluminum foil, lightly oil the inside of the rings, and place on a sheet pan. Pour in and swirl around just enough of the caramelized sugar to cover the bottom of each mold. Blanch 4 of the peaches in boiling water for 10 seconds, then shock them in ice water. Remove the skin in strips and set the strips aside (reserve the peach flesh). Cut the remaining 4 peaches into 1/4-inch-thick, round slices. Press a sliced peach in the ring mold on top of the caramelized sugar and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Spoon in the batter to fill the molds three-quarters of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. Invert the cakes on the sheet pan while warm and remove the foil and the ring mold. To make the candied peach skin: Cook the reserved peach skins with the remaining 1/2 cup water, 6 tablespoons of the sugar and the lemon juice for 15 minutes over medium heat. Set aside. To make the almond sauce: Bring the cream and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the almonds, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Purée for 2 minutes, or until smooth. ASSEMBLY Spoon some of the almond sauce onto the center of each plate. Place a cake on the almond sauce and spoon some of the candied peach skin in front of the cake. Place a quenelle of Almond Sherbet on the peach skins and sprinkle the Candied Almonds around the plate.