Evolving !

ev·o·lu·tion

ˌevəˈlo͞oSH(ə)n/

noun

2. 1. 

   the gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form.

   
   

   
   

   Happy New Year everyone!!

   
   

   I recently had a discussion about "Evolution" with a senior Cheffing colleague, and it reminded me In have not blogged in some time. 

   The death of my mother, took away my regular words and nothing seemed to fit the bill for the 101'st blog entry.

   Nearly 5 years later, time has assisted in my personal "evolution" into what and who I am today, and words have begun to fill the voids within my head. I am not the person I was when my mother filled my life with constant joy of her weekly phone calls, but I am a better me than I have been for sometime. 

   
   

   Before I get to those words though, I am pleased that the blog has never actually gone quiet in the years since my regular blogging. 

   Nearly 50,000 views now make me very happy that there is a future here.

   I would truly like to thank those who write to me constantly asking for blog updates and I am sorry it has taken so long. (Anyone who has ever lost anyone, will understand though that some parts of the jigsaw just never fit again after you have been so abruptly pulled apart.). From all over the planet, I am honoured that you read and return for more , I truly promise from now on - to update regularly.

   
   

   So today in the continued "EVOLUTION" of pastry and plated desserts  I give you our  best desserts of 2017 which indeed prove that from the previous WHIMS OF FANCY- plated desserts posts, I have indeed evolved already, and  I'll post even more photos of our desserts soon.
   We have a selection of varied outlets and therefore the concepts and themes change regularly, so too do the flavours and ingredients we work with, and the research has just begun for the next evolutionary steps.

   
   

   By next year, we will have "Evolved" even further, a current new project guarantees that eventuality.

   Here then are some desserts I am proud of and that have appeared fleetingly or for a period of time at PARISIAN MACAU HOTEL by our phenomenal team of pastrychefs that join me daily on our conquest to turn sugar into mouthwatering dishes. 

   Enjoy and come back soon for words and more.
   

   
   

   

   Praline cheesecake

   
   

   
   

   

   Green tea and raspberries

   
   

   

   Evolution doesn't mean doing away with traditions- it just means they evolve into near perfection - such as this cafe creme caramel 

   
   

   

   Hummingbird on roasted pineapple with lime mint sorbet

   
   

   

   S'mores

   
   

   

   NEW YORK CHEESECAKE

   
   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   SEVEN DEGREES OF COCONUT

   
   

   

   ALMOND AND PINEAPPLE "REVELATION"- ALMOND CREME-COMPRESSED CORIANDER PINEAPPLE-ROASTE WHOLE ALMONDS-PINEAPPLE FOAM-PINEAPPLE GINGER SORBET

   
   

   

   DRAGONS BEARD - TAHINI MOUSSE- PEANUT MOUSSE, VANILLA PASHMAK, DARK CHOCOLATE- MANGO

   
   

   

   PORTUGESE EGG TART (EVOLVED) 

   
   

   

   
   

   

   CARAMEL SUNDAE - SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM-CARAMEL POPCORN-CARAMEL SHARDS-DULCEY CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL SAUCE

   
   

   

   BLACKFOREST

   
   

   

   GINGERBREAD CHEESECAKE-STOLLEN SOIL-ARMAGNAC MANJARI CREMEAUX,FRESH FIGS

   
   

   

   CAFE LIEGEOIS - LIQUID NITROGEN FROZEN WHITE COFFEE ICE-CREAM-ORANGE COFFEE GELLEE-YOGURT CREMEAUX-CAFE SABLE-ESPRESSO SHOOTER

   
   

   

   TEA TIME - HONG KONG MILK TEA- GREEN TEA PANN COTTA- GREEN TEA SABLE- OOLONG TEA ICECREAM

   
   

   
   

   
   

AMAZING PLATED DESSERTS 2013

One of the most amazing things about a modern blog is that you can see which of your blogs has the most hits and which is constantly referred to by viewers of the site.
Therefore i am always surprised that the WHIMS OF FANCY of 2010 is one of the highest viewed posts I have ever added to this blog.

Out of respect for the chefs with whom I share my amazing career and out of respect for the industry who constantly strives for new ideas and amazing ways to excite customers, passengers and lovers of great cuisine, here therefore are my latest creations and my WHIMS OF FANCY- plated desserts for 2013....

MOTHERS DAY 2013

Cinnamon Chocolate mousse with a dark ganache centre, homemade cinnamon granola and true de cacao stick

tarte aux banoffee

Raspberry cake with raspberry ganache, mascarpone quenelle and red velvet streusel

peanut butter and banana bread and butter pudding with double cream and a shot of rosemary infused caramel sauce

russian honey cake with honey syrup

Opera 2012 (with kahlua coffee shooter)

BANOFFEE PIE 2013

FATHERS DAY 2013

Rosemary chocolate mousse with homemade Maldivian Granola, rosemary caramel infused syrup shooter and caramel creameux under a dark chocolate dome

Have a great year folks.

SIMPLICITY...not a science ! A RED VELVET REVOLUTION

I do believe that our trade, of pastry is one based on science. Recipes are in essence a calculated formula by which if followed correctly can achieve an amazing chemical reaction taking place between something as mundane as flour and gluten particles, liquids in the form of milk or proteins such as eggs, chemicals such as baking soda and create the most delicious of products.

But science is one thing..I strictly require all my staff to follow my recipes to the letter of the law as they are so well tested that I know the exact number of items that comes from each and if the wrong number are the result then I know usually, where the have deviated form the path to success and have gone wrong.. I love recipes and formulae for that.

But in the hands of the passionless recipes are merely that, a formula...
Without pastry chefs and without their tireless passion for making the art and craft of Patisserie come alive to them, there can be no such amazing creations.

Yes we cook in the trade for customer, clients and passengers, but in essence if we are not cooking to inspire ourselves then we are not being true to ourselves either. Every now and then I need a day to create , to push the limits of my own knowledge, my own passion and my recipes to inspire even my own self. I never want to lose that. A day now and then of creating can open up a whole world of possibilities.

RED VELVET cake , Red Velvet Cupcakes are not my creation. They came from the USA.
(James Beard's 1972 reference American Cookery describes three red velvet cakes varying in the amounts of shortening and butter. All use red food coloring, but the reaction of acidic vinegar and buttermilk tends to better reveal the red anthocyanin in the cocoa. Before more alkaline "Dutch Processed" cocoa was widely available, the red color would have been more pronounced. This natural tinting may have been the source for the name "red velvet" as well as "Devil's Food" and similar names for chocolate cakes.) (Courtesy WIKIPEDIA)

But it has proven to be a very successful product and ever mores these days, thanks to its success as a cupcake...At Blossom Sweets it is definitely our biggest seller...
So what if RED VELVET Cake , once a proven successful recipe were found , we were look at it for more than a cupcake or a regular cake, what if it were fused it with modern patisserie and a little bit of love and a lot of creativity... Well then you would have my own RED VELVET REVOLUTION...
The past few days have seen me make a few options from what is possible as I adore the Red Velvet cake that we make and not only does the new Red Velvet Roulade taste sensational, but it is without a doubt , already one of our biggest sellers.

Sometimes it is the science of our trade that reaps the rewards of success..But sometimes too its the simplicity of just standing back and taking another look at your options...the simplicity of having another viewpoint of shape, form and design of an old product...and sometimes it is as simple as remembering that we do this because we love it...passion is the simplest tool we pastry chefs have....and the one tool we should never forget to bring to work....
Enjoy the following Red Velvet revolution photos

.RED VELVET ROULADE

RED VELVET ULTIME...Red velvet sponge layers, mascarpone and madagascan vanilla creme, rose and raspberry glaze, red velvet macarons and passionfruit shooters to offset the sweetness..

RED VELVET as a plated dessert with raspberry Margarita shooter and Passionfruit shooter to offset the sugary over load.

Red Velvet Boule...with raspberry margarita Shooter..for the adults 

Red Velvet Ball, to offset the sweetness here I made a peanut butter streusel, the dryness and the slightly salted finish of the streusel truly dampened down the sugar fix and made the whole dessert a little more formal and grown up !! I'd use pure raspberry puree for this one and in a way it all becomes a little bit like Peanut Butter and Jelly flavor notes. The berry, the sweetness and the peanut butter streusel combining into a dessert of truly delicious proportions.... From one dessert comes many....simple.