A couple of months back I went on a trip to California and discovered the magical banana cream pie at Coco’s Bakery. I’ve had fancier versions before (Tartine Bakery’s creation comes to mind), but Coco’s no-nonsense dessert reigns supreme.
In it, velvety custard and fresh bananas are stuffed into a buttery crust and topped with whipped cream and toasted walnuts. Delicious! I set out on a quest to duplicate Coco’s creation.
Soufflés are fun. They’re quick to make and are incredibly pretty when taken out of the oven. But then they deflate and disappoint you. So, if you like disappointment, soufflés are fun!
The thing with soufflés is that they are incredibly difficult to photograph. You’ve got less than two minutes from the time you take them out of the oven until they deflate. That’s why the soufflé in the photo isn’t very tall. When I first took it out of the oven, it was a couple of inches above the rim of the ramekin.
Lately, I have become fascinated with Japanese entremets. I have learned how to spell “entremet”, pronounce [on-TRAH-may], and most importantly make an entremet. I also know how to eat an entremet, but that was a skill I honed long before I made this marvellously refreshing recipe by Japanese pastry chef Hidemi Sugino.
Sugino rightfully has a cult following in Japan (and – ahem – in Toronto). His desserts are incredibly artistic and his flavour combinations are exquisite. Sugino only uses enough sugar in his creations to accentuate his delicate flavour combinations. Even dark chocolate proves to be light in his recipes. Consume more content
