17th Annual Top Ten Pastry Chefs In America, Part II

Still on that sugar high but with lots more pictures!

After the awards ceremony, we were invited to indulge in the dessert reception.  Godiva reps wandered around with trays and trays of two of their ice cream-inspired flavors:

Mint Chocolate Truffles

I think this was inspired by lemon sherbet

I’m not normally a Godiva fan because I think the quality of their product has gone down the tubes over the years, but I did enjoy the samples they offered, the mint chocolate more than the lemon.  I’d just taken a bite of the mint chocolate truffle when someone said to me, “C’mon, let’s go try some of these desserts!” and I unthinkingly put it and my untasted lemon sherbet truffle into my purse, like Sophia in The Golden Girls with the sugar packets.  I did wrap them in a napkin to protect the interior of my bag.  Later, to my surprise (but probably not yours), when I took out my mobile phone and the little notebook in which I’d been taking notes, I discovered that both of them were smeared with mint chocolate truffle; it had tumbled out of its napkin and was rolling around loose in my purse.  Sigh.

As for the yummies that were offered to everyone in attendance, there were so many I had to stake out a spot in a quiet room so I could put each plate down and go get more.  I even left a Do Not Touch note.  Man, how ghetto am I?

Here are some of the winners’ desserts in no particular order:

Roy Pell’s team assembles his Jacquelyns

Jacquelyn–I really loved the simple, unfussy presentation

Roy Pell’s Jacquelyns were fab!  Rich, creamy, luscious, crisp, and a riot of textures were the words that came to mind when I took my first bite of his creation.  That little chocolate tower tasted like coffee truffles.

Prepping Bill Foltz’ showpiece

I really enjoyed Bill Foltz’s Honey Cake with Coconut Haupia (haupia is a Hawaiian dessert similar to gelatin but is thickened with arrowroot instead of gelatin), Valrhona Cream, and Pineapple-Lemongrass Salsa.  The combination of honey cake and coconut haupia was perfect, not too overwhelming in either direction.  That Valrhona cream… sigh.  I have a particular affinity for Valrhona chocolate; it’s smooth, rich, not chalky, and doesn’t have that weird raisin-y aftertaste that a lot of chocolates have.    Not so enamored of the pineapple-lemongrass salsa though; the pineapple flavor was a little muted by the lemongrass.   End result:  honey cake + coconut haupia + Valrhona = AWESOME.

Closeup of Bill Fotz’ Honey Cake with Coconut Haupia, Valrhona Cream, and Pineapple-Lemongrass Salsa

One of my favorites for prettiest desserts is Nicholas Lodge’s Chapeau Chic:

As the name implies, this dessert was meant to resemble a ladies’ hat

The pistachio mousse was so light and delicate, I almost didn’t know I was eating it.  I felt it was overwhelmed by the red sour cherry crémeux, though, and the granola crust was a bit too thick and tough to cut into with a plastic fork.  But gosh, I loved the presentation!

Inside Le Chapeau Chic

I couldn’t stop taking pictures of this

My notes on some of these wonderful pastries are incomplete; it was hard to hear myself think and write amidst all the moans of gustatory ecstasy from the people around me.  Good thing smoking isn’t allowed indoors anymore!  To my credit, I did not moan.  I did give myself a headache after my eyes rolled to the back of my head from sheer pleasure as I munched on the yummies.

Stay tuned, there’s more dessert porn to come!