[ChristianSeel]

We often take for granted things that are common, or heavily commercialized, despite their great value and complexity. To this list, we can add earl grey tea. Simply put, our new dessert is a take on a cup of tea.



The majority of the compounds in the unprocessed tea leaf are far too bitter to be consumed raw. The process relies on enzymatic activity to transform the leaves into the age old beverage. From something inedible, comes an aromatic and satisfying product. A process so inherently transformative, embodies the spirit of cooking, and begs further exploration.

The practice of scenting tea with the extract of bergamot citrus, dates back to 1830's England. It is commonly known as Earl grey. We are using a mixture called "Earl Grey creme," that almost always has a pronounced aroma of vanilla with a mixture of blue malva flowers and sometimes a non-dairy cream element.



It came to our attention from pastry Chef de Partie Meghan O'Neil. She thought it would make a great dessert, and approached Chef de Cuisine Dave Beran with the idea. We began to extrapolate the idea of "a cup of tea" or "tea and cookies." What does one eat while drinking tea? A dry sablé-like cookie to contrast the moisture of the tea? Lemon curd for dipping cookies or scones?

We isolated different aromas and focused on lemon, fennel/anise and pine nut, and on a more subtle note - rose. Earlier, we attempted a sphere of pine nut liquid with a lemon shell. The result wasn't what we were looking for, but we knew we were on the right track with the flavor combination.



We include the element of white chocolate as a sweet rich complement to the aroma and bitterness of the tea. In the past, we paired dark chocolate with tea to play on the floral and bitter notes of each. We've also used white chocolate paired with flowers as a shell flavored with violet, encasing a stawberry puree. Our initial addition of rose to the white chocolate came off as soapy. Instead, we caramelize it sous vide, giving it a nutty flavor and texture almost like peanut butter. It pairs well with darker flavors of the tea. While still warm, the mixture is piped into ice water to form long strands.



We fill the wells of the plate with a pine nut custard. Its made by steeping toasted pine nuts with milk and then set with carageenan. We crystallize sugar over pine nuts to frost them, and add them to brittle separately. We make a fennel jam to complement anise notes in the tea. Because the rose aroma is subtle, we wanted to incorporate it accordingly. We make a make a rose pate de fruit with pectin for a jammy texture, which we shatter with liquid nitrogen into free-form shards. The resulting pieces are scattered through the mix like bits of quartz among the gravel. Spheres of lemon curd add bright acidity and cut through the richer elements of cookie and custard. At the same time they complement the citrus aromas of earl grey.



The finished dish rests on pillows that we fill with the aroma of the tea itself. As the guest eats, the pillow slowly releases the perfumed tea air. We make a literal "tea cookie" first by grinding the loose leaf tea and adding it to a dough like shortbread. We garnish the dish with bits of dried tea leaves, micro thyme and lemon balm.

[ChristianSeel]

ronmendozapastry, on 20 February 2010 - 12:59 PM, said:

the dish sounds great. i love the idea of shattered pate de fruit, but what do mean by lemon curd spheres? frozen and dropped calcium? or another preperation. always interested in how to give form and shape to curd. thanks

We make a traditional lemon curd and add gelatin. While the mixture is warm, we pipe it into small water balloons to form spheres and then shock them in ice water. Once the gelatin has set, we remove the balloon.

[ChristianSeel]

chefbennett01, on 22 March 2010 - 05:27 PM, said:

excuse my ignorance, but how do you 'caramelise it sous vide'

chefbennett01@twitter.com

Chefbennett01,

We use the word "caramelize" informally. Without going too in depth, the maillard reaction involves sugar, heat and protein. Usually it involves very high heat ie. searing meat in a pan or baking bread. Concentrated dairy products like sweetened condensed milk, as well as our white chocolate, base contain high enough percentages of sugar and protein to react under 100C. You might recall an instance of someone making 'dulce de leche' by heating sweetened condensed milk in a bag or can in a pot of water for several hours. The higher temperature speeds up the process, which is why sometimes caramelized dairy recipes involve pressure cooking.