Serving up their just desserts
Also: Luau transformed
By Betty Shimabukuro
Star-BulletinWhen Alan Wong was a kid, vegetables made him gag. But he had a teacher who wouldn't let kids leave the lunch table until they finished all their veggies. So he stuck them in the pockets of his pants. Coleslaw went in there, mushy broccoli ... " 'Til today I can still feel the sensation of creamed spinach."
Nowadays he eats all his fruits and vegetables and has become a disciple of fresh juicing. He has created enticing blends of carrot, beet and other juices, dosed with things like spinach juice for good health and ginger for zing. They'll be added soon to his restaurant's breakfast menu.
Here's one that can be created at home even if you don't have a power juicer:
Pineapple Revitalizing Drink
Alan Wong1 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Honey, to tasteCombine ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
(long-s)
"To be a great pastry chef is very simple. You follow the recipe," says Francois Payard.
Problem is, the great recipes are too complicated for average cooks. "What French people show to America was always complicated."
In Payard's upcoming cookbook, "Simply Sensational Desserts," he attempts to demystify baking. He has simplified his own recipes to create 140 recipes that can be assembled in 45 minutes.
With the leftover time, he suggests dressing your simple dessert with some chocolate trim: Melt white or dark chocolate, any type, then scoop a spoonful onto a marble block that has been cooled in the freezer. If you don't have marble, use a cookie sheet.
Quickly spread the chocolate into a thin, even sheet and cut into squares. It will harden quickly on the cold surface. Lift squares and form into little bowls or free-form sculptures. Or cut into lengths and form curls.
"The only technique is to be quick," Payard says.
Warm Chocolate Tart
Francois Payard8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pre-baked tart shellCombine cream and milk; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate. Allow to stand 30 seconds, then whisk until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Cool 10 minutes.
Whisk egg into mixture. Pour filling into crust and bake at 325 degrees 5 to 6 minutes, until edges are set. Center should still be soft. Cool on rack 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Serves 6 to 8.
Nutritional information unavailable.
Alan Wong's first job as a chef's helper involved placing pineapple rings and maraschino cherries atop ham slices and pouring on a gooey sauce. Ham Steak Aloha it was called, and it was more or less the essence of Hawaii cuisine in the dark ages. Wong transforms
traditional luau"Man, I won't eat it today," Wong says.
In his new cookbook, "Alan Wong's New Wave Luau" (Ten Speed Press, $35), the acclaimed chef remakes this unhappy dish in the style of the Hawaii regional cuisine he helped found.
The ham steak becomes Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Gingered Sweet Potatoes and Pineapple-Macadamia Nut Relish.
"New Wave Luau" gives this reinterpretive treatment to traditional luau foods and local classics. To grasp the concept, consider how Wong transforms kalua pig -- into a risotto dish, a Caesar salad, nachos or into a mix with taro pancakes and poi vinaigrette.
"Back in the unenlightened days of the 1960s and '70s, the saying was that the best meal you'd get on your Hawaiian vacation was the meal coming over on the plane," Wong says in his book. No more.
Here's a recipe from his book:
Kau Orange Brulee
1/2 cup heavy cream
Zest of 1/2 Kau or navel orange, grated
3 extra-large egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon butterBring cream and zest to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes.
Place yolks and sugar in the top of a double boiler over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, about 10 minutes, or until thick. Add boiling cream mixture and butter, stirring to combine. Remove from heat.
Half-submerge top of the double boiler in ice and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until no longer steaming. Fill soup spoons with the mixture and chill.
Nutritional information unavailable.
Betty Shimabukuro, Star-Bulletin
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