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Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: 8-Course Dessert Tasting at Providence in Los Angeles

Published

on February 28, 2010

. 24 Comments

By nature and nurture, I’m not a very excessive person. My television is cable-less, I drive a Camry, and my idea of a good time involves dinner and conversation, rather than booze and booty. Okay, maybe a little booty. [Wink, wink.] However, I have my weaknesses. When it comes to sweets, I throw restraint out the window and go buck wild. I’m not just talking about an extra slice of pie or an additional scoop of gelato; when I need a serious sugar fix, the town gets painted red. Thus, it’s no surprise that I’ve long had my eye on the dessert tasting menu at Providence.

Orchestrated by Chef Adrian Vasquez, the eight-course dessert extravaganza ($50) is a feast for the senses. The two-hour symphony of delights features daring flavors, gorgeous plating, and unparalleled creativity. While an octet of sweets might seem like too much of a good thing, diners leave perfectly satisfied under the pastry chef’s brilliant care.

Thanks to the Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 program, I was able to treat The Astronomer, my mama, and my lovely friend Esme to Providence’s dessert tasting this past Saturday evening. While everyone around us was digging into salt-roasted prawns and sea urchin in fresh eggs, we took a stroll through the entire dessert menu. From beginning to end, we were oohing and ahhing with contentment.

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Course I: “Cocktails”

The parade of desserts began with a trio of “cocktails”—mojito, gin and tonic, and greyhound. The mojito and greyhound were held together by the thinnest of membranes. One slip of the tongue and the orbs burst in our mouths. The gin and tonic was taken with a squeeze of fresh lime juice. It was cold, jellied, and potent.

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Course II: Kalamansi Gelee

Next, Chef Vasquez sent out a kalamansi gelee floating in a soup of white chocolate and coconut milk with tiny tapioca balls. The fruity gelee was topped with a quenelle of litchi-shiso sorbet and coconut crumbles. Every refreshing spoonful captured the tropical flavors of Southeast Asia.

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Course III: Mandarin-Rose Sorbet

The mandarin-rose sorbet was accented with a miniature pistachio macaron, airy fluffs of yogurt cake, cardamom, and a disc of orange gelee. The yogurt cake’s sour notes were so pronounced that I swore I was eating a carton of plain yogurt.

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Course IV: Apples in Butterscotch

After three courses featuring citrus fruits, a plate of apples in butterscotch arrived next. The tender slices of fruit were beautifully caramelized and rested atop a cashew cake along with poached north star cherries. A quenelle of miso ice cream provided a delicious contrast to the sweet and warm fruits. This course highlighted the chef’s ability to juxtapose unlikely ingredients deftly.

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Course V: Caramel Pudding

The sticky sweet layer of caramel married luxuriously with the smooth pudding. I loved how the flavors teetered between sweet and slightly burnt. The caramel popcorn provided a crunchy contrast, while the dried apricots cut some of the pudding’s richness. Both accouterments were well chosen, but a part of me yearned for a sprinkling of sea salt, just like Pizzeria Mozza’s butterscotch budino.

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Course VI: Milk Chocolate Ganache

While the centerpiece of this creation was meant to be the chocolate ganache, it was the banana-passion fruit ice cream, cayenne marshmallow, and peanut butter that captured my attention. It seemed to me that this dessert was inspired by classic childhood sandwiches—peanut butter and banana, as well as the Fluffernutter. A little whimsy always makes for a fun sweet.

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Course VII: Dark Chocolate Mousse

Candied kumquats and ginger, along with a scoop of goma (sesame seed) ice cream were just the thing to brighten up this traditional chocolate mousse.

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Course VIII: Affogato

The final course was an affogato. A shot of hot espresso was poured over the canelé-flavored ice cream tableside.

The espresso’s bitterness was tempered by the ice cream’s double punch of richness and sweetness. The layer of hazelnut streusel beneath the ice cream was an awesome surprise.

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Finally, we were treated to a plate of mignardises—banana caramels, white chocolate snowballs with coconut flakes, and barley gelees.

Thank you to Foodbuzz for making this avalanche of desserts possible!

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Providence
5955 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Phone: 323-460-4170

Orange Angel Food Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting

Published

Gastronomer

on February 26, 2010

in Dessert and Recipe

. 19 Comments

The Astronomer recently made a lovely batch of lemon bars that resulted in seven egg whites chilling in the fridge. In the past, I’ve whipped up Pavlovas, coconut macaroons, and meringue cookies to avoid wasting perfectly good whites. This time around, I wanted something different—something substantial and with a bit more oomph.

“Does anyone have an amazing dessert recipe that calls for 7 egg whites? Don’t wanna make meringues or macaroons,” I tweeted early this morning. The ideas came back fast and furious. “A sour cherry financier,” suggested @nandita. “Chocolate mousse or lemon souffle,” offered up @EatingLA. “Lemon meringue pie,” said @Savour. “Make angel food cupcakes!” enthused @TheRunawaySpoon.

The vote for angel food cupcakes excited me the most because I initially wanted to make an angel food cake but couldn’t due to my lack of a proper tube pan. Making cupcakes meant that I could have my cake and eat it too!

I paired whipped cream with these light and airy citrus cupcakes because a traditional butter cream would’ve weighed down the delicate package. And just in case you’ve got a lot of whites lying around, this recipe easily doubles.

For cupcakes

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup sifted cake flour
5 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
Zest from two oranges, plus additional for garnishing

For frosting

1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan (skip this step if using liners). In a small bowl, sift together the cake flour and 1/4 cup sugar.

In a large bowl, beat the room-temperature egg whites until foamy, then add in the cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar while the mixer is on high speed, beating the egg whites to soft peaks.

Fold in the flour mixture, adding it in two or three additions. Fold in the orange zest when all other ingredients have been incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tins, filling them to the top.

Bake for 16-18 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the cakes spring back when lightly touched. Cool on a wire rack.

Make frosting

Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Whip using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer until just shy of stiff. Lift up the beaters and nice peaks should form, clinging onto the beaters nicely. Dollop atop cooled cupcakes and garnish with orange zest.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Cupcake recipe adapted from Baking Bites and whipped cream frosting recipe adapted from Viet World Kitchen .

Orange Spice Cookies

Published

Gastronomer

on February 7, 2010

in Dessert and Recipe

. 17 Comments

I don’t mean to brag or anything, but these Orange Spice Cookies are Ludo-approved. The chef and I were both guests at a wonderful oyster tasting party last weekend where I brought these lovelies for dessert. Since I’m usually the one dolling out criticism [See: LudoBites 2.0, LudoBites 3.0], I thought it was only fair to offer Chef Ludo the chance to scrutinize my humble creations. “They’re not too bad,” he declared after a couple of hearty bites. “They’re good,” he added as he polished off the final chunk. Granted, his praise wasn’t glowing, but coming from the man who invented the black croque monsieur with ham, foie gras, and cherry amaretto jam, it pleased me to no end. “Ludo likes my cookie!” I yapped to anyone who would listen for the rest of the evening.

What makes these Orange Spice Cookies really fantastic is their crinkly and sugary exterior. The cookie’s ever-so-light crust gives way to innards that are delicate, moist, and packed with an array of warm spices. I prepared this recipe once by hand and another time with the help of a stand mixer. While using a stand mixer was easier on the muscles, I preferred the texture achieved with the handmade version. Grease up those elbows, the results are worth it.

1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup light or dark molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon orange zest

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix together 1/2 cup of sugar plus 2 teaspoons grated orange zest in a shallow bowl for coating and set aside. Whisk the flour, baking soda, spices, pepper, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat in the molasses and maple syrup until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds (the dough will be soft). Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is combined.

Using wet hands, roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls, then roll in the sugar and zest mixture to coat and lay on two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and the tops are cracked but the centers are still soft and underdone (peek through the cracks to check the centers), 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.