Tuesday, July 29, 2008

classic desserts, vegan twist




Ok, I'm almost done catching up to my June travels! I promised myself I'd have them all posted to the blog before the end of July, and I'm coming in right under the wire. We flew from the Virgin Islands to D.C. to stay with my mom for a few days before coming back to Syracuse. I took that opportunity to hop up to New York City for 1 day to take a class at the Natural Gourmet Institute. Inspired by Emilie's posts, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a class with Fran Costigan. Here's the description- mouth-watering, right??
# 79 Classically Elegant Vegan Cakes Deconstructed
hands-on

Are you already confident about vegan dessert basics and eager for your next challenge? Come spend the whole day with dessert wizard, Fran Costigan, who will take you through every stage of three complex and elegant desserts. In its original version, each of these beauties is loaded with cream, butter, eggs, and refined sugar. But, under Fran's expert guidance, you will give each one a glorious vegan makeover. As sumptuous and sensational as the originals, these updated classics are truly desserts to swoon for! You will de- and then re-construct: Opera Cake: Hazelnut Cake, Chocolate Espresso Filling, Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling, Hazelnut Cream & Coffee Syrup, Candied Hazelnuts, and Gold Leaf; Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cherry Gateau): Chocolate Sponge Cake, Cherry Cream Filling, Shiny Cocoa Glaze, Poached Cherries in Optional Red Wine, and Cherry Granita; Mango-Coconut-Lime Torte: Mango Mousse Brûlée, Agave Candied Coconut, Coconut Sorbet, Lime Gelée, Mint Syrup, andCrunchy Wheat-Free Cookie Batons. (Some optional alcohol will be used.)

When I got to the class, I was so happy and relieved to see familiar faces. Danette (on the left), whom I'd met up with previously in NYC and who is an NGI veteran, and Summer (on the right), with whom I have some friends in common but had never met before. When I found out we would be in a team together, I knew this would be an awesome day.

What I enjoyed most, apart from Fran's expert instruction and getting to taste the sweet results, was just getting to work in a commercial kitchen environment. The convection ovens! The fast pace! The aprons! I was in foodie heaven all day. And here are photos from that day:



My group's assignment- a German black forest cake with cherry crème, chocolate-cherry ganache, topped with chocolate-covered cherries, truffles, and chocolate shavings.



Here is a different presentation we made with the cherry crème, using a vanilla cake, poached cherries, and one of the huge hits of the day, the fresh cherry granita. So good!



Here you see the delectable opera cake- hazelnut cake, espresso mousse, rich chocolate ganache, and gold-leaf dusted hazelnuts. This cake was beyond decadent!



Here is a refreshing presentation with mango mousse (extra intense mango flavor because of the use of dried mango), coconut sorbet, candied coconut, lime gelée, and mint syrup. Perfect summery flavors.



With the extra time we had, we used some leftover ganache to make truffles- here you see them in various flavors: coconut, hazelnut, cocoa, and clove-sugar. Yum.



On our lunch break, my team walked over to Bonobo's, a raw foods restaurant that I had not tried before. I got the salad sampler platter that you see above- filled with steamed kale and 7 different salads, each of which was SO delicious. It was fantastic to give my palate a break from all the sugar of our class, and to energize my body for a few more hours of baking! At Bonobo's, I also got to sample durian for the first time (in pudding form)- and guess what? I liked it!

I learned a lot about techniques and ingredients from this class- I look forward to taking more classes at the NGI! If anyone ever gives you grief about the possibility of being vegan, healthy, ecologically/ethically aware, and decadent, please show them these photos! So there you have the last of my June adventures. After getting home at the beginning of July, Daiku and I have been playing a catch-up game- not just working and teaching, but also trying to rent our house and get packed and ready for our move to England, which is only (gulp!) 6 weeks away! That explains the infrequency of my blogging, but I hope to catch up and visit all your blogs over the course of this week!

Restaurant Info:
Bonobo's Vegetarian
18 East 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
212-505-1200

eatraw1@aol.com



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26 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

What a great class!!! Those desserts are absolutely stunning!!

Paula said...

Yum!

I've only been to Bonobo's once, but it was really good. I think I will go there for lunch tomorrow!

Amey said...

wow, what a fun post! The workshops with Fran are looking so wonderful! Too bad NY is so far away.... sigh!

:)

Lauren said...

Wow! What amazing looking desserts! And that raw food plate has me drooling!!

Anonymous said...

Incredible desserts- that must have been one awesome class!

Theresa said...

Wow bazu, all of those desserts look really impressive. Want to come here and make some for me?

Anonymous said...

I can't decide...the black forest cake, or the opera cake. So many choices!

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

that opera cake is especially intriguing me, but it's all so beautiful - including the salads!

Emilie said...

fun! I'm sad I missed it. Danette and I went to Bonobo's during baking bootcamp too--we seriously needed the raw veggies to get through all the sugar and flour of boot!

Leslie Richman said...

That looks like so much fun!

Ashley Rebecca said...

so funny! i am doing the chef training program at NGI right now, and I just happened to see your blog on a friend's blog!

I wanted to do those classes with Fran so badly! But they overlapped with my other classes... the desserts look delicious!

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Sounds like an awesome class! The dessert look & sound awesome!

aTxVegn said...

What a fun day of baking and eating! All of the desserts sound amazing.

The Vegan Snorkeler said...

That class sounds so fun! Everything looks amazing, but I think I'm most impressed by the use of gold leaf! I'll have to try Bonobo's soon. I've heard about nutrient-rich durian, good to know you liked it. Good luck on your move!

Vegan_Noodle said...

Sounds like a great class!! I wish she had shown us the opera cake... looks so decadent! Fran definitely remembered you from the class, she mentioned you multiple times during bootcamp :-)

Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said...

A vegan dessert class? We have no such thing (yet) in St. Louis! Your creations are beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Whoa, what a great opportunity! That opera cake is gorgeous!

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

these are the time I wish I liked cherries. that cake is beautiful!

urban vegan said...

I've always wanted to take a class there...one of these days, when some time frees up.


The treats you made look absolutely delectable.

Peggy said...

Words cannot describe how GOOD that all looks :S

also, check out my blog for an award I've given you!

Anonymous said...

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Feel free to post it on your site if you so desire, as well to nominate 7 of your own favorite sites. Keep up the great work!

sarchan said...

Wow, that class sounds amazing. And the opera cake looks particularly impressive. Jealous!

Anonymous said...

That class sounds like something I would love to do. Your black forest cake really steals the show. However, I'm intrigued by the clove-sugar truffle. I never thought about cloves and chocolate before but I bet it's a winning combination.

B.A.D. said...

That class sounds wicked! And those deserts look amazing.

Sarah P said...

those desserts are incroiable! Especially the mangoey one, and the black forest cake - !!!

tofufreak said...

you are soo soo lucky to have been in the class!!! the fresh cherry granita looks awesome.

funny, i was just thinking about bonobo's today!