Last Day

This is my last day at Le Bernardin and I am sorry to see it come to an end. I am very grateful that chef Laiskonis has allowed me to spend this time in his kitchen. I also need to thank all of his staff for letting me help with their production tasks and showing me how to make the recipes. It has been a fantastic learning experience.

Here is a list of a few things that I found especially interesting –

• Sweet Potato Pearls – a flavored puree of roasted sweet potato that includes LBG and agar. It is put into a squeeze bottle and then dropped into a chilled oil bath. As the little drops of puree sink to the bottom of the chilled oil bath they cool and the gums are set. The pearls are strained and rinsed before being served. Very cool technique.
• Chocolate Biscuit (pronounced bis-kwee; as in a cake, not a cookie) – he has several different biscuit recipes that include chocolate as a fat (along with butter). I’ve never seen this before. I like the end result, which is more moist and slightly denser than a normal biscuit.
• Saucing Stencil- okay, this one might not be as exciting to you, but I think it’s a great idea and had never seen it before. Basically, he uses this flexible stencil material that has been cut out to a rectangular shape and spreads the sauce on the plate with it. The stencil is lifted away and you have a perfect rectangle of sauce on the plate.
• Organization – I love organization and this is a kitchen that has it in spades. Lists abound and things run smoothly.

This is my last stage in NYC. In a little over a week my wife and I hit the road for our cross-country move back home to Seattle. If you know of anyone in Seattle looking for a pastry cook…