The Olives Dessert Table; Spectacular Restaurant Desserts You Can Make at Ho

by Todd English; Paige Retus; Sally Sampson

• ISBN13: 9780684823355
• ISBN10: 0684823357
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-11-08
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary

Todd English soared to stardom in the culinary world with his distinctive style of layering flavors and textures, a style that has made his restaurants, and the cookbooks that feature his dishes, so popular. The philosophy for the desserts served at Olives is the same as that for the entrees: "We like to pull things out of the country and dress them up," says Todd. "We take very simple things and layer them together to compose a more complex dish." The result? Desserts that are always more than the sum of their parts, combining familiar and comfortable flavors in unique and unexpected ways. Extravagant creations such as Mango Tarte Tatin with Pastry Cream and Chocolate Pastry; Apple-Topped Gingerbread with Hot Applesauce and Cinnamon Ice Cream; Butterscotch Pudding in a Chocolate Crumb Crust with Fudge-Topped Toffee Cookies and Chocolate Lace Cigarettes; Blue Cheese Danish with Port-Poached Pears; Cranberry-Lime Sorbet with Walnut Rugelach; Double Chocolate Souffle with Deep, Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Chocolate Anglaise. Best of all, each of the 43 spectacular desserts featured is made up of building block recipes (more than 145 in all), many of which can be prepared ahead of time, and many that taste great on their own. So you can wow your guests with White Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding with Caramel Semi-Freddo and Boozy Caramel Sauce. Or simply serve your family the best banana bread they'll ever have. No matter which option you choose, the results will be extraordinary.

Author Biography

Todd English is the chef-owner of Olives (Boston; Las Vegas; Washington, D.C.; Aspen; and New York); Miramar, in Westport, Connecticut; four branches of Figs; and Kingfish Hall, in Boston. Chef English is the recipient of the James Beard Foundation¹s award for Best Chef in the Northeast and the Robert Mondavi Award for Culinary Excellence. He has been featured in Bon Appétit, The New York Times, Food & Wine, The Boston Globe, The Boston Phoenix, and many other periodicals. Chef English is the host of the public television series Cooking In with Todd English and the coauthor of The Olives Table and The Figs Table. He lives in Boston with his wife and three children.

Table of Contents

Introduction	15	(6)
Olives Laws	21	(1)
Essential Ingredients	22	(2)
Essential Equipment	24	(3)
Righteous Chocolate	27	(40)
Falling Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce	28	(3)
Baked Chocolate Mousse on a Crunch Base with a Chocolate Tuile Fan and Chantilly Cream	31	(5)
White Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding with Caramel Semi-Freddo and Boozy Caramel Sauce	36	(6)
Milk Chocolate Pot De Cream in a Chocolate Balloon Cup with Hot Chocolate Minis	42	(8)
Silky Chocolate Cream Pie in an Oatmeal Shortbread Shell	50	(7)
Chocolate Bombe with Layers of Smooth, Creamy-Dreamy, Gnarly-Bumpy, and Oh-So Crispy	57	(10)
Dreamy, Creamy Custards and Puddings and Tiramisu	67	(44)
Black-Bottomed Cream Brulee with Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Sauce	68	(5)
Ginger Brulee with Buried Blackberries Hot and Sassy Cakes, and Blackberry Crush	73	(5)
Pumpkin Ginger Cream Caramel on Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Pecan Shorts and Toffeed Pecans	78	(6)
Butterscotch Pudding in a Chocolate Crumb Crust with Fudge-Topped Toffee Cookies and Chocolate Lace Cigarettes	84	(6)
Apricot Flan on Sherry-Spiked Marquise with Shortbread Checkerboards and Dried-Apricot Sorbet	90	(6)
Banana-White Chocolate Cream Caramel with Bruleed Baby Bananas on a Toffee-Bottomed Cocoa Cake	96	(6)
Roasted Banana Tiramisu	102	(9)
Souffles Are Not as Tough as You Think	111	(26)
Very Vanilla Bean Souffle with Vanilla Anglaise, Vanilla Ice Cream and a Tuile Twist	112	(6)
Double Chocolate Shuffle with Deep, Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Chocolate Anglaise	118	(6)
Pumpkin Pie Souffle with Honey Lace, Cinnamon Anglaise, and Hazelnut-Cranberry Rugelach	124	(8)
Frozen Citrus ``Souffle'' with Lemon Curd and Citrus Shortbread	132	(5)
Seasonal Fruits and Tarts	137	(72)
Fresh Fig- and Raspberry-Studded Lemon Tart with Cooling Buttermilk ``Ice Cream'' and Raspberry Crush	138	(6)
Blueberry-Lime Tart with Sweet Coconut Crumble and Blueberry Sorbet	144	(6)
Nectarine-Blueberry Crisp with Oatmeal Crumble and Buttermilk ``Ice Cream''	150	(4)
Johnnycake Cobbler with Dark Bing Cherries and Mascarpone Ice Cream	154	(3)
Plum Crostada with Mascarpone and Lemon Ice Cream	157	(5)
Raspberry Blush Peach Melba with Almond Madeleines and Sweet, Toasty Almonds	162	(5)
Warm Plum Compote over White Chocolate Ice Cream with Peppered-Candied Walnuts and Walnut Biscotti	167	(6)
Apricot and Goat Cheese Tart in a Pistachio Shell	173	(3)
Chocolate-Laced Caramelized Hazelnut Tart with Chocolate Semi-Freddo and Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies	176	(7)
Lime and Mango Tart with Zesty Lime Curd and Broiled Mangoes	183	(5)
Butter-Basted Apple Tart with Currants and Walnuts, Cornmeal Dough, and Zaletti	188	(5)
Layered Banana Cream Pie with Pecan Goo on Sweet Banana Cake with Toffeed Pecans and Tuiles	193	(9)
Mango Tarte Tatin with Pastry Cream and Chocolate Pastry	202	(7)
Cakes	209	(38)
Apple-Topped Gingerbread with Hot Applesauce and Cinnamon Ice Cream	210	(4)
Real Good, Real Basic Pound Cake with Seasonal Fruit Compote and Burnt Orange Ice Cream	214	(6)
Cranberry Upside-Down Cake with Caramel Semi-Freddo and Pecan Shorts	220	(5)
Hot and Sassy Gingerbread with Ginger Crinkles, Cider Sauce, and Ginger Ice Cream	225	(8)
Many-Layered Lemon Cake	233	(6)
Espresso Torte	239	(8)
Ice Cream and Sorbets	247	(16)
Turtle Sundae: Caramel and Vanilla Bean Ice Creams in a Pecan Short Shell with Chocolate and Caramel Sauces, Salted Pecan Bark, Caramel Turtles, Chantilly Cream, and Salted Pecans	248	(7)
Cranberry-Lime Sorbet with Walnut Rugelach	255	(4)
Lime Granita with Raspberry Crush and Citrus Shortbreads	259	(4)
Cheese and Breads	263	(1)
Blue Cheese Danish with Port-Poached Pears	264	(5)
Caramelized Walnut Tart with Prunes, Onions, and Blue Cheese	269	(4)
Gorgonzola Biscuits with Poached Pear Reduction	273

Excerpts

Chapter One: Olive's Laws

These are the rules we go by (in no particular order) and if you follow them, you'll find that your desserts will be that much better.

Don't separate eggs with your hands. Go shell to shell.

Eggs are large and at room temperature.

Butter is unsalted.

Brown sugar is light brown unless specified, and tightly packed.

All nuts are toasted unless specified.

Milk always refers to whole milk. If you use skim or low fat, your desserts will suffer for it.

Use pure vanilla extract.

Use parchment paper liberally. Don't sweat the expense, you can reuse it.

Use the highest quality chocolate and cocoa you can find.

Scrub lemons, limes, and oranges before zesting.

Always have a perfectly clean bowl and whisk when whipping egg whites.

Fruit should be perfectly ripe; cooking won't ripen a rock-hard pear.

Ingredients should be at room temperature whenever possible.

Don't use ultrapasteurized cream. Pasteurized cream is harder to find but well worth the search.

Copyright © 2000 by Todd English, Paige Retus, and Sally Sampson

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Excerpted from The Olives Dessert Table: Spectacular Restaurant Desserts You Can Make at Home by Todd English, Paige Retus, Sally Sampson
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.