Spot Lighted February Dessert

The Chefworks News Corner

My nine-year-old daughter and I had one baking class with Marco, and a week later we both took home ribbons at the Jersey City PIE day competition! My apple pie won first place -- and I owe it all to Marco's wonderful baking tips. His class was both fun and informative. He has a real gift for making a complex process both simple and easy to replicate.

Lemon Chiffon is a light, lemon moose wrapped in vanilla sponge cake

Sacher Torte is a chocolate spongecake, raspberry filling and chocolate glaze

Caramelized Banana Tart

Caramelized Banana and vanilla ice cream on cookie spears with assorted sauces

Roasted Capon stuffed with Leeks, Herbed Goat Cheese and Spinach, Potato Galette and Brussles Sprouts.

Vegetable Tarts with Herbed Cottage Cheese Cream garnished with Flowers from the garden: Roses, Nasturtiums, African Basil and Pineapple Sage Flowers, Italian Basil.

"Squid" made from a selection of homemade pickles from my garden: Italian Banana Pepper as the carapace with Carrot and Red Onion tentacles plus pickled Green and Red Jersey Tomato - Pear Vinaigrette

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Hazelnut pastry monoliths, vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate fudge and passion fruit.

Cheese Cake

This plate accompanied the cheese course. Clockwise from the top there is a crispy ginger cracker with a bit of the herbed goat cheese with which we stuffed the capon, fig confit from my neighbors tree, puree of pears made from my friend Evette's pear tree, yellow and red pepper coulis in between stripes of mascarpone.

This "palette" of edible flowers from my garden is used for decorating plates: White and coral toned roses, Nasturtium, Pineapple Sage flowers, African Basil flowers and dill (which is an herb of course, but the flowers are too small to be seen on the plate)

Parker House Rolls Baked in a Loaf Pan

Dining Room Table in the Studio

Chef Marco Runanin serving Tuna gravlox and pomerey-wasabi sauce