Finding Inspiration, Dessert Edition
With all that’s going on in the world, it surprised me that this dessert came up in my mind. With stay at home orders in effect and work shut down, “fancy” desserts weren’t on the top of my priorities. I stayed home and indulged in comfort food, catching up on my reading, rearranging my apartment, and feeling uncertain and unmoored.
When I saw this bag during one of my late night stress shopping scrolls I actually wanted to purchase it. But practicality won out, I mean where exactly am I going during shut down? Yet this bag stayed on my mind. As I was de-cluttering my kitchen, I found silicone cannelle molds, a replica of the shape of the bag. And suddenly the idea sprang up in my mind.
When it comes to being inspired, sometimes ideas hit you all at once. For me, I always envision something viscerally in my head, and I try my best to recreate what is in my imagination. Sometimes the execution is really easy, more often that not (and what is usually not pictured) is the messy attempts, the opinions, the wavering of thought, and questioning your original idea.
An idea always strikes at the oddest times. It comes during moments of pressure, when thinking of something else entirely, or actually, when you really need it. Creating, even when I least likely want to admit it, is a form of self care. I was stressed, scared, and unmotivated, and being creative with this dessert became the form of self-care I needed all along.
This dessert is a play on a classic Frasier, which is usually comprised of a genoise cake, brushed with syrup, topped with fresh strawberries surrounding a creme mousseline, another layer of genoise, and a marzipan top. The version I had in mind danced around this standard idea. The outside shell is made from Valrhona Strawberry Inspiration, a fruit couverture that works like chocolate, but with the intense flavor of strawberries. Inside are layers of an almond joconde (made with a mixture of almond flour and regular flour) alluding to the marzipan and cake, vanilla diplomat cream, fresh strawberries, and simple strawberry syrup with kirsch. Everything is paired with a not so traditional crème fraîche ice cream, but I love it’s tart and sour notes to balance all the sweetness.
The Inspiration - Louise et Cie - Pink Ales Pleated Bag
The Dessert - Frasier - Fresh Strawberry, Almond Joconde, & Creme Diplomat
Louise et Cie Bag Picture from NET-A-PORTER
Text and Photography by Johana Langi