Monday, September 17, 2007

Cheesecake Vanilla Bean

Ermine. Do you see it? Just in those little specks. I couldn't figure out for awhile why this one was different. Then I saw what he's done. Added vanilla bean to the whipped cream. Bingo! Now we can go to Madagascar, or talk orchids and such. Just for that one, that one little touch. Off to the silk road, to trade for some silk or porcelain. We have a little spice to make it more, more than a creamy luscious dessert. A chance for a ride on a boat to a far off place. My childhood books, The Enchanted Wonderland, had maps inside the covers with blue waves and jumping fish, sailing ships going off to somewhere fun I just knew. I wanted to go there , go there too. Explore. There were poems inside, and stories too. Wee Willie Winkle in his nightgown...illustrated capital letters to kick off the start of a new tale, a new bit of verse. I loved those books. You can image my smile when I found out Eudora Welty had them too!! Isn't it fun, to fall into some little bit of a thing that taps into that self, that knows the glee, of a little adventure, or fantasy. I wonder if chef, if he had them too ? Does he fight off dragons, or sail away with the moon. Maybe he was royal just for today, with ermine and velvet,a robe made of jaune.There's a golden glint of his crown. When we see jumping fish on a pastry or two. We''ll know it for sure. He'll be saying come play. Come join me today.

1 comment:

Merisi said...

Those little specks of vanilla orchid seeds remind me of Breyer's Vanilla ice cream, which was one of the first that used real vanilla beans, if my memory serves me right (my kids dream of Breyer's or Eddy's, they say none of the store-bought ice creams here taste as delicious as those "better" American supermarket brands. :-)

I met and talked with the chef who creates that small line of macarons etc. at the Sweet K. here in Vienna. He puts these little brush strokes on the macarons and some of them had gold leaf today. He is proud of his new venture (he is the chef of the restaurant and this is a new tiny-sized jewelry-like new patisserie next door, his brain child), so sweet, like a new father. :-) I love creative chefs.