CITY Issue 57

DESSERT PETALS FOR THE PALETTE Once employing them simply for decoration, pastry chefs have begun infusing beautiful buds into their daring confections. By Renee Lucas Wb Farallon, 450 Post St., San Francisco, (415) 956FOR THE HIBISCUS CHERRIES: 15 pitted cherries 6969, www.farallon.com P*Ong, 150 W. 10th St., New York, (212) 9290898, www.p-ong.com 48 CITY TY PHOTO BY JEFF GLEASON hen the bar manager at San Francisco estau ant Fa allon asked Past y Chef Te i Wu to c eate a hibiscusbased sy up fo new potential cocktails, ased something funny happened: The sy up ended up not behind the ba , but at the desse t station in the kitchen. “This happened se endipitously,” says Wu, who wo ks alongside James Bea d wa d–winning Executive Past y Chef Emily Luchetti. “We had these beautiful ga net che ies that came in f om one of ou fa me s and it was just this pe fect pai ing.” It was the ﬁ st time that Wu had expe imented with an ing edient typically expe ienced th ough sight and smell, but not taste: ﬂowe s. When sp ing a ived, Hibiscus Che y Cheesecake held a p ominent spot on Fa allon’s menu. Call it a culina y esponse to wa m weathe — as ﬂowe s begin to bloom, chefs want to get the ﬂavo s of these sweet-smelling blossoms into thei p etty past ies — and not just fo deco ation. “I’ve always loved using edible ﬂowe s in the p esentation of food,” says Pichet Ong, executive chef of New o k’s P*Ong, whe e the Spice Ma ket and alum blu s the line between savo y and sweet. “ la ge pa t of using ﬂowe s is because of the vividly colo ful beauty it adds to the look of a dish. Howeve , I also love thei sweet and peppe y, slightly tangy taste.” Ong, a James Bea d nominee fo Outstanding Past y Chef this yea , uses peppe y-tasting nastu tiums in his smoked t out cavia pa fait with chestnut c acke and miso ice c eam dish. huba b jam–ﬁ lled cupcake with st awbe y butte c eam f osting and candied violets is also on the menu. In Chicago, G ant chatz, chef and owne of the enowned linea (and multiple James Bea d winne himself), says that the device of b inging ﬂowe s into his dishes is based on smell. “Typically in g eat ed wines, Bu gundies in pa ticula , you can smell elements of pu ple ﬂowe s like violets, st awbe ies, and ea thy and b iny notes, like olives,” he says. “I wanted to c eate a bite that would elease each of those ﬂavo s sepa ately in an intense fashion, and then build the bite f om the basis that would allow the ﬂavo s to meld togethe at the end.” This “bite” has ended up on linea’s Tou tasting menu, and is simply called “St awbe y.” It’s best desc ibed as a gumball-sized lozenge with a co e of cooked st awbe ies pu éed into a pudding-like consistency. e “St awbe y” unde goes a se ies of dips, including one into liquid nit ogen, which helps it keep its sphe ical shape, and anothe into a thick niçoise olive b ine, it’s dipped into a mixtu e of cocoa butte infused with violet. Guests a e encou aged to place the bite in thei mouths and let it melt, which esults in an explosion of ﬂo al f ag ance. “The violet a oma emains in the nose du ing the enti e consumption and the intense salty olive component linge s as the sweet st awbe y co e ties the two othe ﬂavo s togethe ,” chatz explains. Of cou se, not all ﬂowe s should be eaten, and anyone wishing to expe iment with ﬂo a in the kitchen should do enough esea ch befo e t ying a dish. It’s c itical to make su e that the ﬂowe is edible and easily digested, and to follow the p ope inst uctions fo ext acting the ﬂavo f om the ﬂowe . Nastu tiums, lavende , jasmine, and hibiscus a e among the most common edible ﬂowe s, and to ext act thei ﬂavo , each ﬂowe has its own ules. Some must be steeped in wate o vinega so that they can be used in sy ups and f ostings, while othe s have petals that a e ﬁne to eat eithe plain o c ystallized with egg whites and suga , so long as they we e neve touched by ha mful pesticides. It also helps to lea n when a pa ticula ﬂowe is in season, if fo nothing else than to avoid high p ices. Befo e the summe ends, Wu hopes to get a new ﬂowe -inco po ating ecipe on Fa allon’s menu — a chamomile g anita using meadowsweet, an almondﬂavo ed elde ﬂowe , pai ed with ap icot and yogu t. “It adds this subtle ﬂavo — a so sp ing, ea ly summe ﬂavo ,” she says. “It’s su p ising and unusual and most people haven’t expe ienced it.” / / ADD A DELICIOUS FLOWER TASTE TO YOUR CHEESECAKE — TRY FARALLON'S HIBISCUS SYRUP AND CHERRIES. FOR THE HIBISCUS SYRUP: 1 oz. hibiscus ﬂowers 2 cups water 2 cups sugar, superﬁne In a small pot, bring water to a bare simmer (water should be luke-warm). Put hibiscus ﬂowers in pot and cover with plastic wrap. Steep for 20 minutes (do not steep longer or it will become bitter). Strain and then discard ﬂowers. Yields approximately one cup of hibiscus extraction. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. 15 halved cherries each 3 Tbsp. Hibiscus Syrup (from recipe above) Toss pitted and halved cherries in hibiscus syrup and sauté on medium high heat for approximately 1 minute. Cherries should still hold their shape. Cool to room temperature; toss cherries occasionally as they cool. Pour over your favorite cheesecake. WHERE TO TASTE THESE DESSERTS Alinea, 1723 North Halsted St., Chicago, (312) 8670110, www.alinea-restaurant.com http://www.alinea-restaurant.com http://www.farallon.com http://www.p-ong.com

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City Issue 57 Contents Letter from City Our Friends Action Wanted City Moment Temporary Contemporary In Rouge Fast Food The Amused Bouche How We Live/The Kitchen Taste Test Dessert Wine Going Local Expert Opinion Travel Employees Only Summer Showers Wild Things Be There at 10 P.M. Sharp If... Where To Buy It Icon

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