Fall was approaching, and I wanted to put pumpkin on the menu in something other than a pie or ice cream, which are delicious but too easy. I wanted to do something new that would showcase pumpkin in a different light.
One afternoon at Milk Bar, I was flipping through one of the old notebooks I kept as a cook when I came upon a recipe for a sweet but savory squash filling we’d used, back when I worked for Alex Grunert at Bouley, to sandwich together macaroons. Bingo.
But how to make it my own, with a new texture and viscosity—something that was thick and voluptuous enough to stand alone on a plated dessert? I decided to start with the path of least resistance, a standard white chocolate ganache (melted white chocolate and butter blended with heavy cream). Then I added Libby’s pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and some salt. It was so tasty, but I wanted it to have more texture, more body, and more pull, so I turned to my old friend, glucose.
Once the pumpkin ganache was a success, we ran with the technique and attempted a ganache with every root vegetable that could be roasted and pureed to mimic the consistency of pumpkin puree.
Because it’s tough to market a squash cookie or a beet cake to the masses, who want cornflake-chocolate-chip-marshmallow cookies (and how can I blame them?), we love using this mother recipe to infuse splashes of seasonality in our kitchen, which is packed with cornflakes and mini chocolate chips year-round. The “ganache” gives us the opportunity to play with savory and sweet flavors deeper than just salt and sugar.
Though most of our ganaches are part of plated desserts for Ssäm Bar or Ko, there are plenty less fancy uses for any of these recipes. Pumpkin ganache is unbelievably tasty spread over the Oat Cookie, before it’s turned into the crust for the crack pie, and served with Cereal Milk Ice Cream. It’s also an amazing layer in the Carrot Layer Cake, replacing the graham frosting. (Or be a real hardbody, and make a carrot ganache using the mother recipe and layer it in the carrot cake in place of the graham frosting.)
Celery Root Ganache and Tristar Strawberry Sorbet make an amazing ice cream pie when layered into a Ritz Crunch crust. Or deconstruct the sorbet and celery root ganache dish and make it into a little dessert or snack, omitting the sorbet and lovage and using twice the amount of fresh berries; don’t leave out the Ritz Crunch, though!
My go-to use for ganache—and my favorite way to make a pie look totally VIP—is to pipe ganache around the edges. My favorite, favorite, favorite pie that we make is the Blondie Pie, finished with pumpkin ganache. It makes a great fall/holiday dessert or gift. To get ganache on your pies, all you need is a pastry bag and some imagination. Star tip, regular tip—there’s no limit to what you can do.
MAKES ABOUT 340 G (1¼ CUPS)
This mother recipe is a breeze as long as you follow the steps and understand when ingredients are added and why. Melted together, the white chocolate and butter create a basic bond. The addition of glucose, needed for the texture it imparts, then breaks that bond. Cold heavy cream comes to the rescue, emulsifying the broken bond and forming a new, stronger bond. The pumpkin puree and seasonings are added last for flavor and additional body. Note that you must use a hand blender in this recipe, and for the other ganaches in this chapter.
150 g white chocolate
[5¼ ounces]
25 g butter
[2 tablespoons]
50 g glucose
[2 tablespoons]
55 g cold heavy cream
[¼ cup]
75 g Libby’s pumpkin puree
[⅓ cup]
4 g kosher salt
[1 teaspoon]
1 g ground cinnamon
[½ teaspoon]
In a pinch, substitute 18 g (1 tablespoon) corn syrup for the glucose.
1. Combine the white chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe dish and gently melt them in the microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between blasts. The result should be barely warm to the touch and totally homogenous.
2. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a container that can accommodate an immersion blender—something tall and narrow, like a 1-quart plastic deli container. Warm the glucose in the microwave for 15 seconds, then immediately add to the chocolate mixture and buzz with the hand blender. After a minute, stream in the heavy cream, with the hand blender running—the mixture will come together into something silky, shiny, and smooth.
3. Blend in the pumpkin puree, salt, and cinnamon. Put the ganache in the fridge to firm up before using, at least 4 hours, or, ideally, overnight. Stored in an airtight container, pumpkin ganache will keep fresh in the fridge for 1 week. Serve cold.
MAKES ABOUT 375 G (1½ CUPS)
Believe me, I had never even had celery root, let alone become infatuated with it, before we started experimenting with root vegetable ganaches. But, in case you haven’t got the point by now, you can trust me on all sweet things that are delicious. I’m not trying to throw a nasty curve ball your way.
1 medium celery root, peeled and cut into chunks
10 g grapeseed oil
[1 tablespoon]
1 g kosher salt
[¼ teaspoon]
1 g freshly ground black pepper
[¼ teaspoon]
milk if needed
150 g white chocolate
[5¼ ounces]
40 g butter
[3 tablespoons]
50 g glucose
[2 tablespoons]
55 g cold heavy cream
[¼ cup]
4 g kosher salt
[1 teaspoon]
In a pinch, substitute 35 g (2 tablespoons) corn syrup for the glucose.
1. Heat the oven to 325°F.
2. Put the celery root chunks on a big sheet of aluminum foil. Add the oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat the celery root. Fold up the foil to enclose the celery root, put the foil packet on a sheet pan for easy handling, and roast for 30 to 60 minutes. The celery root should be slightly caramelized and mushy-tender at that point; if not, give it additional 15-minute intervals in the oven.
3. Transfer the celery root to a blender and puree it. (If your blender is giving you trouble, add up to 2 tablespoons milk to help get it going.) Pass the puree through a fine-mesh strainer—it should have the texture of Libby’s pumpkin puree (or baby food). Measure out 125 g (½ cup) celery root puree. Let cool.
4. Combine the white chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe dish and gently melt them in the microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between blasts. The result should be barely warm to the touch and totally homogenous.
5. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a container that can accommodate an immersion blender—something tall and narrow, like a 1-quart plastic deli container. Warm the glucose in the microwave for 15 seconds, then immediately add to the chocolate mixture and buzz with the hand blender. After a minute, stream in the heavy cream, with the hand blender running—the mixture will come together into something silky, shiny, and smooth.
6. Blend in the celery root puree and salt; taste and add more salt if needed (due to the fresh, seasonal nature of celery root). Put the ganache in the fridge to firm up before using, at least 4 hours, or, ideally, overnight. Stored in an airtight container, it will keep in the fridge for 1 week. Serve cold.
MAKES ABOUT 330 G (1½ CUPS)
This one is for the beet lovers out there. It’s also for the not beet lovers out there. I am not a beet lover, but this ganache is delightful.
2 medium beets, peeled and cut into chunks (use gloves;)
1 lime
milk if needed
120 g white chocolate
[4¼ ounces]
25 g butter
[2 tablespoons]
100 g glucose
[¼ cup]
55 g cold heavy cream
[¼ cup]
3 g kosher salt
[¾ teaspoon]
In a pinch, substitute 35 g (2 tablespoons) corn syrup for the glucose.
1. Heat the oven to 325°F.
2. Wrap the beet chunks up in a big sheet of aluminum foil and put on a sheet pan for easy handling. Roast for 1 to 2 hours, or until the beets are on the mushy side of tender; give them additional 30-minute intervals in the oven if they aren’t.
3. Meanwhile, grate the zest from the lime; reserve. Squeeze 8 g (2 teaspoons) juice from the lime and reserve.
4. Transfer the beets to a blender and puree them. (If your blender is giving you trouble, add up to 1 tablespoon milk to help get it going.) Pass the puree through a fine-mesh strainer—it should have the texture of Libby’s pumpkin puree (or baby food). Measure out 120 g (⅓ cup) beet puree. Let cool.
5. Combine the white chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe dish and gently melt them in the microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between blasts. The result should be barely warm to the touch and totally homogenous.
6. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a container that can accommodate an immersion blender—something tall and narrow, like a 1-quart plastic deli container. Warm the glucose in the microwave for 15 seconds, then immediately add to the chocolate mixture and buzz with the hand blender. After a minute, stream in the heavy cream, with the hand blender running—the mixture will come together into something silky, shiny, and smooth.
7. Blend in the beet puree, lime zest, and salt. Put the ganache in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
8. Use a spatula to fold the lime juice into the ganache (do not do this until the ganache is set, or you will break the ganache). Put the ganache back in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or, ideally, overnight. Stored in an airtight container, it will keep in the fridge for 1 week. Serve cold.
SERVES 4
This is our take on a somewhat composed cheese dessert for Ssäm Bar.
½ recipe Pumpkin Ganache
¼ recipe Cornflake Crunch
[90 g (1 cup)]
200 g Stilton cheese, crumbled
[7 ounces (1 cup)]
1 recipe Pear Sorbet
Schmear the ganache across 4 small dessert plates or up the sides of bowls. Create a small pile of the crunch just off the center of each dish. Top with the Stilton. Carefully perch generous scoops or quenelles of pear sorbet on top of the cheese. Serve at once.
MAKES ABOUT 480 G (1 PINT)
1 gelatin sheet
400 g pear puree
[2⅓ cups]
50 g glucose
[2 tablespoons]
30 g elderflower cordial
[1 tablespoon]
0.5 g kosher salt
[⅛ teaspoon]
0.5 g citric acid
[⅛ teaspoon]
We use Poire William puree and elderflower cordial in this recipe; both are easily found at amazon.com.
With all things fresh and seasonal, it’s always important to taste, taste, taste. Make the sorbet base to your liking with more glucose, salt, or citric acid.
Powdered gelatin can be substituted for the sheet gelatin: use ½ teaspoon. In a pinch, substitute 18 g (1 tablespoon) corn syrup for the glucose.
2. Warm a little bit of the pear puree and whisk in the gelatin to dissolve. Whisk in the remaining pear puree, the glucose, elderflower cordial, salt, and citric acid until everything is fully dissolved and incorporated.
3. Pour the mixture into your ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The sorbet is best spun just before serving or using, but it will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
SERVES 4
The tristar strawberry, pear sorbet, and goat froyo desserts are variations on a theme. Every pastry chef and department has a successful formula to piece flavors and textures together into desserts. This is ours: ganache + sorbet + textural element = plated dessert. These types of desserts highlight the way that Milk Bar components, which might seem kind of jokey (like Ritz crunch) or weird (like pumpkin ganache), can be brought together in unexpected ways as thoughtful, delicious, grown-up desserts.
The composition of these dishes can be looked at as guides for ways to put together fancy-looking plates at home. If you are baking out of this book a bunch—making liquid cheesecake or crunches or cakes and ending up with leftovers—you will see that plates like these are actually quite easy to assemble just from your scraps.
Think of these recipes as your Milk Bar final exam for all things sweet yet savory. Bonus points if you use chilled plates to serve the desserts.
1 recipe Celery Root Ganache
½ recipe Ritz Crunch
1 recipe Macerated Strawberries with Lovage (recipe follows)
1 recipe Tristar Strawberry Sorbet (recipe follows)
Tristar strawberries are little gems from heaven. They are our favorite breed of strawberry, the hot commodity, if you will, for any pastry chef strolling through the Union Square farmers’ market in search of seasonal revelation. Known for their unbelievably deep flavor and color, the tristars we hoard all summer long are from Rick Bishop at Mountain Sweet Berry Farm in Roscoe, New York.
Schmear the ganache across 4 small dessert plates or up the sides of bowls. Scatter the crunch about the ganache. Arrange 8 to 10 strawberries around and on the schmear, leaving room in the middle for a generous scoop or quenelle of strawberry sorbet on each plate. Serve at once.
MAKES ABOUT 160 G (1½ CUPS)
Lovage looks like a young celery branch with leaves, and in fact tastes like a slightly spicy celery. Most farmers’ markets have it in the spring and summer. Substitute a celery branch for the lovage stem in a pinch.
150 g Tristar strawberries, hulled
[1 pint]
½ branch lovage stem, chopped
12 g sugar
[1 tablespoon]
0.5 g kosher salt
[⅛ teaspoon]
1 g sherry vinegar
[¼ teaspoon]
Combine the strawberries, lovage, sugar, salt, and vinegar in a small bowl. Gently toss with a spoon until the strawberries are evenly coated. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days, before serving.
MAKES ABOUT 400 G (1 PINT)
300 g Tristar strawberries, hulled
[2 pints]
1 gelatin sheet
50 g glucose
[2 tablespoons]
25 g sugar
[2 tablespoons]
0.5 g kosher salt
[⅛ teaspoon]
0.5 g citric acid
[⅛ teaspoon]
Powdered gelatin can be substituted for the sheet gelatin: use ½ teaspoon. In a pinch, substitute 18 g (1 tablespoon) corn syrup for the glucose.
1. Puree the strawberries in a blender. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to strain out the pips.
3. Warm a little bit of the strawberry puree and whisk in the gelatin to dissolve. Whisk in the remaining strawberry puree, the glucose, sugar, salt, and citric acid until everything is fully dissolved and incorporated.
4. Pour the mixture into your ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The sorbet is best spun just before serving or using, but it will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
SERVES 4
1 recipe Beet-Lime Ganache
½ recipe Pistachio Crunch
Schmear the ganache across 4 small dessert plates or up the sides of bowls. Scatter the crunch about the ganache. Scoop or quenelle the frozen yogurt and anchor it on the crunch. Serve at once.
MAKES ABOUT 400 G (1 PINT)
2 gelatin sheets
55 g milk
[¼ cup]
60 g fresh chèvre
[¼ cup]
55 g buttermilk
[¼ cup]
50 g yogurt
[2 tablespoons]
100 g glucose
[¼ cup]
50 g sugar
[¼ cup]
2 g kosher salt
[½ teaspoon]
0.5 g citric acid
[⅛ teaspoon]
Powdered gelatin can be substituted for the sheet gelatin: use 1 teaspoon. In a pinch, substitute 35 g (2 tablespoons) corn syrup for the glucose.
2. Warm a little bit of the milk and whisk in the gelatin to dissolve. Transfer to a blender and add the remaining milk, the chèvre, buttermilk, yogurt, glucose, sugar, salt, and citric acid. Puree until smooth.
3. Pour the base through a fine-mesh strainer into your ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The frozen yogurt is best spun just before serving or using, but it will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
