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Looking for Dessert Ideas

post #1 of 26
6/7/06 at 11:23pm
Thread Starter 
I am looking to make a new dessert menu at work. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
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post #2 of 26
6/8/06 at 4:21am
Ender what type of menu are you looking to create? What ingredients are available to you? Type of restaurant?

Rgds Cakerookie...aka Rook
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post #3 of 26
6/8/06 at 5:26am
Something yummy.
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post #4 of 26
6/8/06 at 6:40am
I had a good one last night. Baked pear in almond cake: Almond cake baked around a whole pear, served in the baking dish.
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post #5 of 26
6/8/06 at 11:53am
Thread Starter 
It is a French restaraunt. What ever we need we will order. We want a new look.
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post #6 of 26
6/8/06 at 12:06pm
ENDER:
Good afternoon. Why not try a simple "BLANC MANGER" dessert????.OR

Sometimes spelled "BLANCMANGER". Good luck with your quest & have a nice day.
~Z~BESTUS.:crazy:
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post #7 of 26
6/8/06 at 12:46pm
Define "new look"
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post #8 of 26
6/9/06 at 12:13pm
sounds like a consulting job. It's best to pair with entrees and starters.
it can be done here but with a lot more information
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post #9 of 26
6/9/06 at 4:37pm
Agree.

Best Rgds Cakerookie...aka Rook
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post #10 of 26
6/9/06 at 5:18pm
These are the type of post that really pisses me off. If you are the chef of this restaurant (or pastry or sous) it is your job, not mine or anyone else out heres. Since you want all of us to give you ideas are you going to pay us a consulting fee? Spend 2 minutes out on the internet, if you can't find some insparation perhaps you are better suited to making shoes or telemarketing. Do your own work.
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post #11 of 26
6/9/06 at 8:28pm
:look: i agree. if you need help with something specific, thats cool, people here dont mind helping ... but creating a whole menu for you... not cool. everybody here works really hard to atleast try and create their own ideas. maybe you could try looking thru some dessert books.
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post #12 of 26
6/10/06 at 4:27am
Sounds to me as though your boss has caught on to your lack of creativity & inspiration by asking for "a new look." Be careful my friend because the next thing they'll ask for is a new pastry chef that knows how to write a creative and inspiring menu. Get your sh*t together quickly.
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post #13 of 26
6/10/06 at 4:36am
Whoa!!
Lets keep this within the box. I hope I did not inspire the negetivity.
These posts come up quite frequently. If you view the profile it helps in creating a post.
I think the only problem here, is this post is in the professional forum where we take for granted experience abounds.
I believe ender holds the position of cook at this restaurant.
Let's just give him some resources if we have them.
for ingredients outside the local pervbeyor:
Albert Uster
ChefRubber
gtg sorry
Ya know, if it wasn't for the customers, this would be a great business:lol:
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post #14 of 26
6/10/06 at 5:52am

Awww, Pan...nothing you said was negative, just realistic.

I agree completely with yours and the others in one way or another.

There wasn't enough information to even give an educated guess as to what the venue would be. (other than French) Since I don't know the poster or situation I'd prefer giving benefit of the doubt rather than assume lack of imagination. However... worst case would be needing creativity force fed to them.

Personally I can't identify with a situation in which I was asked to create an item and I couldn't jump in with both feet and produce it in spades x 10.

The internet is intense for hundreds of thousands of recipe resources, libraries (yes they do still have them), book stores....

So, bottom line is does he want suggestions or does he want someone to do his research and job for him?

Somehow when a poster doesn't present any information (like history, prior menus, etc) I'm inclined to believe the latter.

April ;)
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post #15 of 26
6/10/06 at 11:05am
I can be creative, but it always surprises me how thrilled customers are with "classics" and fruity/spice/cinnamon dishes. I worked hard the first 2 years in my restaurant producing creative desserts, but the warm, cozy ones/ old time familiar are what sold 80% of the time. It doesn't take much, blueberry pie, with a shot of Merlot; Old fashioned berry crisp, with vanilla icecream, (half of the desserts we sell are the berry crisp) Sour Cream apple pie, etc. Our dessert are house made, none are purchased, we sell at least one per table, if not two and we are a steak/dinner house, people are full at the end of the meal, they order to try the dessert.
We work at presentation, a dizzle of fruit puree with a liquor in it (always described in the menu) this time of the year we have a small flower box of pansies, forget-me-nots, etc. (no insectides used, off the ground) and add flowers with mint leaves, crushed cookie crumbs for texture, or sliced fruit.
I've had real dry times of imagination........last Xmas was one. We always have a new, fancy dessert offering for our banquets..........I could not come up with one, nothing inspiring for weeks. Last two weeks, I can't drag a dinner special out of my imagination..........but writing this has triggered my dessert ideas this morning!!! Might go in early.
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post #16 of 26
6/10/06 at 3:15pm
I figure that a vague question deserves an equally vague answer. No hostility at all, but all I can suggest is "something yummy". If this person is a professional, that should be enough inspiration.
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post #17 of 26
6/11/06 at 3:29am
Ender, everyone is right. I posted a request for dessert ideas sometime back and everyone was gracious enough to put in their 2 cents but it was up to me to put the thing together and I did and it worked out great. Take from here what you can use leave what you cannot. You will find that everyone here is more than willing to help but we are not in your position so therefore we cannot advise you on the type of menu to create. Help is a two way street. Advice is given here but you have to read between the lines. This is a great forum and I turn here often for help. Look at your current menu, it could be no more than changing an ingredient in a dish and calling it a different name. Another way is search the web for dessert ideas there are plenty of recipe sites with great ideas and Cheftalk has them as well. No one says that they have to be complicated to taste good. As far as your current menu look at it, is there dishes there that are popular? If so leave them and work on the ones that are not. Just think about where you are and the type of clientele you have and let that guide you in your design. A good dessert is only has good as the Chef that makes it and inspires it. Good Luck.

Best Rgds Cakerookie...aka Rook
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post #18 of 26
6/11/06 at 5:59am
NIO,
I don't want to hijack this thread, wait, it's probably alright considering.
I think your post needs to be further explored. I am definately seeing a trend for genx going towards the down home 'classic' desserts.
I walked my cases the other day and was wondering why so many of our upscale presentations were in the dog pound. Right now, just as you say, our best selling items are things like ganache cupcakes. Plain ole cupcake, we pipe in ganache, light buttercream and dip in ganache. Individual crisps.
For a while after 9/11 the rags were all saying it was a comfort thing. I'm not so sure. I think chefs were going so far right with their ideas and names that the identifiable things were a safer purchase, considering the rise in price, and the entertainment value. By that I mean, purchase an item for entertaining your guests and it not be what you thought. I went into cyberspace a couple of times to review menues and was shocked by the lack of description with desserts. anyway, I think it's worth discussing, what do ya think.
pan
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post #19 of 26
6/11/06 at 6:32am

Idea!

OK I researched some things that I have and came up with this for starters. Someone tell me if I am on the right track by recommending this as an idea.

Baked Meringue Cups:
Filled with chocolate mousse topped with strawberry sitting in a strawberry puree base.

Pear Claufoutis
Roasted Pears with butter and sugar covered in a crepe batter baked golden brown.

Caramel Almond Creme
A custard filling with beaten in egg whites flavored with vanilla folded in served on crisp Ladyfingers

And to zing the taste buds a Lemon or Lime Tart.

For a Rook how'd I do.

Best Rgds Cakerookie...aka Rook
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post #20 of 26
6/11/06 at 6:46am
Not bad, rook. Are you giving out samples?:lips:
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post #21 of 26
6/11/06 at 6:56am
I wish I could:D . Thanks momoreg.

Best Rgds Cakerookie...aka Rook

Ender I think the key here is, well from what I have learned since I have been here is that you want to vary the menu according to taste. I am assuming you already know that since you are working in a restaurant enviroment.I mentioned the Lemon or Lime Tart I would not follow that up with another tart item you want to give the customers taste buds variation not replication. Make sense?
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post #22 of 26
6/11/06 at 3:16pm
I agree wholeheartedly, sometimes looking back is one of the best ways of going forward. I would give my eye teeth for crepe suzette to be prepared and served tableside as expertly as it was so long ago. Tableside presentations have gone the way of the giant lizard, alas. How sad is that. I expect dining rooms are used to capacity now, there would not be room perhaps, however, the one and only time I had crepe suzette prepared, and served table side it was so crowded the management had set up a card card table for us when we arrived unannounced at 11pm. It was forty years ago, and I will never forget it.
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post #23 of 26
6/11/06 at 11:47pm
Thread Starter 
I've made a new menu. I didn't ask you to do my Job But only ask for insite from other experienced people. I've always found it nice to be able to comunicate with my peers. and maybe help them with ideas when they need it.
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post #24 of 26
6/12/06 at 5:56pm
Your comment about the Blueberry Pie w/ merlot in it caught my attention. A few months back I developed a pie I call BlueRazz Pie. It's blueberries mixed with a raspberry sauce (made w/ fresh raspberries). The raspberry sauce has merlot (and other stuff) in it. The merlot really adds a great flavor to this pie!:smiles:
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post #25 of 26
6/12/06 at 7:32pm
a chocolate one, fruit one, citrus one, butterscotch one, custard of some type and ice cream/sorbet.

Bayonas had a killer dessert menu.....a ttriple layer chocolate mousse with a chiriso (cinnamon fried fritter)

Or how about lavendar with honey.....

Pick out some cool combos....wine/fruit, fruit/herb, sweetner/herb, chocolate/fruit/herb/liquor.....

warm, cold, room temp.....

A big hit at one of the French restaurants is a "signiture" almond tuille that holds 3 scoops of raspberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream, assorted berries and raspberry sauce. $9 and they sell a whole bunch.

I like cajeta and peaches
I like blackberries and syrah
Dark chocolate, ice cream, pot de creme, fritter, flourless choc cake, oh just about anyway you wanna serve it.
Calfouti, still a fav.
cupcakes are hot.
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post #26 of 26
6/14/06 at 7:10am
Okay, I can understand Ender's problem. A few months ago, I was asked to come up with a new dessert menu at the French restaurant I work at. The owner is French so the need to be authentic was foremost. I did not have the experience or the knowledge. So I did what everyone else said. I looked on the internet. (Yay Google!) Simplified some Keller recipes. Went to the bookstore. I tweaked some of my current recipes. Everything came out great and we sell more desserts now than ever. Look around you. There are a multitude of resources and trust your own senses. I kept a couple of standards and changed the presentation. Try that! People think they are eating a new and innovative Tarte Tatin if you present it differently. All this from a gal who has spent her time in a chain restaurant kitchen plating frozen molten cakes!:look:
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