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Eating vegan, all-natural, or even strictly raw food doesn't mean you have to pass on dessert-at least not if you're dining at Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco where Pastry Chef Anne Baptiste's desserts tantalize diners' taste buds.
Sustainability is the all-important ingredient in Millennium Restaurant's recipe for gourmet dining. Millennium is dedicated to supporting small farms and sustainable living, boasting a menu free of animal products and genetically modified foods. Chef Anne Baptiste's seasonally inspired desserts fit this mission perfectly.
Like the restaurant's curtains and chandeliers, which are woven from recycled plastic sacks and paper bags, Chef Baptiste's culinary creativity turns the ordinary into works of art. From humble ingredients like bananas, coconut milk, and coffee, Chef Baptiste creates her impressive Gluten-Free Dessert Crpe With Coffee Ice Cream. Blood orange juice, lemon juice, and almonds team up in her Meyer Lemon Custard Napoleon. And if your idea of a vegan dessert is a Red Delicious, one bite of Chef Baptiste's Rich Chocolate Brownie With Chocolate Chunk Peppermint Ice cream will surely change your mind.
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Chef Spotlight:
Anne Baptiste
Age: 24
Restaurant or company: Millennium Restaurant
Do you have companion animals? If so, can you describe them?
No, but I wish I did.
How long have you been a chef?
I've been cooking professionally for a little over a year.
Where did you train to become a chef?
I attended the Natural Gourmet Cookery School in Manhattan, which focuses mainly on plant-based cuisine, emphasizing whole, organic foods. While in Manhattan, I had the opportunity to train at Life Thyme, a vegan bakery, and with Leftovers Catering and Chef Matteo Silverman, who does the four-course vegan dinners. After graduating, I completed two internships; the first at Kibea, an all natural, veg-friendly restaurant in Bulgaria, and the second at Roxanne's. When I started at Millennium, I worked under Amy Pierce and learned a great deal from her.
What inspired you to become a pastry chef?
I've always loved desserts and loved to do artistic things, so I guess being a pastry chef is the ultimate combination of both. It also thrills me to meet or exceed people's expectations.
What influences the desserts that you create? Do you focus on regional styles or seasonal ingredients?
A couple of things inspire my desserts. The seasonality of ingredients likely plays the greatest role—it would be a shame not to make the most of fruits at the height of their season.
Another important influence in creating desserts is the people I'm designing them for. With friends and family, I love to make old favorites or feature someone's favorite ingredients such as chocolate or blueberries. At the restaurant, we serve a diverse clientele from vegans looking for unexpectedly decadent desserts to those looking for something simpler and perhaps fruit-based to raw foodists or those looking for gluten-free options.
What is your favorite dessert medium and why?
If forced to pick one medium on its own, I'd have to say I love tarts for their versatility. The crust gives you a crunchy element and can hold an endless number of fillings: something creamy and topped off with fresh fruits or pecan pie filling or maybe ice cream . . .
Do you have a specialty?
One of my favorites was our ganache-covered chocolate hazelnut cake with mocha mousse filling! It was served with a Grand Marnier anglais and chocolate ice cream.
What are the most important elements in cooking great vegetarian desserts?
If you're talking about making a really delicious decadent dessert, I think one must remember dessert is the time to indulge and be wary of cookbooks which try to replace fats with applesauce, etc. (although these techniques do have their time/place). Keeping that in mind, I think the best thing you can do for your cooking is to purchase the highest-quality ingredients you can.
Also creating an amazing dessert which isn't overly indulgent can be as simple as a trip to the Farmer's Market and enjoying fruit at the peak of its season. There are an endless variety of fruit tarts, sorbets, and fruit plates waiting to be made!
What, in your opinion, does the future of plant-based cuisine hold?
Across the country, there are now a number of exquisite veg/vegan restaurants, which is exciting and demonstrates that plant-based cuisine is supported and can hold its own against other gourmet restaurants. However, I think the growth of plant-based cuisine into the "average American diet" depends on the extent to which people are educated about the implications that their food selections have on their health and the planet. There is no denying that a diet of unprocessed foods is far healthier and that fruits/veggies/grains/beans do much to reduce the risk of cancers, heart disease, high cholesterol, etc., and are far more sustainable ecologically.
What is your favorite chef's tool?
Silpats have become pretty indispensable for making tuiles, candy brittles, and other things you need a nonstick surface for. I also use them to bake cookies, filo crackers, turnovers, etc., on because they are endlessly reusable and easy to clean/wipe off!
What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
I absolutely LOVE chocolate, so that must come first! I think spring and summer are my favorite seasons, produce-wise, as they deliver berries and stone fruits.
In your opinion, what vegetarian dessert is most frequently poorly prepared and why?
Sadly, all-natural vegan cheesecakes. To me, tofu-based cheesecakes usually taste pretty much like sweetened, pured tofu, while you can get pretty tasty results from tofutti products. However, the most superb vegan cheesecakes I've ever had were completely natural, as they were nut-based.
If you could eat only one dessert, what would it be?
Vegan ice creams and sorbets . . . or is that two?
Do vegetarian restaurants face any special obstacles that meat-based restaurants don't have to face?
Generally, veg cuisine entails a lot more prep work than meat-based. Furthermore, they are often smaller restaurants with a strong commitment to supporting smaller organic farmers and to using the highest-quality ingredients. Sometimes people overlook these factors in expecting unrealistic prices for the food in these restaurants.
Can you give us one great cooking tip for aspiring vegetarian chefs?
Get as much experience as possible. For those who simply love to cook or are just learning, I'd suggest looking at a number of cookbooks and magazines and going nuts in your own kitchen. If someone is interested in cooking professionally, going to culinary school can give you a jump start, but one of the most important things to do is to be sure to train/intern at the level you want to work at.
What are some ingredients and tools that you recommend vegetarians and vegans have in their kitchens to cook with?
Kuzu and agar are great for thickening and gelling, respectively. Other things I love having in my kitchen are Florida Crystals, cocoa powder, choc chips (Tropical Source or Trader Joe's), bulk spices (cheap and fresh!), and unrefined oils.
A good knife—or, better yet, two (chef and paring)—are well worth the investment for the increase in efficiency. I think blenders and food processors are two indispensable pieces of equipment, particularly for vegetarian cooking. One of my favorite home gadgets is the Braun immersion blender which comes with a small food processor attachment. It's quality for preparing smaller portions and was only $20.
Are there any newer vegetarian products on the market that you are particularly fond of?
I'm fond of the fact most stores now offer more organic produce and products (although it might be good to realize some of these newer brands are owned by huge food corporations—doing the right thing but what for what motive?). In the Bay Area, we are lucky enough to have Judy's breadsticks and amazingly tasty pretzel sticks. Last Mother's Day, I sent chocolates from ChocolateDecadence.com, which apparently were hidden in a top-secret location by the woman who usually shares everything.
What are good substitutions for dairy ingredients and eggs?
Dairy is actually so easily replaced. There is such a variety of soy, rice, and nut milks available now; for things calling for a higher fat content, such as ice creams or custards, coconut milk is a great choice. Butter can usually be replaced with either coconut oil (one good one I know is Omega brand), which is solid at room temperature, or vegan shortenings or margarines (Earth Balance is my recommendation).
EnerG egg replacer is good for replacing the binding and leavening qualities of eggs. To replace 1 egg for binding alone, I may use 1/4 cup applesauce, 1 tablespoonful flaxseeds ground up, 2 ounces tofu, or even 1/2 banana if it compliments the recipe.
Please provide us with three recipes that we can share with our readers, a picture of you and a picture of a few of your desserts.
Vanilla Base
This base is used as a primary ingredient in many of my vegan ice creams
2 boxes silken tofu
4 cups soy milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp. salt
Blend all ingredients for at least one minute, until smooth.
Makes 7 cups
Gluten-Free Dessert Crpe With Coffee Ice Cream
For the Crpe Batter:
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 cups soy milk
2 Tbsp. kuzu
1 Tbsp. EnerG egg replacer
1/2 cup Florida Crystals sugar
1/4 cup Cointreau liqueur
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups rice flour
For the Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce:
1 cup hazelnut butter
2 Tbsp. oil
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
For the Coffee Ice Cream:
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups vanilla base
1 cup strong coffee
2 tsp. coffee extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. agave syrup
1 Tbsp. vodka or kahlua
For the Cointreau Caramel Sauce:
1/2 cup organic orange juice
2 cups agave syrup
1 tsp. vanilla or 1/2 vanilla bean
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp. Cointreau liqueur
For the Caramelized Bananas:
2-3 bananas
2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 Florida Crystals sugar
To Make the Crpes:
• Blend all the ingredients except the rice flour and dissolve the kuzu.
• Blend in the rice flour. You may need to whisk in more soy milk to adjust the batter's consistency; it should coat the back of a metal spoon.
• Heat a nonstick pan over medium- to medium-high heat.
• Coat the pan with about a tsp. of oil and, using an almost full 3-oz. ladle, pour the batter into the pan.
• Cook for a couple of minutes, until browned on one side, then flip to cook for 1 more minute.
To Make the Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce:
• Combine the hazelnut butter and oil in a food processor and add the remaining ingredients, one at a time.
• If the sauce is too thick, add more maple syrup (richer) or more soy milk (lighter). Another Tbsp. of cocoa will give it a richer chocolate flavor.
To Make the Coffee Ice Cream:
• Whisk or blend all ingredients together. Freeze according to the instructions on the ice cream maker.
To Make the Cointreau Caramel Sauce:
• In a medium saucepan, reduce the orange juice to about 2 Tbsp.
• Add the agave and vanilla and heat until the agave reduces and bubbles begin to thicken.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the coconut milk; be careful as it usually bubbles up.
• When the caramel is still warm but no longer hot, add the liqueur.
• This sauce will become more viscous as it cools.
To Make the Caramelized Bananas:
• Cut the bananas on the bias into slices 2 to 3 inches long and 1/4 inch thick
• To caramelize the bananas, heat a saut pan over medium to high heat.
• Add about 2 Tbsp. oil and 1/2 cup Florida Crystals sugar.
• When the sugar has melted, place the banana slices in the pan and tilt the pan to cover them with the sugar syrup.
• When the bananas begin to sizzle and are nicely browned, remove from heat.
• If you happen to have a crme brule torch, you can simply cover the banana slices in Florida Crystals sugar and use the torch to caramelize them.
To Assemble:
• Lay a warm crpe down on your work surface. Cover one half of it with caramelized bananas and spoon warm chocolate hazelnut sauce over it.
• Fold the crpe over and place on a serving dish.
• Place a scoop of the coffee ice cream next to it.
• Drizzle the Cointreau caramel over the ice cream and crpe.
Makes 4 to 5 servings
Meyer Lemon Custard Napoleon
For the Blood Orange Crme:
1 cup blood orange juice
Pinch salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp. kuzu, dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water
1/4 cup agave syrup
For the Filo Squares:
1 cup almonds, toasted and ground
Florida Crystals sugar
Poppy seeds
Filo
Canola oil
For the Meyer Custard:
2 1/2 Tbsp. agar flakes
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds only
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 cup Florida Crystals sugar
2 Tbsp. kuzu, dissolved in water (1/4 cup)
3/4 oz. cocoa butter, chopped up
3/4 oz. vegan shortening, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups Meyer lemon juice
2 Tbsp.-1/4 cup lemon juice
l lemon, zested
To Make the Blood Orange Crme:
• Whisk the orange juice, salt, and coconut milk together and cook over medium-high heat.
• When it starts to come to a boil, add the kuzu slurry to thicken.
• Once it has cooled, you can adjust the sweetness with the agave syrup.
To Make the Filo Squares:
• Lay a sheet of filo on a silpat or parchment paper. Brush it with oil and generously sprinkle with Florida Crystals and ground almonds.
• Lay a second sheet above it and repeat.
• The third layer of filo gets brushed with oil and covered in Florida Crystals and poppy seeds instead of almonds.
• Make 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" cuts in the filo so that after it is baked you can easily break apart the squares.
• Slide the parchment paper with the filo onto a cookie sheet and cover with another layer of parchment. Cover with another cookie sheet; the weight will cause the filo layers to stick together while they bake, making the squares less likely to flake into separate layers.
• Bake at 350F for 8 minutes. Remove the top cookie sheet and parchment and bake for 3 minutes, uncovered.
To Make the Meyer Custard:
• In a sauce pan, whisk the agar flakes, vanilla seeds, and salt into the coconut milk and set aside while you juice the lemons.
• Place the coconut milk over medium heat and keep at a gentle boil for about 10 minutes or until most of the agar has dissolved. Dip a spoon into the mixture to see if the agar has melted into the coconut milk.
• Once the agar is dissolved, whisk in the Florida Crystals sugar.
• Once the Florida Crystals have dissolved, whisk the kuzu into the water until it forms a slurry. Increase the heat to medium-high and whisk the slurry into the mixture.
• When the mixture thickens, reduce the heat to low and stir in the cocoa butter and shortening. Keep stirring until they melt and are completely incorporated.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and 1 1/4 cups lemon juice.
• Pour into a shallow pan and refrigerate until set, a few hours (it will have the consistency of Jell-O).
• Cut it into sections so you can fit it into a food processor.
• Blend until creamy and add the remaining lemon juice and zest to taste.
To Assemble:
• Make a decorative pattern or swirls on the plate with the blood orange cream.
• Lay down one filo square, spoon about 1 Tbsp. Meyer lemon custard onto it, and place another square on top.
• Repeat using 4 filo squares and 3 layers of custard in all.
Makes 4 servings
Rich Chocolate Brownie With Chocolate Chunk Peppermint Ice cream
For the Chocolate Brownie:
3/4 cups chocolate chips
2 cups Florida Crystals sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 cup applesauce
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 Tbsp. arrowroot
1/2 tsp. baking powder
For the Chocolate Chunk Peppermint Ice Cream:
6 cups water
1 Tbsp. salt
1 bunch peppermint leaves
1 1/2 cups vanilla base (see recipe)
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp. peppermint extract, to taste
Pinch salt
1/2 cup chocolate or chocolate chips
To Make the Chocolate Brownie:
• Oil a 9"x9" brownie pan.
• Melt the chocolate chips in a metal bowl over a double boiler. Whisk in the Florida Crystals sugar, followed by the oil, applesauce, vanilla, and salt.
• Sift together and mix the dry ingredients.
• Stir the wet and dry ingredients together and pour into the pan.
• Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted into the center come out clean.
To Make the Chocolate Chunk Peppermint Ice Cream:
• Bring about 6 cups of water to a boil and add about 1 Tbsp. salt. Quickly submerge the peppermint leaves and, after 30 seconds, submerge them in ice water to stop the cooking process. This will brighten their green color.
• Blend the vanilla base with the peppermint leaves to extract color and flavor; strain out leaves (with a chinois, if possible).
• Whisk or blend the vanilla base with the remaining ingredients and freeze according to machine instructions.
• While the ice cream is still somewhat soft, fold in chocolate chunks or chocolate chips.
• To make chocolate chunks, melt high-quality chocolate and spread over a silpat. Place the chocolate in the freezer to harden up, then chop into small pieces.
Makes 6 servings
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Chef: Scot Jones
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