Almond Sunset by Sue McCown of Coco la ti da

MARZIPANDEMONIUM STRIKES NEW YORK!
Featuring Pastry Chef/Owner Sue McCown of Seattle’s Coco la ti da

New York, NY. September, 2006—West coast met East coast on September 9th as New Yorkers enjoyed a leisurely afternoon of marzipan and almond desserts in MARZIPANDEMONIUM STRIKES NEW YORK! Seattle’s sugar darling Sue McCown, executive pastry chef/owner of recently opened dessert bar and lounge Coco la ti da (and formerly of the W Hotel) shared her talent for marzipan in an exclusive dessert demonstration and tasting sponsored by the Almond Board of California and hosted by PastryScoop.com in the International Culinary Theater at The French Culinary Institute.

Close to 70 guests—including PastryScoop.com members, industry professionals, pastry students, and the press—were greeted with sparkling peach almond champagne cocktails and savory almond-inspired hors d’oeuvres including white gazpacho with pickled melon, tuna tartare with citrus and curried almonds, and smoked duck breast with almond mole.

Following the cocktail reception, Chef McCown took center stage with Alexei Rudolf, a representative of the Almond Board of California, to demonstrate the many innovative and tasty uses for marzipan and almonds as an ingredient in desserts.

Chef McCown began by demonstrating how to color and shape adorable thimble-sized marzipan bumble bees complete with delicate sliced almond wings that were presented later as a garnish in a tasting of frosty almond malt frappés and buttery almond cookies. Next came baba au almond, an adaptation of the classic Polish-turned-French classic, with warm brioche soaked in a decadent almond sauce. And for the finale, Chef McCown wowed the audience with her multi-layered Almond Sunset which included a sphere of almond chocolate orange pound cake filled with amaretto charlotte custard, with a thin layer of buttercream and covered in orange-scented marzipan to resemble a petite lifelike orange served with an elegant salad of micro basil.

Following the demonstration and tasting, the winners of the Marzipandemonium Small Indulgences Recipe Contest was announced to the public. The contest was open to all bakers, confectioners, and pastry professionals in the U.S. to encourage innovative and exciting new applications for marzipan in desserts. Melissa Murphy, pastry chef/owner of Brooklyn’s popular Sweet Melissa’s Patisserie, took home the top prize for her Golden Almond Fruitcake filled with clusters of marzipan, almonds, and dried fruits to win a trip to attend the International Baking Exposition (IBA) in Munich, Germany this October. Recent graduate of The FCI’s Classic Pastry Arts program, Kat Guy-Hamilton took home the top student prize of $500 for her irresistible Marzipan Filled Donut Holes with Lemon Lavender Glaze.

To help further inspire Marzipandemonium, the Almond Board also produced a brochure with innovative marzipan recipes and pastry concepts contributed by pastry luminaries, such as Mindy Segal (Hot Chocolate, Chicago), Johnny Iuzzini (Jean Georges, NYC), Sue McCown (Earth and Ocean, Seattle) and Emily Luchetti (Farallon, San Francisco). Marzipan recipe brochure are still available by contacting the Almond Board of California at info@almondboard.com.

All attendees received copies of the chef's recipes and a goodie bag filled with Californian almond snack packs, almond candies by Sue McCown, shiny measuring spoons, the indispensable Sharpie markers, and more almond recipes. As a final treat, Melissa Murphy brought along samples of her winning entry for guests to enjoy before departing.

Click here to see marzipan recipes.

To request high resolution photos, email info@pastryscoop.com.

Alexei Rudolf, representing the Almond Board of California, lends Chef Sue a helping hand.	A decadent and flavorful almond sauce replaces the traditional rum syrup in Chef Sue's baba au almond.
Guests mingle over hors d'oeuvres and peach and almond champagne cocktails at the opening reception.	A large gathering of pastry chefs and industry professionals eager to indulge in almond and marzipan desserts.
A trio of almond delights: almond cookie, almond malt frappé, and marzipan bumble bee.	PastryScoop.com's Judiaann Woo with Sue McCown and Melissa Murphy.
Bon voyage, Melissa Murphy! The winner of the Marzipandemonium Recipe Contest is awarded a trip to Munich, Germany. Behind the scenes, students of The French Culinary Institute plate tastings for the guests. Sue McCown applies finishing touches to her signature dessert Almond Sunset.
The FCI's student recipe contest winner Kat Guy-Hamilton wins big!	Gary Tucker of Food Arts and Priscilla Martel of American Almond Products say hello to the chef.
Tasting portions of Almond Sunset include sculpted marzipan oranges and a refreshing microgreen and almond salad.

About the Almond Board of California
The Almond Board of California administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture. Established in 1950, the Board’s charge is to promote the best quality almonds, California’s largest tree nut crop. For more information on the Almond Board of California or almonds, visit www.AlmondsAreIn.com.

About PastryScoop.com
PastryScoop.com is an online resource designed to inspire and educate both pastry professionals and serious amateur bakers. It provides free content on such topics as dessert trends, baking tips, and food events in order to increase overall awareness of the pastry arts and to promote creativity within the field.

Press Contact
Judiaann Woo, (646) 254-8543, jwoo@pastryscoop.com