Nicole Kaplan paired a shortbread cookie sandwich with a meringue studded tart in her Grapefruit Curd Duo and served it with a cube of Grapefruit Pate de Fruit.

New York, NY. December, 2008— PastryScoop.com and TexaSweet Citrus Marketing hosted Think juicy. Think Red. Think Texas grapefruit., a demonstration and tasting with Nicole Kaplan on Saturday, December 13th for PastryScoop members. Chef Kaplan, who has formerly worked at The Plaza hotel, Del Posto, Eleven Madison Park, and consulted at Hudson Yards Catering and Shake Shack, engaged the audience with her enticing desserts featuring red Rio Star grapefruit from Texas.

Over 80 PastryScoop.com members were treated to an afternoon of grapefruit-inspired food and drink, which began with Rio Star grapefruit cocktails, grapefruit/cardamom ice cream floats and grapefruit-inspired hors d'oeuvres created by The FCI's executive chef Jeremie Tomczak. Chef Kaplan followed with a demonstration and tasting and showed off her pastry merits with a diverse selection of well-executed and beautifully presented desserts.

Desserts by Pastry Chef Nicole Kaplan included:

• Grapefruit Curd Duo: Grapefruit Curd Tarts with Soft Meringue & Grapefruit Curd Shortbread Sandwiches
• Grapefruit Pate de Fruit
• Parfait of Mascarpone Ice Cream, Grapefruit Sorbet, Crispy Meringue & Shortbread
• Bitter Chocolate Pots de Crème, Chocolate Streusel & Grapefruit Gelée
• Crème Fraîche Cheesecake, Almond Cake Crumble & Winter Citrus Salad

The event finished with a drawing for door prizes —a shipment of grapefruit went to two lucky participants and three others won gift bags filled with a juicer, apron, and other useful citrus tools. Everyone left with copies of the chef's recipes, a goodie bag, and Rio Star grapefruit.

View more images on our Flickr photostream.

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

Ana Pelaez of PastryScoop.com welcomes guests.		Executive chef Jeremie Tomczak cleverly paired avocado and black beans with grapefruit beads for his bruschetta.
Guests went home with Rio Star grapefruit in their goodie bags.   Fermented grapefruit cocktail concocted for the event by the FCI's Executive Chef Jeremie Tomczak and Director of Technology David Arnold was prepared to specifications before serving to happy guests.   Pastry Chef Nicole Kaplan passed around pieces of suprêmed fruit after showing the audience the proper technique.
Executive Chef Jeremie Tomczak dished up a variety of grapefruit inspired appetizers, including citurs-glazed barbecued ribs.		PastryScoop.com members enjoy a toast to Texas grapefruit.
Nicole Kaplan's Parfait of Mascarpone Ice Cream, Grapefruit Sorbet, Crispy Meringue & Shortbread left the audience in a state of complete dessert happiness.		Nicole Kaplan topped her Bitter Chocolate Pots de Crème with a crunchy chocolate streusel, small cubes of grapefruit gelée and suprêmed grapefruit.
Nicole Kaplan baked her crustless Crème Fraîche Cheesecake in square fleximold pans and served them with almond cake crumble and a fragrant winter salad composed of Rio Star grapefruits, oranges, mint, cinnamon, and vanilla bean.		Everyone enjoyed a little mix and mingle before the demonstration. Here, pastry chef Zac Young chats with PastryScoop.com event host Liesel Davis.
It's a successful wrap! From left: Annemarie Proto, Nicole Kaplan, and Vivian Wu with Kimberly Penn and Eleisha Ensign of TexaSweet Citrus Marketing.

About TexaSweet

TexaSweet Citrus Marketing, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation chartered under the laws of the State of Texas for the purpose of advertising and promoting the sale of fresh citrus fruit grown and produced in Texas.

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 Contacts
Liesel Davis, 646-254-8554, ldavis@pastryscoop.com