WHOLE FOODS MARKET BEST DESSERT REVIVAL
"Le Vacherin," My Way!

Adam Becker
Executive Sous Chef
Tumbador Chocolate
34 34th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11232
(718) 788-0200
www.tumbadorchocolate.com

About Adam Becker
Adam Becker began his savory apprenticeship under Fritz Blank in the mid 1990's in his Philadelphia-based restaurant Deux Cheminees. After a two year training under Chef Blank, Adam was introduced to Robert Bennett of Le Bec-Fin, where he began studying pastry. Upon completion of a pastry apprenticeship under Chef Bennett, Adam enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America's baking and pastry program. After graduation it was back to Le Bec-Fin to learn more from Chef Bennett. Interested in working with plated desserts, Adam moved to San Francisco to work with Roland Passot of La Folie and Gary Danko of Restaurant Gary Danko.

An opportunity presented itself with Michael Recchiuti, of Recchiuti Confections which allowed Adam to work with chocolate and confections for the next four years. Missing the intensity of restaurant service prompted Adam to move to New York to work with Jean-François Bonnet at Restaurant Daniel, and later, for the opening of Tumbador Chocolate in Brooklyn.

RECIPE
"Le Vacherin, My Way!"

Coconut Lime Meringue

150 grams of egg white
300 grams of sugar
4 drops of lime oil
30 grams of grated coconut

Preheat oven to 95°C. Slowly whip the egg white and gradually add the sugar. When whites reach medium peaks, add lime oil. Pipe a circle of meringue, 2 3/4-inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick, onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with coconut and bake until crisp, about 2 to 3 hours. Reserve in an airtight container.

10 Hours Pineapple

2 pineapples, peeled
150 grams of light brown sugar
300 grams of coconut milk
150 grams of dark rum
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 star anise
200 grams of water
additional water if needed

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place all of the ingredients in a medium deep hotel pan. After 45 minutes, turn the pineapple. Resume baking, turning pineapple every 20 minutes and adding water if the cooking liquid reduces too fast, for 10 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature. Transfer pineapple and cooking liquid to a sealed plastic bag and chill. When cool, slice pineapples in half; remove the core and trim to make a rectangle. Cut pineapple into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Coconut Sorbet

360 grams of water
175 grams of sugar
zest from 1 lime
60 grams of dry glucose
500 grams of coconut milk
30 grams of lime juice

Cook together water, sugar, lime zest, and dry glucose to form the sorbet syrup. Bring mixture to 83°C, strain, and let cool to room temperature. Add coconut milk. Chill for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator. Add lime juice before processing in an ice cream machine.

Exotic Fruit Sorbet

350 grams of passion fruit puree
320 grams of banana puree
300 grams of mango puree
500 grams of sugar
112 grams of dry glucose
760 grams of water
40 grams of lime juice
zest of 1 lime
1/2 of a vanilla bean, split and scraped

Follow the same procedure as for the coconut sorbet, infusing the vanilla bean in the syrup along with the lime zest.

Granola Crumble

180 grams of granola
75 grams of unsalted butter, softened
75 grams of dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of star anise powder
20 grams of grated coconut
75 grams of all-purposed flour

Warm granola and break it down into pieces by hand. Mix butter, sugar, spices, and coconut with the granola until well combined. Add flour. Reserve in refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Sprinkle crumble onto a Silpat and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Brown Sugar Coconut Tuile

100 grams of unsalted butter, softened
100 grams of light brown sugar
100 grams of dark brown sugar
150 grams of coconut milk
100 grams of all-purpose flour
Grated coconut

Preheat oven to 190ºC. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together. Add coconut milk and flour and mix until smooth. Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of batter on a Silpat-lined sheet pan to form a perfect 3 by 4-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with grated coconut and bake until golden brown, about 7 minutes. When cool, store in an airtight container until needed.

To Serve

whipped cream
juice and zest from 1 lime

To shape the vacherin, place a spoonful of whipped cream on plate. Top whipped cream with a meringue disc and encircle with a 3-inch diameter ring mold. Fill the mold almost to the top with coconut sorbet, leveling with an offset spatula. Top with more whipped cream and level off. Carefully remove ring mold. Top vacherin with a scoop of exotic fruit sorbet and garnish with the tuile. To one side, arrange slices of warmed pineapple. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and zest. Garnish pineapple with a line of crumble.

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