The French Laundry
Pastry Chef Francisco Migoya

By Sara Jagielski

The French Laundry photos by Deborah Jones
Dessert photos by Brendan Sodikoff

Sitting comfortably in a quaint courtyard building surrounded by the rustic beauty of Napa Valley, The French Laundry has established itself as one of the most celebrated restaurants in the country. This leader of innovative cuisine had closed its doors from January 2004 through May 2004 to renovate the kitchen, offices, and wine cellars. The closing also gave the owners the opportunity to properly transition some of the staff, including the former pastry chef Sébastien Rouxel, to New York City to launch sister restaurant Per Se in the new Time Warner Complex at Columbus Circle.

This permutation has led executive pastry chef Francisco Migoya to begin working at The French Laundry in Yountville, California, where he will introduce new desserts to accompany the prix fixe menu. Migoya started his culinary training in his native Mexico City and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. He then spent time in Strasbourg, France where he honed his skills and mastered traditional French pastry arts. After gaining experience in top New York City kitchens, including Ilo, he was hired as executive pastry chef at Veritas and subsequently at The French Laundry.
 

 
Migoya will typically have eight dessert menus per year, each coinciding with the seasonal availability of fresh ingredients. That being said, sometimes the menu will change more often because local purveyors, mostly small farmers, supply The French Laundry with the ripest, most flavorful items they have that day. This intimate restaurant/supplier relationship gives Migoya the opportunity to use the best ingredients available and to be creative in the kitchen. His excitement is evident when he speaks about it. "The quality of produce is amazing," he says. "If a purveyor calls one day and says he has perfect wild strawberries, I'll use them to develop a new recipe and add it to the menu that night."

When asked how his menu is conceived, Migoya states that he simply creates desserts that he likes to eat. He uses a wide variety of flavors; however, his personal favorites (in no particular order) are vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, and lemon. Once he chooses the flavor combination, he conceptualizes the design and builds a dessert that is visually pleasing. He emphasizes that taste is very important, but knows that the way the dessert looks is the first thing the customer notices. "If it looks great and tastes great, you're set," he says.

Migoya is a minimalist. His prefers clean, streamlined desserts that can be plated very quickly. To help him achieve his vision, he buys custom-made frames ordered from a plastics shop in New York City's Chinatown. He uses these frames in a variety of ways, one of which is to keep his product consistent. For example, he will place a plastic frame that is ¼" deep onto a sheet pan lined with a non-stick mat. Using this as a template, he can spread batter quickly and uniformly, and ensure consistency when working with a staff of various experience levels.

Of the numerous desserts to debut in May, his two favorites are the chocolate box and the coconut tapioca. He enjoys preparing the chocolate box, which is filled with chocolate panna cotta and alternating layers of flourless chocolate cake. He says that chocolate desserts always sell quite well; however if he were to order anything off his menu, he would choose the coconut tapioca with passionfruit curd, vanilla ice cream, and a pineapple chip. He finds this medley of flavors appealing, although he quickly adds that he doesn't have a sweet tooth and typically never orders dessert when he eats out.

This fascinating personality quirk has ironically put him at the top of his game. Migoya's distinctiveness lies in the fact that his desserts are not overly sweet and each flavor is bold and well-balanced on the palate. This is particularly evident when eating the Strawberry "Shortcake," which is a delightful mixture of creamy mascarpone cheese, strawberries, and a delicate crème frâiche cake. I find this dessert to be impossible to stop eating.

If you happen to find yourself at The French Laundry, Migoya's desserts are not to be missed. He is a perfectionist, a connoisseur, and an artist, three characteristics that will certainly uphold the restaurant's reputation for excellence.
 

SUMMER 2004

Chocolate Panna Cotta Box
with chocolate sorbet

Coconut Tapioca
with passionfruit curd, vanilla ice cream, and a pineapple chip

Strawberry "Shortcake"
with mascarpone mousse, fresh strawberries, strawberry gelée, strawberry sorbet,
crème fraîche cake, and honey tuile

Sauternes Poached Peach "Pillows"
with sweet crème fraîche and marzipan ice cream

Sautéed Bing Cherry Crêpe
with almond milk granité

Champagne and Mint Ice
with fresh grapefruit

Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter "Napoleon"
with whole milk and brown sugar ice

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup
with watermelon sorbet and crisp meringues

Petit Fours
five flavors of pâte de fruit, molded chocolates or truffles,
mini crème brûlée, mini pot de crème or panna cotta,
assorted tuiles and flavored chocolate tiles