This handy summer gadget is a mobile beach party. The Collapsible Rolling Musicooler has its own portable radio, CD player and plugs to hook up your own MP3 player and can hold 54 twelve ounce cans to boot. Don't you just hate it when your speakers get covered in sand? Finally an excuse to spend hours making your next playlist...
Collapsible Rolling Musicooler
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Jacques Torres doesn’t just love chocolate, he lives it. Beginning his career at France’s Hotel Negresco, Jacques has traveled the world to perfect his craft, a chocolate passion that has led to numerous cookbooks, television shows, and the coveted title of top pastry chef for France’s prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier competition. Despite all of his experience, Jacques has only increased his desire for learning and discovery, incorporating fresh and seasonal flavors into a line of innovative chocolates that is straight out of Willy Wonka. At any of his three New York locations, customers can cool down this summer with a smooth, dark iced chocolate, huge chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches, or the "Love Bug," a white chocolate truffle with a key lime center.
Single/married/divorced?
Married for less than a year.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a diver, a carpenter, and I ended up being a pastry chef. That was quite unexpected because I wanted to be a savory chef like my brother.
What was your first job in food?
I was a waiter at a restaurant. I was 13 or 14, and during the summer on my days off I would work. That’s how I discovered the world of food.
Which kitchen tool do you always keep on hand?
It is difficult to say. Kitchen tools are like fingers-no one is more important than the other. Every tool is important. But I would say good knives are a must.
Many countries are famous for their chocolate- which country’s chocolate do you love the most?
Today we travel all around the world-it used to actually be exotic to travel to Europe. Now the countries don’t have the boundaries we used to have. What I love about America is that there is a lot of innovation-right now I think Vosges is doing something with chocolate and bacon. Only in America will you find that.
What did you learn while working as the pastry chef at Le Cirque?
I learned a lot about people. I learned how to communicate with the customer. I cooked for the pope, celebrities, presidents…there was a group of people out there who knew a lot about food who came to Le Cirque. I also learned about public relations, press, and really making a name for yourself. It’s important to make the customer aware that you exist.
What compelled you to open up a chocolate shop in DUMBO?
The least expensive and closest place to Manhattan, and that was DUMBO. I was very lucky because three years later DUMBO became very expensive. I had one of the best deals.
What characteristics should one look for in perfectly tempered chocolate?
Shiny, smooth, and the texture is hard and crunchy. THAT is tempered chocolate.
What aspects of chocolate have prompted you to share your passion with others in both your cookbooks and your television shows, Dessert Circus and Chocolate with Jacques Torres?
Chocolate is a magic product. It used to be the food of the gods. Chocolate used to be the beverage you drank when you spent the first night with your wife. Chocolate was the drink before you went to war to give you courage. Chocolate today is a mystic product. When you’re in an elevator, and you have to say one word that will capture everyone’s attention-young and old – say “chocolate” and I guarantee everyone will stop what they’re doing to look at you. It’s a universally loved product. At the time I started, there was really no chocolate in New York. So I thought, “I’ll have no competition” and I’ll be the Mr. Chocolate of New York.
You’ve received many awards, including the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France Patissier competition of which you were the youngest to ever win. How have these achievements affected your passion as a chocolatier?
I was 26, and at 26 you need to keep learning. But with that title, you can’t take any courses. That’s why I decided to get out of France and attack another challenge, not just live off of my title. And that’s why I came to America.
In 1980, you began working under Chef Jacques Maximin at France’s Hotel Negresco, and have been able to travel around the world as a result. How have you incorporated your international experiences into your current chocolates?
Traveling is one of the most important parts of my chocolate making. A lot of my research, a lot of inspiration, comes from traveling. When I travel, I love to go to Europe and see what’s going on. I went to Oaxaca, Mexico to try spices and I was immediately hooked. In Germany and Switzerland I would look at new equipment and try even more products.
How has your chocolate factory changed and developed since opening in 2001?
We reflect what people want. I discovered that you can’t do what you want, but you have to do what the customer wants, though you can still play a little bit. Every day we look at what our top five most popular items are. Cookies are always there-I would never expect that cookies would go in front of chocolate. Still, I but the cookies next to the cash register because that’s what the public wants.
How do you go about choosing new flavors to add to your chocolate collection?
Traveling is one of the most important things. You can’t change your line of products every month; with inventory it’s impossible. You have your standards and then you have one or two things that you can play with. Taking a seasonal approach is very important too.
What is your favorite chocolate on the menu at Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven?...
I remember the night the Russian Tea Room reopened - Nov. 4, 2006. I
was probably one of the first people to make a reservation. The reason
was the chef, Gary Robins.
I had eaten his cooking at the Biltmore Room a few years earlier, and I
wanted to see how Russian tasted when it came from his kitchen. I still
remember the foie gras pelmeni.
It was the very dish that Eloise at the Plaza would've ordered up if she had the flu.
I thought of it fondly long after Robins left the Russian Tea Room. Then for a couple of years the question was, where in the world is Gary Robins? Now we know. Or at least we thought we did...
Good
news for those fearing the end of strawberry season -- Berried Treasure
Farm in Cooks Falls, New York won’t stop selling Tristar Berries anytime soon.
Franca Tantillo, a Staten Island native and the owner of Berried Treasures, explains that this unique variety of strawberries will be available through September. The tristar berry gets its name due to a 21-week growing period that extends from Spring into Autumn. They’re also, “day-neutral” says Franca, meaning they do not require a specific amount of sunlight in order to grow.
First developed in 1983, the berries are crossed with a wild strain from Colorado that was found to be growing as late as September. One reason they never caught on commercially is because of their small size. This allows for 60 to 80 berries a pint, whereas commercial berries average around a mere 20.
Lucky for us, Franca also stresses
the importance of flavor, and encourages customers to “taste,
taste, taste.” Translation: free samples.
A sign next to the stall even
reads: “Taste one. Tasting is Believing.” Franca has made a believer
out of some of the best chefs in town. Everyone from April Bloomfield from the Spottted Pig, Dan Barber from Blue Hill and
Peter Hoffman from Savoy pine for these delicate fruits.
Berried Treasures not only offers berries by the pint, but also homemade jams, juices and even recipes. Franca and her Berried Treasures can be found at the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesday and Friday as well as on Sundays at 77th Street and Columbus Avenue.
By Executive Chef & Owner Kurt Gutenbrunner
(Serves 4)
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Coarsely chop Onions, place into a shallow baking dish, brush with Canola oil, and cover with foil. Bake until Onions are soft,
approximately 30 minutes. Cool and puree the onion using a blender. Reserve the Onion Puree until ready to use.
2. Blend Olive Oil and Dill until smooth. Chill the Dill Oil until ready to
use.
3. Seed and dice 1 Cucumber (Save the seeds and do not peel). Reserve until ready to use.
4. Peel and coarsely chop the remaining Cucumber. Blend this Cucumber, along with the saved seeds, until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve and
cheesecloth. Reserve the Cucumber Water until ready to use.
5. Slice Chanterelles. Heat a sauté pan and add Canola Oil. When pan is hot
add Chanterelles. Sauté until most of the liquid had evaporated. Add 1T.
Shallots, 1T. Thyme, Salt and Pepper. Toss and reserve.
6. Combine diced Cucumber, 8 T. Cucumber water, 8 T. Onion Puree, Salt and Pepper in a small sauce pan. (Overly season the cucumbers)
7. Heat an ovenproof sauté pan and add 2 T. Olive Oil. Season the Halibut and sprinkle with Wondra. Place Halibut in pan. When it is golden brown, turn and place into oven for 3 - 4 minutes.
8. While the Halibut is in the oven, heat the Cucumber mixture. Once it is
heated, add 4 T. of the Dill Oil and Lemon Juice to taste. Add Salt and Pepper if necessary. Reheat the Chanterelles.
9. Remove the Halibut from the oven and return it to the stove. Baste the
Halibut with Butter, 2 T. Shallots, and 1 T. Thyme.
10. Divide Cucumbers among 4 warm bowls. Place Filets atop of the cucumbers, and top with Chanterelles.
Photo Credit: Maike Paul
Phone:(212)352-2300
Address: 344 West 11St., at Washington St.
Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
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