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Dessert Deconstruction
To deconstruct means to take something apart. To deconstruct a dessert means to separate the components and then plate them creatively. Take, for instance, this very nice, homey banana cream pie:
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What are the components?
- pastry crust
- sliced bananas
- custard
- whipped topping of some sort
Ask yourself two questions:
- How can I rearrange these components?
- Can I "fancy up" any of the components?
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Here's what they did to deconstruct it:
- used puff pastry for the crust
- caramelized bananas and set on a layer of pastry cream
- served the whipped cream in a ramekin
Here's how they fancied it up:
- caramelized, horizontally sliced bananas as opposed to homey sliced bananas
- garnished with a caramelized sugar doo-dad
- made it round instead of wedge-shaped for a more elegant presentation
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Consider the case of the the lemon chess pie. I don't know about you, but I love buttermilk pie. It reminds me of church picnics. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a beautiful wedge of lemon buttermilk pie. For a special dinner party, you might want to jazz it up a bit.
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Hello, beautiful lemon buttermilk pie. You are gorgeous, but I think for a special dinner, we need to look at deconstructing you and fancying you up.
We've got a tangy, custardy filling and a pastry crust. Might be nice to add a creamy topping.
Readers, what do you think you would do? Rollover the picture to see my idea.
I'd love to hear your ideas, too. Don't hesitate to send me an email or even a picture of your deconstructed creation. I'll be sure to post them! |
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