Laurent Zirotti grew up in France where he was influenced by the cooking of his French mother and Italian grandmother. Laurent worked for Roger Vergé at l’Amandier, a 2-star Michelin restaurant, in Mougins, France.
CHOCOLATE CAKE
» 8 oz unsalted butter
» 5 oz sugar
» 4 eggs
» 8 oz dark chocolate, melted
» 2½ oz sifted cake flour
Whip soft butter and sugar in a mixer with paddle. Add eggs and make a smooth mix. Add the melted chocolate at once and mix. Add the sifted flour. Pour in baking dish leaving ¼” to the top. Bake at 370 degrees for 25 minutes.
CHERRY PANNA COTTA
» 2 cups heavy cream
» 1 cup milk
» ½ cup sugar
» 1 cup Bordeaux cherries in a jar without the stem (pitted)
» 1 envelope natural gelatin equal to ¼ oz
In a saucepan bring to a boil cream and milk with sugar. In a small cup with cold water (1/4 cup) bloom gelatin. (Melt the gelatin by warming it up in a microwave or over a double boiler.) Stir well to avoid clumps.
Blend cherries and cream mix well. In a mixing bowl, add the melted gelatin. Refrigerate until smooth consistency. Keep a few cherries with stem for garnish
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CHERRY PANNA COTTA
» Caramel “cloche”
» 1 cup of sugar
» ½ cup of water
» 1 large ladle
» Canola oil spray
In a saucepan, mix sugar and water. Bring it to a boil and cook it until caramel. Remove from heat when color of the caramel is amber. Cool off a little until the caramel becomes thicker, but not too much.
Spray a light film of oil on the ladle. With a fork, partially coat the ladle with the caramel leaving enough space between drizzles. When cold, the caramel will be easy to remove from the ladle forming a half sphere of caramel lace.
To plate
Make sure the cake is at room temperature to be moist and soft. Top it with a spoon of panna cotta. Cover it with the caramel lace dome. Place a few cherries around.
Photography By Joel Riner
As Featured In: 2019 Winter/Spring CDA Edition
