I hadn’t had crème brûlée for years when I came upon it on a restaurant menu last week. Interestingly, rather than serve the classic French dessert in a ramekin, the pastry chef opted for a rather inimitable presentation.
The crème brûlée custard was cut into cubes, arranged on a plate, and then caramelized. A variety of fruity sauces and shredded pieces of cake adorned the dish. The clever presentation inspired this blog post.
A few weeks ago, while browsing the websites of Paris’s top pâtisseries, I spotted Hugo et Victor’s Tarte Fraise (strawberry tart). The pastry’s strawberry-red shell complemented its meticulously arranged strawberry slices superbly—I was quite inspired by its colour.
This weekend, I had a chance to experiment with adding food colouring to tart dough. The results were impressive. The trick is to use a food colouring that does not lose its pigment when baked.
I think I’m getting lazy with my photography. If you haven’t noticed, my last four posts (including this one) have all looked pretty much the same. White background. Minimal props. Shallow depth of field.
But, it’s okay. I’m liking this. Before, I was spending too much money on props instead of on food and equipment. The props were too distracting. Making the backgrounds was too time-consuming. Now, with a clean white background and simple plates and utensils, the food really pops off the screen.
