IN THE KITCHEN WITH...

Young Chang

Dessert chef Amelia Marneau makes sweets look as good as they taste

and vice versa. She loves eating them; she loves making them. The

combination makes her job at The Bayside restaurant in Newport Beach,

where she has been for about six months, something she does with passion.

For Marneau, 31, desserts are proof that sometimes in life the best

really should be saved for last.

She took time off from her work to speak with us about her special

sweets.

DP: What types of desserts do you make?

M: I make different pastries, and I’m trying to introduce people to

different things. I’m not doing the ordinary tiramisus and many of the

desserts that a lot of the clients like. I try to put different

ingredients in.

DP: Such as what?

M: I try and use . . . maybe almond liqueur and Italian hazelnut

paste. A lot of the ingredients I use come from France, and I try and buy

from purveyors French ingredients that maybe other restaurants wouldn’t

get. I try and use sourdough starters to put in beignets to give it a

little bit of that sour, fermented flavor. I use the feuilletine, a

crispy, crunchy almost crepe-like product that gives a nice crunch to a

dessert. I mix that with milk chocolate. I can make chocolates with it or

crispy layers underneath cheesecakes or mousses.

DP: So you do make some traditional desserts, such as cheesecake?

M: I do make cheesecakes, but I generally try and steer away from the

traditional. I’ll add caramelized onions and serve it with a subtle

cookie.

DP: Do you have a dessert you absolutely love to make?

M: I love to make a fresh, crispy, layered Napoleon with berries --

with fresh strawberries. I love the crispiness of the butter puff

pastries and the layers of the Bavarian cream in between that, then the

nice sweetness of the berries between that is so wonderful.

DP: How long does the Napoleon take to make?

M: If you have all your ingredients prepared, it should be a good hour

for a portion for about eight people. But this is with having the

ingredients right in front of you, being really well organized.

DP: Is it important to be organized when you’re cooking?

M: Absolutely. That’s the key. It makes everything go smoothly. The

ovens are on, your soft pans are right there in front of you, you got

your eggs room temperature. Everything’s right in front of you. It makes

it easy for plating also, when you want to send it out to the customers.

DP: What made you want to be a dessert chef instead of a chef who

creates entrees?

M: I’ve loved pastries since I was a child. I love to eat them, I love

to taste them, I love to learn about them. I love creams, I love sugar, I

love chocolate. It makes people happy. They’re the perfect ending to a

great, great meal -- the last thing you remember.

DP: Do you ever get sick of sweets?

M: Not yet. I hope it never happens. I think there’s something magical

about desserts -- the presentation and the colors.

DP: What colors do you like best in desserts?

M: Red.

DP: In the berries?

M: Absolutely. They’re so vibrant, the rich reds.

DP: What about rich browns? Like for chocolate?

M: I love the rich caramel colors, especially the combination of deep

red with caramel colors.

DP: What’s involved in presenting a dessert?

M: It’s a variety of things: cleanness, a nice contrast with crunchy

to creamy, with a nice sauce. You want to see the different textures on

the plate. You notice the cookie, and then you notice the creamy Bavarian

cream and, you know, for instance like with the chocolate souffle, I try

and incorporate the cold with the warm. Those kinds of opposite textures

that you would taste when you’re eating. The colors of the sauces, the

contrasting colors on the plate, as if it’s a beautiful art piece on the

plate. And a clean presentation is good -- not too many things on the

plate to distract you from the main ingredient.

DP: What is your portion style?

M: I don’t like desserts to be too large because then you tend to be

overwhelmed by it. You should feel like you’ve gotten enough and, if

someone else wants to try a bite, there’s enough.

DP: What is your favorite dessert to eat?

M: I love Nutella.

DP: Me too!

M: I spread it on bread, and Nutella -- you can find that anywhere.

You can melt it over ice cream. It has my hazelnut taste in there, it has

milk chocolate in it, it has a creamy texture. And I love tiramisu.

DP: What do you think about using sugar substitutes or less butter

than is required, etc. to cut back on the fat?

M: I wouldn’t compromise. Once you start cutting out the ingredients,

making it low-fat, low this or that, I would just rather not eat it. I

understand for people who possibly can’t have sugar . . . and you can

make really great desserts without all of those ingredients, but really

when it gets down to it, usually people want the really tasty stuff.

From Marneau’s Cookbook

Bayside’s Creme Caramel

Serves: 8

1 quart milk

9 ounces sugar

20 egg yolks

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon almond syrup

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

For the caramel: Cook two cups of sugar with one cup of water until

the mixture becomes a golden color. Pour the caramel into a round,

nine-inch cake pan.

For the custard: Boil one quart of milk in a saucepan with 4.5 ounces

of sugar. Remove from heat and let the milk sit for five minutes. In a

bowl, whisk the yolks and egg with remaining sugar. Pour the milk over

the egg mixture and mix. Strain this into the cake pan over the caramel.

Place the pan into a bain Marie -- a large, shallow pan of warm water

-- and bake for one hour at 325 degrees or until the custard is firm.