Tea Cakes (Financier Stacks)
Equipment that you will need for this recipe:
bamboo skewers [the ones with the little loop on top look the best]
Coffee grinder
Kitchenaid mixer with paddle attachment
Cups or a gram scale [I prefer metric, more precise]
Rubber spatula
Financier molds, metal or silicone [I prefer silicone, less mess to clean]
Piping bag
Oven [this one is really important]
Ingredients:
1 cup egg whites, room temp.
½ cup cake flour
¼ cup almond flour
¾ cup confectioners sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup brown butter
1 tablespoon almond oil
1/3 cup grape seed oil
Sift all dry ingredients and place in the bowl of mixer. With a paddle attachment, slowly add room temp egg whites. Stop occasionally and scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure a smooth mixture.
Once all egg whites have been added, warm both almond and grapeseed oils with the brown butter to 55° C/ 131° F or hot to touch. Pour the oil/butter mixture in a slow but steady stream while the mixer is running on medium speed. Divide financier mixture evenly into four containers.
Add one ingredient below to one container of mix and stir to incorporate. Let rest overnight.
Preheat oven to 375° F. Pipe cake batter into molds about ¾ full and bake cakes for 10 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Transfer to wire rack and let cool. Alternate four flavors in a stack and skewer to hold in place. Serve displayed on slate tile.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon raspberry powder
2 teaspoons matcha tea
1 tablespoon Nescafe and equal parts water
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Event information:
One of San Francisco's most innovative pastry chefs, William Werner, and his company, polite/persuasion, are joining forces with Coffee Bar on October 13th to offer San Francisco a night of inventive, seasonal and modern desserts with Mr. Espresso coffee, beer and wine pairings, visual installation from Slinc and music by Urbanyetti.
Coffee Bar, brainchild of Luigi DiRuocco of Mr. Espresso and Jason Michael Paul, features a selection of single origin coffees and espresso blends from Mr. Espresso, 25+ wines by the glass, 50+ wines by the bottle and 12 beers, including everyone's favorite Hitachino Nest, in a chic and urban space.
Collaborating with DiRuocco and Paul on October 13, William Werner, Pastry Chef/Creative Director for polite/persuasion, will offer a collection of "snacks," plated desserts and to-go items all to be paired with Coffee Bar beverages. Pairings include Riesling, port, beer, specialty coffee beverages made with light, medium and dark roasts, and green and white teas.
WHAT: Vs. - A Modern Dessert Experience
WHEN: Monday, October 13, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Coffee Bar
1890 Bryant Street (@ Florida and Mariposa)
San Francisco, CA 94110
COST: All items are priced a la carte
RESERVATIONS: Reservations are accepted for parties of 6 or more. To make a reservation, please email rsvp@politepersuasion.com
Coffee Bar's regular dinner service will not be available this evening.
About William Werner, owner/pastry chef of polite/persuasion Website: www.politepersuasion.com
Born in New Orleans, Chef William Werner, 32, discovered his passion for the culinary arts while working as a lifeguard on the beaches of Florida. Delving into every cookbook available at the time, he began his career as a cook at a vegetarian restaurant. After gaining additional experience at several fine dining restaurants, he joined the staff of Noah in Sarasota, Florida, as a sous chef in 1998, leaving the life-guarding world far behind. The departure of Noah's pastry chef gave William the opportunity to create the restaurant's dessert menu, and his true passion for the culinary arts became clear.
After working under several other chefs, including Daniel Boulud of NYC, William joined The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in 2003 as an Assistant Pastry Chef in Sarasota. In 2005, he relocated to The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, California as Executive Pastry Chef. Under the guidance of Executive Chef Xavier Salomon, William continued to develop his style while overseeing all dessert experiences at the resort. He served as a vital part of Gourmet magazine's Inside the Kitchen '05 and '06, handling all aspects of pastry for the three-day event benefiting Meals On Wheels, as well as collaborating with several renowned Bay Area chefs for the "Four Star Chef Wine Dinner."
Since his move to the Bay Area, William has become enamored with its product and people, supporting Make-A-Wish foundation, Meals on Wheels, the Red Tie Gala, 2006 Great Chef's of L.A., and creating the dessert for GQ Magazine's Man of the Year 2006 Awards Dinner in Los Angeles.
William is drawn to the creative freedom of working with food and feels tremendous satisfaction in offering guests a truly unique dining experience. "I firmly believe in treating raw products respectfully and only applying the right technique, achieving the perfect synthesis of flavor and texture," says William. Upon his departure from The Ritz-Carlton in 2007, William started his own creative consulting firm, polite/persuasion, as way to travel, learn, meet new chefs, develop concepts, teach and continue his passion for all disciplines of pastry. He has had the opportunity to work in Tokyo, Tain-l'Hermitage, France and New York City. He is currently consulting for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Bacchus Management Group, and is working towards opening his own modern patisserie in San Francisco.
