The 5th Blog of Christmas

One of the biggest surprises I’ve received so far in my career was meeting (and maintaining a relationship with) Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg at the James Beard Awards last May. Adventurous, passionate and determined, you’ll fall for the pair the moment you meet them. Some of the sweetest and most genuine people I know, they have welcomed me, as well as so many others, into the culinary world with open arms and (big) smiles.

Several years ago I read their first book Becoming a Chef; it's that book that left the biggest impression on me and cultivated my interest in the culinary world. After devouring the first book, I was smitten, inspired and hungry for more. I next conquered Culinary Artistry, Dining Out and Chef’s Night Out, and still on my list are The New American Chef and, their newest, What to Drink with What You Eat. Full of inspirational stories and a wealth of information, their books are fantastic resources for every aspiring chef eager to expand their culinary knowledge.

With a mission to help make the world a better place to eat, one meal at a time, it’s no wonder that the husband and wife team are such admirable inspirations.

“We hope that our books each contribute to that mission. Andrew has also worked toward that mission as a professional chef and caterer, as has Karen as a consultant to the food and beverage industry. We've also contributed to efforts to feed those in need in Boston and New York City.

Confucius observed that ‘The enjoyment of food is one of the things that contributes to the peace and harmony of a society.’ In a day and age when peace and harmony are in such short supply, can there be many more important missions than helping the world get fed, and to ultimately enjoy that food and the act of sharing it with others?”

There are many writers I admire, but few that have had such profound effect on me as Karen and Andrew. I admire their integrity and passion for educating and enhancing the professional development of their colleagues, and thereby the culinary profession as a whole, as well as for creating a world full of enhanced palates. Though it may come as a surprise to each of them, ever since my first experience with their books, I have wanted to emulate them and have always considered them my mentors. Always generous with their time, concern and passion, I am confident that they are mentors to many without even knowing it. Their guidance and insight have made me that much smarter, that much wiser, and that much more passionate. Thank you, Karen and Andrew, for educating, enlightening and always entertaining.

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Karen and Andrew recently introduced their newest book, What to Drink with What You Eat, to their repertoire, so in maintaining my sweets and alcohol induced theme for the 12 Blogs of Christmas, I asked Karen and Andrew for their favorite dessert recipe, as well as some tips on pairing desserts with beverages.

Published with permission from Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg:

One of our favorite dessert recipes of all time is the one for Cheesecake from the late African-American chef Patrick Clark (ex-Tavern on the Green) that appeared in our first book BECOMING A CHEF. Patrick had told us that as a child, he spent all of his allowance on cream cheese so that he could work to create the ultimate cheesecake recipe. After spending decades perfecting it before his untimely death at the age of 42, we think Patrick succeeded.

Patrick Clark's First Cheesecake
3 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 ½ cup sugar; (12 ounces)
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or the seeds of 1 fresh vanilla bean
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream or heavy (whipping) cream
graham cracker crumbs and butter for crust

In the bowl of a mixer, place the cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla bean seeds, if using (if using vanilla extract, add after creaming). Cream the mixture at medium speed, until light, then add the vanilla extract (if using), and the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 2 minutes after each addition. Stir in sour cream or heavy cream until well combined. Butter a springform pan (10-inch diameter with 2 1/2-inch sides) and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Pour batter into the pan and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 70 minutes, or until the cake tests done in the center. Remove to cake rack, and cool completely. Then remove cake from springform pan and refrigerate. Serve chilled.

(From BECOMING A CHEF by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page.)

We've long enjoyed cheesecake with a sweet wine such as Orange Muscat; Quady Essencia is one of our very favorites. Cheesecake is also wonderful with other sweet wines, such as Late Harvest or other sweet Rieslings and Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise.

But ever since researching our latest book WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, we've been getting even more experimental with our beverage pairings, which can add so much to the enjoyment of dessert. These days, believe it or not, our favorite pairing with cheesecake is BEER. While we prefer our cheesecake plain, you know how it sometimes tastes nice with some cherries or with a raspberry coulis? Imagine getting those berry flavors from beer -- as you can when you sip a Belgian lambic fruit beer like Kriek (which is cherry-flavored) or Framboise (which is raspberry-flavored)! It's such an atypical pairing that it makes guests smile when you set it before them, and invariably results in converts!

Dessert and Beverage Pairing Tips:
*When experimenting with dessert and wine pairings, the single most important tip to keep in mind is to make sure the wine is sweeter than the dessert. Otherwise, the sweetness of the dessert will blow the wine out.

*Think of what flavors are most compatible with your dessert, e.g. coffee and nuts both go so well with chocolate. Then think of delivering that earthy, nutty flavor via a liquid beverage instead of a solid accent (e.g. chopped nuts) -- e.g. a glass of tawny port or PX sherry.

*Think of what flavors would contrast well with your dessert, e.g. berries with a slice of plain cheesecake, where the berries deliver the acidic flavor that helps cut through the fat of a rich dessert. Then think of delivering that berry flavor via a liquid beverage instead of solid berries -- e.g. cherry (Kriek) lambic beer, instead of fresh cherries. By the same token, the cherry beer would also taste great with a slice of dark chocolate cake. Since raspberries pair so well with white chocolate, you might consider a raspberry (Framboise) lambic beer with a white chocolate dessert.

*When in doubt, the sweet sparkling wine Moscato d'Asti is one of the most dessert-friendly wines there is, so consider keeping a bottle in your refrigerator -- and the red sweet sparkling wine Brachetti d'Aqui is arguably just as versatible, as it pairs even better with chocolate!

*Don't overlook the cutting-edge realm of cocktail and dessert pairings. One of the best matches we've ever tasted was a Chocolate Decadence martini -- made with Chopin vodka, and Godiva white and dark chocolate liqueurs (and even a crushed Oreo cookie rim around the edge of the glass!) -- served with a banana cake. The pairing was exquisite, and elevated both the cocktail and the dessert.

WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT was also just named Winner of the 2006 Georges Duboeuf "Best Wine Book of the Year" Award

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What to Drink with What You Eat is a fantastic book in which Karen and Andrew demystify beverage and food pairings. But, it’s not just a book about wine – beer, liquors and all the things you match to the foods we eat are embraced. Written from the pursuit of pleasure, they love eating and drinking and want to make it accessible to all. The two aspire to see everybody pair drinks to accompany the food they eat every day, 365 days a year. A celebration of life, this book truly enhances the experience where we sit down at the table with food and drink.

And, I have to admit, I recently purchased several copies to give as Christmas presents this year!

Mark and Jennifer also recently caught up with Karen and Andrew for their book signing at Pour – a hot new wine and spirits boutique that just opened on the Upper West Side of Manhattan specializing in helping customers pair food with wines and spirits. So for more tips, be sure to check out their podcast.

See more of the Pastry Princess' dessert recipes!

gilded fork, dessert, recipe, pastry, princess, Monica Glass, chef