Claudia Fleming apprenticed under the master himself, Pierre Herme, and now is Pastry Chef at the Gramercy Tavern in New York.  I can easily see Pierre Herme in her work, especially in her chocolate recipes; and she brings her own charming style to his technique and approach.

‘The Last Course’ was my constant companion during my tenure at Sooke Harbor House, where I tried every single idea – they all worked.  Everything is about components to her – intelligent flavor combinations with whispers of such ingredients as rose petals, chamomile, lavender – I love it.  She explains her recipes in smart introductions, and carefully walks through all the steps; the book is laid out well, making it easy to find your favorite, and there is a nice section matching dessert wines with dishes.

I have made all of them – ice creams, her cornmeal crepes and pound cake, doughnuts, panna cotta, pumpkin clafouti – all delicious.  It is hard for me to pick a favorite recipe – bay leaf flan? pine nut tart? All her compositions are clean and simple and pure and just dreamy…

Absolutely, totally recommended.

Caramel & Chocolate Mousse tart with crispy chocolate pearls

Served at the Vancouver Club, February 2009

• Rhubarb Tart with Orange Vanilla Custard and Almond Streusel (30 servings)
• Citrus Panna Cotta with Raspberry Gellee and Field Berries (20 servings)
• Poached Pear & Caramel Cream Charlottes (20 servings)
• Chocolate Caramel Tartlets with Maldon Sea Salt & gold flakes (140 servings)
• Lemon Tarts with slivered pistachio (25 servings)
• Fresh Raspberries set in Raspberry Champagne Jelly with Milk Chocolate Mousse and Crispy Chocolate Pearls (40 servings)

Here are some photos:

Fresh Raspberries set in Raspberry Champagne Jelly with Milk Chocolate Mousse and Crispy Chocolate Pearls

Chocolate Caramel Tartlets with Maldon Sea Salt & gold flakes

Citrus Panna Cotta with Raspberry Gellee and Field Berries

Lemon Tarts with slivered pistachio

Poached Pear & Caramel Cream Charlottes

Rhubarb Tarts with Orange Vanilla Custard and Almond Streusel

Thea

Today I created 5 desserts for the Club’s regular dessert tray – this is how they looked in the kitchen, before they were plated. This is my first try at photoing pastries in a commercial kitchen under bad lighting – sorry about the quality, I am sure a little practice will improve my photos!

MAPLE PECAN TART
with the flakiest crust you can imagine! What makes them especially delicious is using maple syrup, instead of corn syrup, for the tart – yum!!! Maple syrup, pecans, brown sugar, eggs and butter.

APPLE ALMOND STREUSEL TART
Melt-in-your-mouth! A delicious crumble topping (without oats), with finely ground almonds, butter, flour and sugar..

ESPRESSO-LACED MILK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE
The milk chocolate mousse is layered with a rich marzipan chocolate cake, thin thin layers finished with a silky chocolate glaze

FRUIT TARTS with VANILLA PASTRY CREAM
Raspberries or Blackberries (fresh, from Mexico). The pastry shells are painted with chocolate, so the moisture of the cream doesn’t make the pastry soggy. Delicious. (Some bakeries call these tarts ‘flan’, but they really aren’t, as there is no frangipan used). The berries are coated in an apricot glaze, to preserve their freshness and give that nice shine, then decorated with gold flakes.

LEMON TARTS with SILVERED PISTACHIOS
Classic dessert! No need to get fancy with this recipe – nothing to improve!