Well, we’re already 3 months into 2015. By now, most resolutions have long been
forgotten. As for me, I stopped making
resolutions a long time ago. To me, resolutions seem rather pointless
& cliché; however, that doesn’t mean that I don’t often take the time as a
new year emerges to reflect on the past, on life and to make plans for the
future. I recalled an article that I
read several months ago about the passing of Fritz Blank. Who was he you ask,
he was the owner/chef of the long since shuttered French restaurant Deux
Cheminées. At the time I was in culinary school, there were only a handful of
restaurants in Philadelphia that I esteemed to work as an
apprentice. Deux Cheminées was one of
them and I took on my second apprenticeship there in 1996 in what would end up
being quite the experience and a very long summer. The article led me to reflect on a career
that I probably wouldn’t have dreamed of as a young girl. I had no designs to open a restaurant, but I knew I loved
everything about food and that somehow it would all become clear.
It’s not a career that has been a constant as I spent
over 10 years working in finance, or shall I say “dutifully working in a field
in which I had a degree.” It was a career in which I always worked very hard
but in the end it proved to be just a job & I think I feared that one day I
would be found expired at the age of 60 face down on the keyboard. The
only career I have ever truly enjoyed is in the culinary arts. It’s
truly a passion, career that I enjoy and there is something about giving your
all and having a sense of happiness and fulfillment; however, my apprenticeship
at Deux Cheminées made me question whether I had what it takes to make it
in my newly chosen career.
Chef Fritz Blank was an interesting person, incredibly
knowledgeable and willing to share that knowledge. You just had to make sure you were attentive
and listening even if at the moment you were not in the mood to hear an hour
long lecture on corn. He never struck me
as the warm and fuzzy type but I half expected that as an apprentice,
especially a female one. I remember the
mornings I headed off to the restaurant, I would pray to God to just get me
through the day and keep me out of the cross-hairs of Chef. Keeping out of his line of sight often meant
me volunteering to do anything pastry-related. The kitchen was at basement
level and there was no air conditioning and there were days it was hotter than
hell. I remember beads of sweat rolling
off onto the asparagus I was grilling (it happens) & having to roll gougere
in the walk-in refrigerator because the heat of the kitchen was melting
them. In the middle of summer I ended up
with bronchitis because I was spending so much time in there. Chef was a very particular man. Before cooking, he was a microbiologist,
which explained why we all did things the way he wanted them done. As a group of chefs & waitstaff, we were
not permitted to go into the walk-in refrigerators alone on hot days unless we
went in as a group, collected all of our things, and then came out as a
group. It made for a lot of laughs but
damn if that walk in never dropped below temp.
That was the whole point. I used
to walk around with a little blue spiral memo pad in my chef’s coat
pocket. Always making copious notes and
writing down recipes. I’m so happy that
to this day, I still have that little notebook, the writing faded, food stains
on torn pages. One of the last things I
can remember making was an Apple Bavarian Torte. It was during my final days of
my apprenticeship. The torte was a recipe Chef wanted to try out. I felt like
my whole learning at Deux Cheminées culminated in me making this dessert
perfect. Well, I don’t think Chef ever
would have said it was perfect but he did like it and I believe he actually smiled. It was a good day & I had survived.
I’m grateful to have learned from someone who had the
desire to teach and share all what he knew.
It really has made a difference because so much of what I learned has
helped me along the way. I want to share with you the recipe for the Apple
Bavarian Torte. I’ve been making it for
almost 20 years and it is my “go to” dessert.
It’s a great recipe for fall & winter and in the summer I substitute
peaches for the apples. It’s not fancy
by any means, but it is very versatile and can complement any meal.
Here is a link if you would like to read a short
article on the restaurant & Chef Fritz Blank: http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2007/05/07/story5.html?page=all
Equipment: 9” non-stick springform pan
Ingredients:
1
½ c. unbleached flour
¾ c. unsalted butter, chilled
½
c. granulated sugar
¼
tsp pure vanilla extract
3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled &
sliced
½
tsp cinnamon
¼
c. granulated sugar
1
tsp pure vanilla extract
16
oz. cream cheese, softened @ room
temperature
½
c. granulated sugar
2 whole eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼
c. chopped walnuts
Instructions:
Place
the 1st four ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are combined
& forming a dough. Take the dough
& form it into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Roll out the dough on a floured board. Place in the springform pan pushing the sides
up the pan. If there are tears in the
dough, gently press on the dough to cover & repair. Partially bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow crust to cool in pan. **The dough has a tendency to
slide down the sides so you may have to intermittently push the dough back up
the sides while it is partially baking.
Place
sliced apples in a bowl and toss with the cinnamon, sugar & vanilla. Set aside.
Next
cream the cream cheese in a mixer. Add
the sugar & blend until combined.
Add eggs one at a time until combined then add the vanilla extract. Pour the batter into the cooled crust. Then layer the apples atop the batter in a
circular pattern, slightly overlapping.
Sprinkle the walnuts on top. Bake
the torte in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
Remove and cool to room temperature.
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
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