Exotic Orange Cake

I've had this recipe on my to-try list for a couple of years. The Exotic Orange Cake is the creation of pastry chef Laurent Branlard, and was graciously shared on eGullet by Fred Rowe. The layers, from bottom to top, are: honey almond cake, caramel vanilla bean cremeux, honey almond cake, orange bavaroise, Passion Fruit/Mango gelee. The cake is coated with more orange bavaroise.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Chocolate/Hazelnut Pirouette Cookies

Between-Food Interlude: New Music I'm Listening To

Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere

Love their new album, especially the song 'Crazy.' You can hear it on their website.

Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

Amy LaVere: This World is Not my Home

Widespread Panic: Earth to America

Thes guys have been making music for a long time, and I never liked them much. But they've grown on me recently.

Lights, Camera, Vegas!

I just got back from a weekend in Las Vegas. The culinary highlight of the trip was, without doubt, the two trips I took to Jean Philippe Maury patisserie at the ultra-posh Bellagio Hotel. The first trip was on friday morning. We shared the Intense, the Rose Macaroon, an assortment package of macaroons, and a cinnamon roll. I didn't get good photos of most of this stuff, but the Intense and the Rose Macaroon are on the right in the picture below. Suffice it to say that these were probably the best pastries I've ever eaten.



Late saturday afternoon, I decided to go back for more. So, I walked there from our hotel room at Treasure Island, which is about a mile away. The temperature was about 110F at this point, and by the time I got to JPM's, I was in the mood for something refreshing. So, I got the Exotic.

Amaretto Cheesecake with Amaretto Caramel

Orange-Caramel Ice Cream with Orange-Caramel Sauce

Lemon Roll with Orange Mousseline Buttercream