Bienenstich

Adapted from Luisa Weiss's Classic German Baking 

Yeast Base: 

90g Herman Starter 

180g all-purpose flour 

1 egg 

1/8 tsp salt 

30g sugar 

50g butter

Topping:

150g butter
100g sugar
70g honey
45g cream
1/2 tsp salt
230g sliced almonds

Blitz Herman, flour, 1 egg and salt in food processor to develop gluten. Rest for 15 minutes.

Blitz with sugar. Check that the sugar crystals can no longer be felt with your fingers.

Blitz in the butter.

Tuck into ball and let rise in the fridge.

Remove about 3-4 hours before baking. When pliable, roll out it out to approximately 23cm by 33cm, and let rise again.

When the yeast base is fully risen, make topping by lightly caramelising all ingredients except for almonds. While still hot, pour over almonds and mix.

Spread over yeast base.

Bake at 230C.

Notes: 

The base came out a little dry. I will add more milk next time. I think between the cold rise and also Herman, it requires a little more moisture.

This recipe is too small for my Magimix.

I sliced it, then allowed my guests to split the pieces at will, and I served it with pastry cream. 

Pastry Cream

Adapted from Brave Tart

Ingredients: 

950ml milk

4 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
250g sugar
75g cornflour
1/2tsp salt

Whisk everything but the milk until smooth in a large bowl.

Heat milk until it starts to foam. Turn off heat.

Temper hot milk into the egg mixture.

Pour resulting egg and milk mixture through a fine sieve back into the milk pan.

Cook, stirring constantly, until custard bubbles sluggishly.

Notes: 

Vanilla extract: should be added to milk before heating for maximal flavor.

I recommend tempering as much as 50% of the hot milk into the eggs. This will allow you to get the mixture through the sieve much more quickly.

Eggs: Sometimes I just use 5 eggs instead of 4 whole + 3 yolks. This is usually when I already have way too much excess egg white in the freezer.

Chikalicious, East Village, New York, USA

Amuse 
Tea panna cotta and grapefruit sorbet. I am usually not a fan of panna cotta, but that was so good that I would be excited to have an entire bowlful for dessert. The tea flavor came in strongly, balancing out the creaminess of the panna cotta.

Warm Chocolate Tart with Peppercorn Ice Cream and Red Wine Sauce 
This was more like a molten chocolate cake in a tart case. Delicious, though also not particularly interesting. The peppercorn ice cream was a nice touch, but the red wine sauce got a little lost. This paired well with the suggested port.

Fromage Blanc Island "Cheese Cake" 
Not a cheesecake, per Matthias. To me, it was more of a frozen mousse than a cheesecake. I cannot say I liked it very much.

Petit Fours 
The Coconut marshmallows did not have any of the chew that I normally associate with marshmallows. I disdain the dessicated coconut dusted around the marshmallow too -- go fresh (maybe steamed with a pinch of salt) or go bust.
The orange cookie dough was interesting. It was soft, like a piece of fudge, dusted with what tasted like feuilletine on the outside, and perfumed with orange.
The cinnamon chocolate truffle was pleasantly bitter on the outside, before the aroma of cinnamon hits the nose.

Overall
Pretty good. I would definitely go back. I just wish they would put up the menu when they change it.