Multiple Evils

Yes, well. As S and I headed for handball yesterday, my cell phone rang, and on the other end was one of my best friends, calling from the airport, where he was waiting for a connection. Turns out his brother was murdered over the weekend and my friend is heading east to deal with all of the aftermath. Brutal and senseless, and, yes, truly, as opposed to flippantly, evil. (kStyle, you might have heard about this--it was in Vermont and I think it's getting pretty big play in New England.)

So, really, it makes tales of the evils of white chocolate seem less important somehow, doesn't it? Nevertheless, I'll update you, because (a) there's not much I can say about something like my friend's brother being murdered, at least not here, and (b) I haven't been doing a very good job keeping you informed. We cleaned early this morning, before starting work, because Wolfgang Puck was in town--at the benefit last night for which the chefs prepared dessert, as a matter of fact--and he wanted to come visit the school and have lunch with two of our chefs, and Chef Tom wanted us to be ready. So, yes, I was in the same space as Puck was, for quite awhile, but I didn't talk to him. I didn't really have anything to say to him, if you want to know the truth, and I saw no reason to bug him with trivial stuff. We assembled a few of our cakes, but we only brought one home--the Banana Pearl (bottom to top: chocolate sponge, chocolate ganache, Rice Krispies mixed with hazelnut praline and milk chocolate, chocolate sponge, chocolate ganache, caramelized bananas, vanilla bavarian cream (cream anglaise, whipped cream, and a little gelatin to help hold it together), and a white chocolate glaze). I haven't tasted it yet, but I think it's going to rock, except for the white chocolate glaze. We also assembled the Black Forest cake, but we haven't glazed that yet, and we assembled the raspberry thing, which includes almond dacquoise, but, unfortunately also white chocolate. Feh. J is having us and B over for dinner tomorrow night, and I'm bringing dessert, of course--or desserts, as the case may be. I'd wanted to try a new recipe on them, but we have so much sugar in our freezers that I'm not going to make something new. I'll bring the Vacherin, the Banana Pearl, and the Chocolate Hazelnut Mirror Cake thingie, at least.

I think beer is in order tonight.