THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 21, 1996 TAG: 9608200046
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: From Staff and Wire Reports
LENGTH: 42 lines
``Anyone can make a dish wonderful with butter and fat but it takes a real chef to make a dish flavorful without them,'' says Fred Theiss, chef-instructor at Johnson & Wales University.
As more and more Americans return to the pleasures of the table - and a bit of dessert is no longer taboo - pastry chefs are increasingly finding themselves in the spotlight.
There is a new surge of creativity in the profession. The rococo dessert spectacles of the '80s are gone, giving way to sleeker, more sculptural, more self-assured presentations.
And as patrons have increasingly requested lower-fat desserts, American pastry chefs have added innovations in the art of low-fat cooking to their long list of talents.
Gregory Payne, the newly-hired pastry chef/chef at Todd Jurich's Bistro! in Norfolk made his Hampton Roads debut with a fat-free mango souffle that has taken the lunch crowd by storm. Payne, who previously worked at Zoe's in Soho and the River Cafe in Manhattan, joined the Bistro! staff just a month ago.
Wine tasting dinners are another meal where you're apt to see lower-fat culminations. ``We've found that after a three- or four-course meal, people just don't want a heavy dessert,'' says chef Todd Jurich. MEMO: Susan Herr of Eating Well magazine contributed to this report. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by Candice Cusic/The Virginian-Pilot
Fat-Free Strawberry Souffle offers a guilt-free chance to satisfy
that sweet tooth.
French Toast with huckleberries and Creme Anglaise makes a filling
sweet for any time of the day.
Gregory Payne is pastry chef for Todd Jurich's Bistro in Norfolk. by CNB