Guittard Chocolate. Passion 150 Years in the Making.
150 years isn’t a mark of our longevity. 150 years is a testament to our passion. And passion? Well, that never gets old.
You don’t make chocolate for a century and a half because you like it. You make chocolate for that long because you’re over-the-top, up-all-night obsessed with it. Like Etienne Guittard, who prized his chocolate more than gold in the 1800s, sailing halfway around the world to perfect his craft before setting up shop in San Francisco. After him came five generations of Guittards, all self-professed chocolate devotees.
And we want to be around for 150 more years. For the chocolate, naturally, but also for the community of people who grow our cocoa, make our products, and enjoy our chocolate. That’s why we work to protect family-run cacao farms, pound on the FDA’s door to uphold standards, and innovate to make chocolate in traditional ways.
We never rest. Because in every bean, every bar, every ounce of chocolate is a chance to do something extraordinary. And, in this family, we wouldn’t do anything else.
Miro Uskokovic was born and raised in Serbia. At seventeen, Miro came to the United States as part of a high school exchange program in Greentown, Indiana. Here he nurtured his love of baking, working with Pastry Chef Andrea Kirkpatrick in her shop Pastry Diva.
Miro received an Associate’s Degree in the culinary program from CIA, Hyde Park. While working in the savory kitchen at Wallsé, Miro met Johnny Iuzzini, who offered him the opportunity to work for him as a pastry cook at Jean-Georges. Here Miro had become the Pastry Sous Chef, working first under Iuzzini and then Joseph Murphy.
Later Miro was named the Pastry Chef of Aldea restaurant in 2012. In the fall of 2013 Miro became the Pastry Chef of Gramercy Tavern. In spring 2015 Miro was also named the Pastry Chef of the Untitled restaurant.
Miro's work was recognized by Dessert Professional who named him one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in North America in 2015. His work was praised in both Untitled and Gramercy Tavern New York Times reviews by Pete Wells.
Chocolate Custard with Sesame Brittle, Banana, and Halva Ice Cream
Garnish
Bananas, ripe
Guittard cocoa nibs
Sea salt
Sesame Halva
Guittard Eureka 62%
Directions
For The 62% Guittard Chocolate Custard
Prepare the custard a day in advance. Melt the chocolate either over a bain marie or microwave set on defrost. Set aside. Bring milk, cream, sugar & salt to a boil.
Temper in eggs & cook to 82°C. Strain the custard mixture over the melted chocolate. Stir with a flexible spatula to combine & finish with an immersion blender to create a shiny & smooth emulsion. Be careful not to incorporate air into the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap flush with the custard to prevent forming a skin. Refrigerate overnight.
For The Chocolate Sesame Tuile
Prepare the tuile batter a day in advance.
Melt butter & add sesame oil, set aside.
In a mixing bowl, sift 10x, cocoa powder, & flour. Add sesame seeds & stir to combine. Add egg whites & warm butter & stir to combine. Refrigerate overnight. The next day bring the batter to room temp. On silpat lined sheet trays spread 3 1/2” thin rounds with an offset spatula. Bake at 325°F for 6-8 minutes until crisp when cool.
For The Sesame Halva
Prepare the halva a day in advance. Combine water, sugar and salt and cook to 126°C. While the syrup is cooking, warm the sesame paste to 45°C.
Maintain the temperature of sesame paste and stir often to prevent burning. When the syrup and sesame paste are both at the proper temperature, combine and mix with a wooden spoon. Keep mixing just until it starts to become thick. Place in greased pan and keep in a cool & undisturbed spot overnight to properly set and crystalize. The next day break into small pieces topping sized pieces.
For The Sesame Halva & Banana Ice Cream
Prepare the ice cream base a day in advance.
Combine milk, corn syrup, trimoline & half of the sugar amount in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add the milk powder & ice cream stabilizer & bring to a simmer. Temper in the eggs with the remaining amount of sugar & cook to 82°C. Strain & cool. Once the base is cool, add the cream & sesame paste & immersion blend. Refrigerate overnight. Process in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Mash the bananas into a chunky puree & fold into ice cream along with halva crumbles. Freeze to set.
Final Assembly
Temper the chocolate custard & place in a piping bag fitted with a #6 tip. Pipe a mound of custard on to the plate, approximately 110g. Use a warm spoon to create a well inside the custard. Garnish the well with banana slices, halva crumbles, cocoa nibs & a pinch of sea salt. Place a generous scoop of Sesame halva ice cream on top. Break a sesame tuile into pieces & garnish ice cream. Finish with micro planed Guittard Eureka over dessert.
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