A few weeks ago, I pulled up to a seemingly deserted meat processing plant in the middle of the night in a shady part of East Austin. The only indication I was in the right place was a neon red arrow, so I followed it. I promise this anecdote doesn't end in a horror story. In fact, it begins with a rather bizarre garden party, filled with cocktails, Chinese lanterns, an overgrown backyard, and a gong. Apparently, this is what happens at an underground supper club like Rabbit + Hat.
The evening seemed to take place in a world of its own, a world in which people dine in a former meat freezer, watch documentaries about the 60s, and enjoy a four course dinner that includes foie gras and short ribs back to back. Rabbit + Hat is a surprise from start to finish, but - naturally - my favorite surprise was dessert. Pastry Chef Hillary Urban, who also works at The Four Seasons' restaurant, TRIO, presented a brown sugar cake with citrus mousseline and citrus salad of Meyer lemon, Cara Cara orange, and grapefruit. My first reaction was something like, "Where is the chocolate?" (Because dessert rarely feels like dessert unless it has something rich and chocolatey). Then, I took one bite and found - fellow chocoholics, prepare your ears for sacrilege - that I didn't miss the chocolate. In fact, I loved every component of this perfectly composed dessert. The airy mousseline, the rich cake, the tangy salad all paired beautifully for one of the most memorable desserts I've had. Of course, you know that I can't simply eat something wonderful without trying to make it myself (hence, my experiments with macarons), so I decided to make my own interpretation.
I have absolutely fallen in love with caramelized white chocolate, which I've used before in mousse and ice cream, and I thought it would be perfect in this cake to bring a taste of warmth and decadence. I used David Lebovitz's caramelized white chocolate cake recipe and, in lieu of the mousseline, decided on a simple mousse of heavy cream, pink lemon, and sugar, paired with slices of Cara Cara orange. Perfection on a plate.
The evening seemed to take place in a world of its own, a world in which people dine in a former meat freezer, watch documentaries about the 60s, and enjoy a four course dinner that includes foie gras and short ribs back to back. Rabbit + Hat is a surprise from start to finish, but - naturally - my favorite surprise was dessert. Pastry Chef Hillary Urban, who also works at The Four Seasons' restaurant, TRIO, presented a brown sugar cake with citrus mousseline and citrus salad of Meyer lemon, Cara Cara orange, and grapefruit. My first reaction was something like, "Where is the chocolate?" (Because dessert rarely feels like dessert unless it has something rich and chocolatey). Then, I took one bite and found - fellow chocoholics, prepare your ears for sacrilege - that I didn't miss the chocolate. In fact, I loved every component of this perfectly composed dessert. The airy mousseline, the rich cake, the tangy salad all paired beautifully for one of the most memorable desserts I've had. Of course, you know that I can't simply eat something wonderful without trying to make it myself (hence, my experiments with macarons), so I decided to make my own interpretation.
I have absolutely fallen in love with caramelized white chocolate, which I've used before in mousse and ice cream, and I thought it would be perfect in this cake to bring a taste of warmth and decadence. I used David Lebovitz's caramelized white chocolate cake recipe and, in lieu of the mousseline, decided on a simple mousse of heavy cream, pink lemon, and sugar, paired with slices of Cara Cara orange. Perfection on a plate.
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