Find out the latest from pastry chef Richard Ruskell

No, not the CIA, but the CIA, the Culinary Institute of America.

Stephen Durfee, good friend, colleague, and instructor at the school invited me to participate as a guest chef for an event the school was having commemorating various wine-makers, wine-writers, wine-what-have-yous.  I could be wrong but I think the event is annual.  Most of the people honored are dead but some are still kicking.  Just enough to get people to turn up.

I jumped at the chance to get away from the shop.  I had been feeling a little overworked.  I was working on an upcoming bridal show that was planned WAY too late and…….let’s table that for now, I’m writing about Napa.

The flight took nine hours.  No, not the usual hour long flight.  The unusual NINE hour flight.  Seems the rain was just too awful in San Francisco and the airport was not letting flights in.  So I sat at LAX for three hours and then, once we got on the plane, sat on the tarmac for another hour.  Once we took off the flight was fine.  But it was hellzapoppin in San Francisco.  Honestly, I’m not sure I have ever driven through so much rain.  That shit was coming down horizontal thanks to the gale force winds.  Driving was a nightmare.  That, plus the fact that I’m driving a rental car and trying to figure out where the wipers, lights and panic buttons are.  Why oh why do I never take that extra minute before I drive out off?

Wouldn’t you know it.  The minute I crossed the Napa County Line the rain stopped and the sky started to clear.  When I told Stephen about the rain, he said, “what rain?”  Figures.

Stephen’s wife, Jill, is an event planner and she was readying a community center in Napa for a fundraiser for their kids’ school.  I helped.  A little. I put LED candles in vintage lanterns.  Then I walked around Napa’s waterfront for a while.  The Mustard Festival was going on and there was some good music playing

View from my room

The event wasn’t widely attended but I didn’t care.  I shared good company with fellow pastry chefs Sherry Yard (Spago), Emily Luchetti (Faralon) and Stephen.  All three of them are James Beard Award winners.  Oooooh.

I served Rhubarb Tres Leches cake and Chocolate Cream with Espresso Caviar.  The technique of spherification was a real hit with the students.  That’s one of the things from the whole molecular gastronomy trend that will probably stick around.  I kind of like it.  Works well for garnish.

I had a nice time and was able to decompress before getting back into the thick of things with THAT DAMNED BRIDAL SHOW.

later…………

About a week and a half ago I was auctioned off at The Geffen Playhouse’s charity event:  Backstage at the Geffen.  It was a stellar affair honoring Barry Meyer (Head of Warner Bros.) and Kristen Chenowith (and who doesn’t know her).  I was part of the silent auction.  I was bartered for $2100!  Not bad.  So what did they get for their bid?  A pastry class for 3-4 people and a cake for up to 200 of their closest friends.  I have no idea who bid on me.  All I do know is that most of the night my bid sheet was empty.  It wasn’t until the end of the night that it filled up.  I would have been devastated had I not gotten anything.

The night was great!  We heard from Clint Eastwood, Beau Bridges, Matthew Morrison (from Glee), Rita Wilson, Hank Azaria and others.  Listened to songs from Alan Cumming and Dick Van Dyke (unbelievably impressive at his age), Christina Applegate and star watched for most of the evening.  Swelling with the swells.

One of the bids, which at the beginning of the event had a low bid of $6k(!) was to sit in on a table reading of The Simpsons and join Hank Azaria’s table on his poker night.  That would have been.  There were also unique items such as a week in French Polynesia (valued at $29,000) and various other one of a kind giveaways.  I didn’t bid on anything…..ahem.

But I did make a cake.

finished product

The bottom platform is solid chocolate.  Dark and white which I painted all sorts of bright colors:

in the shop

The theater building was fondant.  Hand painted and airbrushed with royal icing ivy. The L.A. blocks were solid chocolate, weighed a lot.

Balanced on top was a large piece, covered in fondant, with the event’s logo.  The whole contraption was held together with pvc, threaded pipe, washers and bolts……the usual.  I arranged some sugarpaste flowers and got some micro-lighting to add a little drama.  They lit it well and I was able to have a primo location for it.  Honestly I don’t think people knew it was cake.   Sometimes that’s not to my advantage.  I think I should just put up a big sign that says:  IT’S CAKE!

For the actual event we served red velvet cupcakes, passionfruit white chocolate cake, banana deutsch cake, and white chocolate chip cake.

A good time was had by all.

And boy does Clint Eastwood look great!  I should look so good when I’m whatever age he is.

later