Laiskonis: "A large part of the food philosophy at Le Bernardin is simply about letting the ingredients speak for themselves; it's an approach that we try to practice not just with the fish and seafood, but with the desserts as well. Often a dish will feature several riffs one one ingredient, expressed as different textures, temperatures, and layers of flavor. Case in point: the Hazelnut. This dessert is built around a gianduja parfait (gianduja is simply a mixture of chocolate and ground hazelnuts--Nutella would be a apt, if less refined, comparison). Hazelnut also appears as a suace painted on the plate, as crunchy caramelized bits, and whole nuts simply roasted tossed in honey. Along with slices of caramelized banana, the plate is finished with an ice cream flavored by brown butter, which is referred to as beurre noisette in French, translated as 'nutty' butter, and thus a bit of a play on words." Back to From Paper to Plate: Recipe Sketches from Alinea and Le Bernardin »