The American restaurant revolution of the past 20 years has focused attention on a new generation of pastry chefs--men and women whose work has gained recognition beyond their field. In The Making of a Pastry Chef, pâtissière-author Andrew MacLauchlan presents more than 30 of these talented chefs, exploring with them what it is they actually do, how their own interest in dessert making developed and expresses itself
In a small pan, toast the coriander seeds over medium heat, stirring often, for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Coarsely grind toasted seeds in a mortar and pestle or in a coffee grinder.
In a 2- or 3-quart saucepot, combine the cream, milk, and coriander over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer to infuse the coriander flavor into the cream mixture.
In a 3-quart pot, combine the sugar, lemon juice, and water. Stir once to help dissolve the sugar. Then, over a medium heat, allow the mixture to caramelize, stirring occasionally.
Bring the mixture to an amber color, then remove from the heat.
With a ladle, carefully add some of the hot cream mixture to the caramel. Be cautious as the mixture will splatter a bit at first. Finish this step by adding the entire cream mixture.
In a medium-sized bowl, stir the egg yolks and slowly drizzle some of the cream mixture into the yolks to temper. Stir the yolk mixture back into the main cream mixture.
Over a medium flame, while stirring, bring the mixture to nappe, or thicken to the point where it coats the back of a spoon.
Strain through a fine strainer. Cool the ice cream base in a container set in ice or in the refrigerator. Spin in an ice cream machine. Serve immediately.
