Julia Child's Chocolate cake via Zuni Cafe, San Francisco CA
The pastry chef inside me cringes when I think about how long I held off chocolate. My mentor, I called grandmother, would foster what my mom liked: fruit and cream. Making tarts, soufflé, pies, cookies, and even candy. On a scarce occasion, my grandfather would request a chocolate cake. Finally, around the age of seven, I was introduced to chocolate mousse and fell in love. Mostly the texture, not so much the flavor. There was something bitter, rich, and dark about chocolate that did not sit with me as a child. All these attributes would resonate strongly with who I am as an adult.
Three years into living and breathing, pastry and snow. My best friend from college showed up in California. You know those people that when you get together, it’s like butt cheeks? One cheek finds the other, joining forces to make one huge ass. We had combine forces on projects in the past, her being the follow-through, me being the abstract idea. Doing good for the world, there was no stopping us. Decadent fun havers….there was no stopping us. After two years in California, she invited me to a NitGrit at Temple in exchange for a ride from Eureka to San Francisco.
Fancy, elegant, and beautiful is how food should be. The previous statement does not include the terms overworked, busy, or messy. Fancy can be an understatement; this is a quality that is part of my soul. On this trip, Milisa catered to it, making a reservation at the Zuni Cafe. Rolling my eyes as she read the Yelp review, “Multiple James Beard Awards for service.”
Zuni Cafe is a white-walled human fish tank on a corner in the Soma district of San Francisco. Stark white walls, bright incandescent warm lighting, natural wood decor, with splashes of gold and copper; I was back inside the youth of my life. My mother’s white gallery walls and my grandmother’s copper pots. I felt at home. It makes me entirely happy that this color scheme became pervasive and ever so popular 30 years after the opening of this restaurant. Thank you Instagram, let’s get #hygge.
If you ever make it to Zuni Cafe, do not miss the chicken or the cake. Many blog posts are all about that chicken and what makes it special, including this one for Smitten Kitchen. Both of these items haven’t left the menu since 1979.
Rather than order staples; local, seasonal, and a fresh menu change ends on my plate. Milisa ordered the items that would never leave the menu from its 1979 opening. It was a “great” experience, with service being the focal point. Never was there a moment where we did not have anything we needed or wanted. As a pastry chef, the beginning with bread and ending with the dessert impacts me. The end of our meal at Zuni is when it became a life-changing.
I asked for the blood orange granita; she ordered gateau victoire. She insisted for fifteen minutes that I taste this cake. Little did I know, this one would change my mind, my career, and my life. One bite into the gateau victory, “Get me two more of these.” I was three, twelve dollar pieces of cake deep before we left for Temple.
The best chocolate torte
Practice makes perfect
This cake is a complex bake without flour. Certain equipment is necessary. Familiarize yourself with the concept of this recipe and the tools needed. It won’t be long until you make flavor additions to a classic french recipe making it distinctly your own.