12 Days of Christmas Desserts
Dessert magic from Janina O'Leary
By Virginia B. Wood, 12:30PM, Wed. Dec. 10, 2014
While home bakers might cut out cookies shaped like pears, partridges, swans, and dancing ladies for meticulous hand decoration, pastry chef Janina O'Leary is upping the ante. Taking her creative clues from the beloved holiday standard, she's created 12 new desserts that could melt the heart of even the meanest scrooge.
You could order a 12-piece set of copper cookie cutters online ($89.95 at www.coppergifts.com) or a set of carved Swiss Springerle molds ($349 from www.kingarthurflour.com) to fashion your own home-made homage to the 12 Days of Christmas. But perhaps a tastier use for that money would be to eat dessert at laV for 12 days in a row. From Thursday, Dec. 11 through Christmas Eve, the dinner service will feature a different one of O'Leary's plated desserts inspired by some element of the "12 Days of Christmas." There will be pears and swans and drums, all deliciously rendered. Just imagine …
•A Partridge in a Pear Tree:
red wine poached pear, puff pastry and crème fraiche ice cream
•Two Turtle Doves:
Texas dark chocolate turtle, delice, candied pecans and salted caramel ice cream
•Three French Hens:
lavender custard, cassis meringue, thyme shortbread
•Four Calling Birds:
Basque tart, coconut meringue wings, berry preserves
•Five Golden Rings:
golden apple, mascarpone gelée, cinnamon streusel
•Six Geese a Laying:
gingerbread crème brulee, “gum drop" ice cream
•Seven Swans a Swimming:
swan pâte à choux, blood orange crème anglaise
•Eight Maids a Milking:
“Mill-King trifle” bourbon milk ice cream, rosemary caramel, sea salt popcorn
•Nine Ladies Dancing:
tiramisu, Earl Grey ladyfingers, mocha
•10 Lords a Leaping:
bouchon, candy cane, cocoa nib tuile
•11 Pipers Piping:
Floating Island, Meyer lemon baked meringue, vanilla bean anglaise
•12 Drummers Drumming:
Vol-au-vent “drum,” chocolate cremeux, thyme ice cream
laV
1501 E. Seventh, 512/391-1888
Tue. - Thu., 5-10pm; Fri. - Sat., 5-10:30pm; Sun., 11am-2:30pm
www.lavaustin.com
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Brandon Watson, June 30, 2015
laV, Janina O'Leary, 12 Days of Christmas, Copper Gifts, King Arthur Flour
