Chef in Residence -EARL DARNY
If you ever have the opportunity to visit The Bay Wolf restaurant in Oakland, I highly recommend it. Co-owner Michael Wild is the Executive Chef, co-owner Michael Phelps  shares the Chef de Cuisine position with Louis Le Gassic, and Earl Darny is Pastry Chef. Larry Goldman is the third partner of this extraordinary restaurant set in a century-old Victorian home along trendy Piedmont Avenue. The warm, inviting rooms are decorated with the paintings of internationally recognized local artists and the setting is relaxed.
Bay Wolf is famous for unique and delicious dishes such as duck liver flan with green peppercorns and marsala; Catalon-style shrimp and game-hen ragout; Liberty Ranch duck with corn flan, grilled figs, and sherry sauce; chocolate in a cloud; and key lime, mango, and rum trifle; and the menu changes monthly.
Chef Earl is a San Francisco Bay Area native whose first career was in the theater. In college he studied art and technical theater, which led to costuming. After college, he opened his own costume company and worked with regional theaters all over the country, including Alaska Repertory Theater in Anchorage, Alaska. While managing the costume shop at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, he decided to follow his passion for all things culinary and enrolled in school. While there, Earl fell in love with pastry preparation, its technical demands and infinite creativity. He then worked with Wendy Brucker of Rivoli and Emily Lucchetti of Stars, and helped Emily write her second cookbook, "Four Star Desserts."
In addition to creating sumptuous desserts for Bay Wolf, Earl writes for a variety of chef authors, and is a restaurant consultant. Having met Earl after his days of costumery, I cannot comment on his skill in couture (though I wish I could, as I love costuming), but I certainly can vouch for his skill as a pastry chef! My last birthday was spent at Bay Wolf with my daughter and son-in-law, and we were served a medley of Earl’s desserts that were so good we could hardly believe our overjoyed taste buds! I was especially struck by Earl’s rice pudding as it was quite different from any I’d ever experienced before. If memory serves me correctly, it was studded with rum soaked golden sultanas the night we were there, but rice pudding is a natural foil for all sorts of tasty fruit and nut garnishes, so you can free your imagination to create whatever suits your fancy. Herewith: Earl’s recipes.
VANILLA SCENTED RICE PUDDING
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sweet, unsalted butter
1 cup Arborio rice
zest of 1 lemon, chopped fine
1/2 vanilla bean split and scraped
3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream, whipped stiff
Instructions:
Melt butter in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the rice, lemon zest, vanilla seeds and scraped vanilla bean. Cook, stirring constantly for a few minutes. Add the milk all at once and cook over low flame, stirring constantly. It will take about 30 minutes for the rice to absorb all the liquid.
When the rice is soft and all the liquid is absorbed, remove vanilla pod and add sugar, mixing well.
Pour into a shallow pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cool. When cold, fold in the whipped cream. Serve with fresh or dried fruits.
VANILLA APPLE CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Ingredients:
1 pound firm apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
1 tablespoon Brandy
1-3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large pinch ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces (1-1/2 cubes) unsalted butter
1/2 vanilla bean
6 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups sugar
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 10-inch cake pan with parchment and set aside.
Placed prepared apples in a bowl and pour brandy over the apples.
Sift the flour, cinnamon, cloves and baking powder, and set aside.
Strip the vanilla seeds from the bean, then place the seeds, pod and butter into a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter turns brown. It will take on a nutty smell and will have an intense vanilla flavor. Remove the vanilla bean and let cool to room temperature.
Separate the eggs. Whip the yolks with the vanilla extract and salt. When the egg yolks start to change color and start to get fluffy, add 3/4 cup of the sugar and continue to whip until light in color. Fold in the butter mixture, then fold in the sifted flour mixture. The batter will be thick. Fold in apples and Brandy.
Whip the egg whites until fluffy, then add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to whip until stiff. Fold the whites into the cake batter in thirds. When well mixed, pour into the cake pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool on a wire rack. When cool, run a butter knife around the edge to loosen then turn out onto a plate and top with vanilla cream cheese frosting.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
7 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
Instructions:
Place the unsalted butter, vanilla seeds and the powdered sugar in the mixer with the paddle attachment (if available). Beat until soft and well creamed. Add the cream cheese and continue to mix until well combined. Spread on top of the cooled cake. Refrigerate the cake until the frosting is firm, about 30 minutes.
GRISMELLI COOKIES
(Vanilla Flavored Corn Meal Cookies)
Ingredients:
6 ounces (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup fine corn meal
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 vanilla bean
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Strip vanilla bean of the seeds, then put the seeds in the bowl of a mixer with the butter and sugar. (Save the pod for another use.) Cream the butter-sugar mixture until fluffy. Sift the dry ingredients together and beat into butter mixture a little at a time. Chill the dough until firm, then roll into a log 1 inch in diameter. If the dough is too soft to roll, place in the freezer for a few minutes until the dough firms up, then cut into 1/2 inch slices and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan with space around each cookie. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies should be just slightly golden at the base with no color on the top. Let cool. Earl says, "This is one of my favorite cookies."
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