Ralph Perrazzo
BRADLEY OGDEN | Las Vegas
With one glance at Ralph Perrazzo’s desserts
at Bradley Ogden, it is evident that Perrazzo is a chef who likes
to play around and have fun. Constantly tinkering with amusing elements
like homemade pixy stix and Guinness cotton candy, Perrazzo is the Willy
Wonka of the fine dining world. He cites Pastry Chef Eric Hubert as his
primary mentor. Working together at Jean Georges in New York
for two years, Hubert coached the young Perrazzo to use his mind along
with his hands in the kitchen and to ceaselessly create new things. Perrazzo
can’t seem to sit still in his bake shop, and no one item will appear
on his menu twice. He takes a revisionist approach to retro desserts,
making them better than we remember them, while still evoking a potent
sense of nostalgia.
Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta, Liquid Butterscotch
Center, Guinness Cotton Candy
Chef Ralph Perrazzo of Bradley Ogden at Caesars Palace
– Las Vegas, NV
Adapted by StarChefs.com
 Yield:
30 (3-ounce) Servings
Ingredients:
Guinness Cotton Candy:
- 2 cans of Guinness beer
- 30 grams glucose
- 35 grams apple pectin
- 160 grams sugar
- 5 cups raw sugar
Chocolate Panna Cotta:
- 175 grams sugar
- 475 grams heavy cream
- 225 grams buttermilk
- 245 grams milk chocolate, melted
- 6 gelatin sheets
- Salt to taste
Butterscotch:
- 200 grams butter
- 219 grams dark brown sugar
- 230 grams granulated sugar
- 570 grams corn syrup
- Salt to taste
- 1 liter heavy cream
Method:
Guinness Cotton Candy:
Bring beer to slight simmer. Stir in glucose, simmer, then whisk in pectin
and sugar. Continue simmering for 5 minutes until thick. Pour into a plastic
container to cool overnight
Take raw sugar and rub with some Guinness base. Pass through fine mesh
strainer and dry for one more day. Add to cotton candy machine and spin.
Chocolate Panna Cotta:
In a saucepot, bring sugar, heavy cream, and buttermilk to light simmer.
Add melted milk chocolate and incorporate fully. Soak gelatin sheets in
water and add to the pot. Add salt to taste. Pour mixture into panna cotta
molds and let set for two hours in the refrigerator.
Butterscotch:
In a pan set over medium-high heat, caramelize the butter and both sugars.
Add corn syrup and salt to taste. Deglaze caramel mixture with cream.
Bring to a boil until butterscotch achieves a thick consistency. Scoop
out center of panna cotta mold with melon baller and fill with butterscotch.
In a saucepot, melt down scooped center and pour over butterscotch to
seal. Refrigerate again to seal the panna cotta.
To Assemble and Serve:
Unmold panna cotta onto serving plates and garnish with a tuft of cotton
candy.
Interview Cont'd
AT: Tell me about an innovative
technique you have created or adapted in an unusual way.
RP: I make puffed-style fruit using
strawberries and tapioca starch. I cook the strawberries sous vide in
a Cryovac bag. It becomes like a hard jelly. Then I cut it up and dry
it in a hydrator. Then I fry it and it gets all puffed up like puffed
rice.
AT: What restaurants do you like
in Las Vegas off The Strip?
RP: Lotus of Siam – for their
Thai Beef Jerky.
AT: What are your top three tips
for dessert success?
RP: 1) If it’s not in season,
it’s not worth doing. 2) Don’t le the freezer be your friend.
3) Take time to do testing and look for new products.
AT: What’s your favorite interview
question?
RP: I pick up their resume and say,
“Tell me about yourself.” When I get a student out of culinary
school, they are already a step ahead of the game. But culinary school
can be misleading. I try to only hire people who share the same passion
and outlook on food products as me.
AT: What advice would you offer
young chefs just getting started?
RP: Stay passionate and don’t
get misled by the negativity in some kitchens. If you’re passionate,
you are going to be successful.
AT: What trends do you see emerging
in pastry arts?
RP: The crossover from savory to
sweet is acceptable now.
AT: Where do you see yourself in
5 years? 10 years?
RP: Definitely playing with chocolate!
My biggest dream is to have a pastry shop and an Italian pork shop next
door. I’m really into making cured meats.
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