Tres Leeches de Coco.  A coconut lime cake soaked with 3 coconut milks, pistachio crunch, charred tequila pineapple, blood orange purée, toasted flake.

It’s about representing winter, and focusing on the wonders of natural ingredients.  It’s about representing the elemental forces in a dish, it’s about highlighting the flavors and textures of the season.  It’s about capturing the essence of fire and exploring everything that the coconut has to offer.

The cool and creamy coconut milk mimics the fresh snow both visually and texturally, the pistachio cookie mimics the crunching of the frozen snow underfoot, the charred pineapple is reminiscent of the flame produced by fire, reconnecting the consumer with the power of this primal tool.

The coconut is represented in all ways: the fresh grated flesh forms the base of the cake, the coconut milk is soaked throughout, the lightly toasted desiccated flake adds another texture and reminds the eater of warmth.  This is paired with a blood orange purée, a slightly bitter flavor that rounds out the sweet, the char, the toast, and the nut.

Together this creates a harmony, a refreshing taste after the hot and obnoxious summer.  This dish highlights the integrity of a few ingredients with minimal processing.  Nature steals the show with this dessert.