In a time when desserts are often overlooked, pastry chefs are continually challenged to come up with appetizing desserts to entice the eye and the palate; Executive Pastry Chef Ralph Day of The Saltwater Grille in the Shippan Point section of Stamford, Connecticut is clearly up to the challenge.

I met with Executive Pastry Chef Ralph Day at The Saltwater Grille in March 2010 before having dinner at the restaurant and learned that he has been baking as long as he can remember. His mother's family was from the South, and he has memories of his grandmother always baking something wonderful. Southern family influences from Virginia and Louisiana have instilled a fondness for bread pudding, which is one of his favorite desserts, along with anything chocolate, and pecan pie. 

Executive Pastry Chef Ralph Day

Chef Ralph Day attended the prestigious Institute for Culinary Education (ICE) in New York, where as part of his school program he had an externship at The Saltwater Grille. He so impressed Executive Chef Pasquale "Pat" Pascarella, who is also one of the owners of the restaurant, that he hired Chef Ralph Day upon his graduation. Eight months later, Chef Ralph is now the Executive Pastry Chef at The Saltwater Grille. 

The Saltwater Grille Dining Room

In a restaurant, the Chef and the Pastry Chef must work together to create a fine balance of complementing courses, and these two young talents are well matched, as they both like to experiment with molecular cooking including the use of liquid nitrogen and agar. 

Executive Pastry Chef Ralph Day graciously shares his recipe for Goat Cheese Cake with Pink Lemons and Blueberry Sauce to provide a delicious taste of The Saltwater Grille. 

Goat Cheese Cake with Pink Lemons and Blueberry Sauce    

Ingredients:  

Method for the Goat Cheese Cake: Grease a 3-inch ring mold with extra virgin olive oil. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the goat cheese with salt, pepper, and sugar. Divide the goat cheese mixture into the greased ring mold.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add water and agar agar. Bring to a boil and add to the fig puree and then whisk until cool and it starts to thicken.  When cooled put mixture into a 9-inch pan and then insert it into a vacuum sealable bag.  Put this into a sous vide machine, and allow the machine to extract all of the oxygen out of the fig mixture.   

Method for the Blueberry Sauce: Add sugar, water, and blueberries in a pot with cinnamon stick and star anise.  Bring to a boil and then lower the heat until the mixture becomes slightly thickened.   

Method For The Pink Lemon Carpaccio: Slice lemon very thin and put it in a bowl.  Bring water and sugar to a boil in a pot and then pour over the lemon slices and let sit for 30 minutes to cook the lemons.   

Method for assembly: Take the goat cheese mold and slice it in half horizontally with a warm knife.  Fill it with the fig mixture and then top with lemon carpaccio and drizzle with blueberry sauce.   

During the winter months, The Saltwater Grille is open for dinner Friday from 5:00pm until 10:00 pm, Saturday from 5:00 pm until 10:30pm, and on Sunday for Brunch from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm.  

The saltwater Grille 

During the summer months, The Saltwater Grille is open 7 days and serves lunch and dinner as well as Sunday Brunch. 

Read about The Saltwater Grille in the Restaurants section and in the Chefs' Recipes section where Executive Chef Pasquale "Pat" Pascarella shares his savory recipes for Salmon Cornets and  Housemade Tagliatelle With Black Truffles. 

The Saltwater Grille
183 Harbor Drive
Stamford, Connecticut 06902
United States
Telephone:    +1-203-391-6500
Fax:               +1-203-391-6504
Website:       www.SaltwaterGrille.net

Read other articles on Stamford, Connecticut and the surrounding area in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs' Recipes, and Arts sections. 

© March 2010. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved.