Kuro puts a dazzling and delicious spin on a panna cotta dessert
When Ross Evans interviewed for the pastry chef position at Kuro, the Japanese craft kitchen at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino that has had foodies buzzing since its opening last spring, he turned an open-ended challenge into a dessert that not only earned him the jobโbut one that remains a menu mainstay.
โWe try to incorporate interesting techniques, textures and flavors into all of our dishes without complicating them,โ says Alex Becker, executive chef at Kuro (1 Seminole Way, Hollywood; 954.327.7625). โSo when Ross did his final tasting with us, we gave him some parameters. One of them was to create a dessert that contained gelatin. As you can imagine, when he presented his panna cotta dish, we instantly fell in love with him.โ
Itโs a dish (officially dubbed Sesame Panna Cotta on the Kuro menu) that looks more like a galactic landscape than any dessert Sara Lee ever envisioned. Which, in the end, makes sense. Because when the individual elements come togetherโcrispy seaweed sponge, sesame panna cotta, pomegranate foam, tapioca starch, ginger gelรฉe cubes and glistening orbs of cucumber waterโthe results are out of this world.
โWe wanted to make sure there are no two bites that are exactly alike,โ Becker says, โbut, at the same time, they all make sense.โ
Becker offers some insights (opposite page) into a dessert that is much more than the sum of its parts.
