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Sight to Behold

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 jobโ€”but one that remains a menu mainstay.

โ€œWe 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). โ€œSo 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€

Itโ€™s 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 togetherโ€”crispy seaweed sponge, sesame panna cotta, pomegranate foam, tapioca starch, ginger gelรฉe cubes and glistening orbs of cucumber waterโ€”the results are out of this world.

โ€œWe wanted to make sure there are no two bites that are exactly alike,โ€ Becker says, โ€œbut, 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.

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