CiCi Li – Food Paradise TV

Since joining Oceana in 2007, Executive Pastry Chef Jansen Chan has been indulging our diners with his sumptuous and visually arresting desserts and artisanal breads. His approach to pastries reflects the Oceana ethos: he applies classic French techniques to fresh, seasonal ingredients, creating radically new flavor profiles. His desserts have been featured in periodicals like Food & Wine magazine and were declared “splendid” by former New York Times critic Frank Bruni. Jansen’s creations express his innate passion for sweets and reveal an acute expertise acquired from his classic culinary education and training as an architect.

Originally from Northern California, Jansen began baking at a very young age. His interest was sparked by his father, who passed away when Jansen was 10 years old. An amateur baker, Jansen’s father prepared a new sweet with his son every morning, imparting a love for fresh fruits, chocolate, nuts, and the craft of dessert-making.

As an adult, Jansen pursued another creative discipline, graduating from The University of California at Berkeley with a degree in architecture. He continued to bake as an enjoyable pastime. Even as an architect, he could not deny his true passion, which would ultimately lead him to transform his favorite hobby into a career. He moved to Paris and graduated from Le Cordon Bleu with a Patisserie diploma.

Upon returning to the States, Jansen went to San Francisco to continue his training in the city’s finest restaurants: Kuleto’s, John Frank, and the Fifth Floor. He then accepted an invitation to work for Alain Ducasse in the kitchens of Alain Ducasse, at the Essex House in New York, and Mix in Las Vegas and in New York. Under the tutelage of Ducasse and Corporate Pastry Chef Nicolas Berger, Jansen came to master the craft of baking and pastry in fine dining.

Jansen’s desserts begin as sketches, a blueprint from which he develops his complexities of flavor and texture. He layers each flavor intuitively, preserving the integrity of each ingredient, always maintaining a balance of acidity to sweetness. Classic favorites are updated with unexpected ingredients, like donuts glazed with earl grey tea or apple confit mochi cakes. Conscious of modern health and fitness considerations, Jansen also designs decadent desserts for a variety of diets, with offerings that are low in fat and calories, vegan, or gluten-free.

With a natural charisma and eagerness to share his passion for pastries, Jansen has appeared on “Martha Stewart Living Today” and “WOR Food Talk with Michael Colameco,” and is regularly featured on leading and emerging food blogs and in conferences, providing demonstrations and guidance to food fans and rising chefs. Occasionally he showcases his culinary architecture on a grander scale; recent examples include his award-winning chocolate Eiffel Tower created for the “Food Network Challenge: Chocolate Landmark” as well as the “Bittersweet Black Widow” outfit at the 2008 Chocolate Fashion Show.

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Crayfish Party Before
Crayfish have been eaten in Sweden for hundreds of years, dating as early as the 16th century. But that time, only the noble and people belonging to aristocracy were privileged to eat it. Initially, crayfish meat was used to make sausage, ragout, patties, and even puddings.

Three hundred years later, people learned to eat crayfish the way they are eaten today. The crayfish parties in August became a tradition to the middle classes. In the 20th century, crayfish became the country’s delicacy and everyone started to celebrate. The crayfish feast is a Swedish festival where people gather outdoors to eat, drink, and enjoy Vasterbotten cheese and celebrate the end of summer.

Crayfish Party Today
The Swedish government issued in the early 20th century, river crayfishing restrictions to discourage over fishing. Crayfishing was only allowed for a couple of months, starting August. That inspired the crayfish feast, turning crayfish into Sweden’s most sought-after delicacy.

Today, one can buy imported crayfish all year round, but only a few is agreeable to abandoning the summer tradition. U.S. and Chinese crayfish are deemed the best, but nothing beats the taste of Swedish crayfish. But whether Swedish, Chinese, or American, crayfish is cooked only the Swedish way – in brine, with lots of dill.

Crayfish Party Needs
If you want to have your own crayfish party with your friends in you apartment up 6th avenue, make sure to have these things ready:

Crayfish (of course) – several local stores have frozen crayfish available, or you can order from the internet if your want. You can also get crayfish from several supplies store that will ship it to your home.

Dill – the secret to pushing the taste of crayfish to the surface is tons of fresh dill. You can buy dill in any supermarket near you.

Vasterbotten Cheese – the salty shellfish taste blends perfectly with the full flavor of Vasterbotten cheese. A natural Swedish ingredient, Vasterbotten cheese is what you need to have that genuine Swedish taste running up your palate!

But this is the tricky part; Vasterbotten cheese is not sold anywhere and only a few cheese shops have the genuine, best-tasting Swedish Vasterbotten cheese. Make sure the cheese shop you buy Vasterbotten from is legit and reliable.

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Blue Stilton cheese tastes best when served in room temperature. So if you are planning to serve Blue Stilton to your guests, try to get the cheese out of the fridge for an hour or so before serving in order to let its flavor develop. Blue Stilton cheese is best served with crackers or plum loaf, and it is a must for any cheese platter.

Unlike most cheeses, Blue Stilton cheese can still come out fresh after being frozen for a long time. You can store Blue Stilton cheese up to three months, just wrap it in several layers or cling wrap or foil and put it in the freezer.  Before serving, defrost the Blue Stilton cheese overnight in the fridge, and allow it to reach room temperature first.

Stilton Cheese Serving Tips

For serving Blue Stilton cheese in a cheese platter, take it out of the fridge for about 2 hours before serving and allow it to come to room temperature.   Pair it with plum bread, or mango chutney for a change.

Sweet wines are the best pair for Stilton cheese, especially Port wine. However, you can also try a dessert wine or a full bodied, sharp red wine if it pleases your palate.

Storing is not a problem for Stilton cheese. Cut the Stilton cheese into small chunks and wrap it in tin foil. Stilton cheese can be stored in the freezer for three months. After freezing Blue Stilton cheese, it is ideal to slowly defrost it in the fridge overnight. Again, let it come to room temperature before serving.

Blue Stilton cheese crumbles effortlessly, which makes it an easy ingredient to use for salads, soups, and dips. You can also slice Blue Stilton cheese thinly and put it in your sandwich. You can also great it straight from the freezer for last minute add-ons.

Blue Stilton cheese melts easily, so you can use it for pastas and pizzas as well. Melt it in a heated pan or simply top it on a piece of bread with some onions and mushrooms, and you are good to go.

Using Blue Stilton cheese as a part of a recipe broadens your choice of dishes. Choose your pick from these several Stilton cheese serving suggestions and order your own Stilton cheese today! Bon Appétit!

Read more about blue stilton cheese.

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