“It’s both a dessert and a main dish,” said Oriol Balaguer.
If I said this to you, you would flee, and you’d be right to do so. But Oriol Balaguer, of Barcelona, is a world-class pastry chef, and I am not. He’s talking about his Concept Cake, which I had the pleasure of eating last night. There are many elements to it, only some of which I actually noted, but the premise, from the bottom up, is:
* crunchy crust
* baked apples
* caramelized sugar crust
* cream cheese
* arugula
* white chocolate shards
This sounds like an especially fiery train wreck, but it was so delicious I went back for a second one. Balaguer also makes some unusual chocolates which I can’t describe yet because I’m bringing some back for Laurie and Iris as a surprise.
Ooooh – I’m a big fan of Balaguer. I’m jealous you got meet him and taste his stuff. What else did he talk about and is he coming out with any more books?
I knew you would know this guy. Do you have his book? I hope you do, because I was going to buy it for you until I learned that the special discount price was $140.
He also showed a video about his store and production facility. Incredibly high-level stuff.
I do have the book and it’s worth the price (which is average for professional pastry books). I would buy another from him sight-unseen.
Any chance I could see photos of the stuff you saw?
I didn’t bring my camera, but I did take [a photo](http://www.flickr.com/photos/mamster/289859841/) of his *Mascletà * chocolates, which have hazelnut cream and pop rocks in them. Iris and Laurie loved them.
Is there a generic term for pop rocks?