Forte’s Forte: Elevating Simple and Comforting Desserts

By Robert Wemischner

Sponsored by

With practiced and exacting hands, Nicholas Forte, Executive Pastry Chef for the Tao Group, carefully pipes layers of vanilla-flecked gelato, which has a base that mellows overnight before churning and producing the deepest vanilla flavor. He then alternates the finished gelato with chocolate sorbet and a chocolate hazelnut streusel, placing layers into molds shaped like sticks of butter for Viennetta, a standout plated dessert served at Lavo in West Hollywood, CA. He enrobes the construction with a thin layer of milk chocolate for a crackled texture and serves the dessert with a chocolate sauce, poured tableside for added elegance. He finishes the whole ensemble with mascarpone cream whipped just enough to hold its shape and flavored with Tahitian Gold’s whole bean vanilla paste of Tahiti. “Elevating simple and comforting desserts is my abiding philosophy,” he says.

With their often-limited palette of ingredients, Italian desserts inspire Forte to make every ingredient count. This approach allows the vanilla to shine the brightest, offering a luxurious note that rounds out the creamy richness of the gelato. “The vanilla is the star of the show in many of the elements of this dessert,” he says enthusiastically.

Forte insists on using premium ingredients such as Extra Brute Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder, roasted hazelnuts, and whole gourmet vanilla beans that he hand-blends to maximize flavor infusion. By emulsifying the vanilla gelato base with a hand blender, Forte breaks down the bean’s cell walls, increasing its surface area and allowing the mixture to absorb more flavor compounds, resulting in a richer and more complex flavor.

“I’m always looking to make and try new things,” Forte adds. “Working at the Tao Group with its numerous concepts reflecting different cuisines, I get to create an array of desserts, which fits well on those restaurants’ varied menus.”

Based out of Hakkasan at the MGM in Las Vegas, one of Tao Group’s flagship restaurants, Forte enjoys conducting the R&D efforts. Alongside his creative work, he also trains pastry chefs, while leading and managing the pastry programs at the group’s West Coast restaurants.

A man of many talents, he has created a panettone trifle for Lavo in Mexico City that consists of cut up brioche, dried orange and orange zest. He pairs it with a vanilla mascarpone mousse, mango gelee and salted meringue. Another special treat, Italian-inflected bomboloni, individual deep-fried orbs of rich dough, emerge from the fryer and are dipped into Tahitian Gold’s vanilla sugar and served warm. “The flavor of the crunchy coating is the first thing that hits your palate,” Forte says.

Forte is especially enthusiastic about using vanilla in a savory context. “I am working on a chocolate hazelnut focaccia, which uses Tahitian Gold Vanilla Salt as its final touch,” he explains. “The dough, itself, is flavored with some extra brute cocoa powder, and crushed hazelnuts are incorporated in the last fold of the dough. Once out of the oven, the focaccia is topped with hazelnut praline piped into the divots in the dough. This sweet and savory crossover is the perfect combination of chocolate, hazelnut, saltiness and vanilla.”

Great ingredients, stellar technique and a sophisticated audience combine to bring out the best of Forte.

Viennetta Classica

By Nicholas Forte, Corporate Pastry Chef, West Coast, TAO Group Hospitality

Our take on a classic Italian comfort dessert, the Viennetta Classica is a true showcase of Tahitian Gold’s premium vanilla bean, backed by strong dark chocolate elements. Inside, it is composed of a Tahitian vanilla bean gelato, dark chocolate sorbet and salted hazelnut streusel, all dipped in a thin milk chocolate shell and covered in a light mascarpone whipped cream. Each Viennetta gets warm chocolate sauce poured at the table, not only providing another element of flavor and temperature, but also elevating our guests’ experience.

Yield: 12 Viennettas

For each Viennetta, you will use:

• 60g Tahitian Vanilla Bean Gelato
• 15g Salted Hazelnut Streusel
• 60g Chocolate Sorbet
• 2g Milk Chocolate Dip
• 70g Mascarpone Whipped Cream
• 30g Chocolate Sauce

Equipment: Hedume Silicone Butter Mold Tray, size: 6.7 inches (17 cm) x 5.8 inches (14.7 cm) x 1.5 inches (3.8 cm); cavity size: 5.1 inches (1.3 cm) x 1.3 inches (3.3 cm) x 1.4 inches (3.6 cm).

Tahitian Vanilla Bean Gelato

• 1000 g whole milk
• 1 ea Tahitian Gold Vanilla Beans of Tahiti
• 60 g dextrose
• 60 g milk powder
• 180 g granulated sugar
• 4 g ice cream stabilizer
• 150 g heavy cream
• Combine the milk, scraped vanilla bean and pod in a medium-sized pot. Begin to warm until the mixture reaches 104°F (40°C).
• Begin to add the dextrose slowly, whisking continuously until well combined.
• Add the milk powder, whisking continuously until well combined.
• Combine the granulated sugar and ice cream stabilizer in a small bowl. Then slowly add to the milk, whisking continuously until well combined.
• Bring the mixture to 185°F (85°C).
• Pour the mixture into a deep metal container and place directly on an ice bath, cooling until the base reaches 39°F (4°C).
• Add the heavy cream and emulsify with a hand blender.
• Let the gelato base mature overnight in the fridge.
• The next day, hand blend briefly, then strain to get any small pieces of vanilla pod out. Spin according to your machine.
• Immediately after spinning, pipe into your frozen Viennetta molds or reserve the gelato in the freezer. Before piping, temper the gelato to a softened consistency, or process it in a Pacojet and then pipe it afterward.

Salted Hazelnut Streusel

• 100 g unsalted butter
• 50 g dark brown sugar
• 45 g confectioners’ sugar
• 180 g hazelnut flour
• 55 g Cacao Barry Fleur de Cao 70% Dark Chocolate, melted
• 17 g vegetable oil
• 3 g Tahitian Gold Vanilla Fleur de Sel (Sea Salt)
• Combine the butter, brown sugar, confectioners’ sugar and hazelnut flour in a stand mixer and paddle until the ingredients have formed a smooth dough and no more chunks of butter are visible.
• Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper, then break up the dough into smaller pieces and place on top.
• Bake at 350°F (177°C) for roughly 15 minutes, making sure to break up streusel every 5 minutes or so to achieve small crunchy pieces.
• Immediately after baking, place the streusel into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the dark chocolate, oil, and vanilla sea salt. Paddle for 1-2 minutes, until the chocolate has coated each piece of streusel.
• Place the prepared streusel back on a parchment-lined sheet pan and let it cool at room temperature before storing or using it for assembly.

Chocolate Sorbet

• 1000 g water
• 160 g trimoline
• 100 g Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cacao Powder
• 2 g ice cream stabilizer
• 300 g granulated sugar
• 175 g Cacao Barry Extra-Bitter Guayaquil 64% Dark Chocolate
• 75 g Cacao Barry Fleur de Cao 70% Dark Chocolate
• 100 g heavy cream
• Combine the water, trimoline and cocoa powder in a pot and whisk to combine. Begin warming to 104°F (40°C).
• Combine the ice cream stabilizer with the granulated sugar, then slowly add to the base. Continue to cook until the mixture reaches 185°F (85°C).
• Pour the mixture over both chocolates in a deep metal container. Let sit for one minute before emulsifying with a hand blender.
• Place the sorbet base on an ice bath and begin to cool. Once the mixture is slightly warm, add the heavy cream and emulsify again before cooling completely to 39°F (4°C).
• Let the chocolate sorbet base mature overnight in the fridge.
• The next day, hand blend briefly, then spin according to your machine.
• Immediately after spinning, pipe into your frozen Viennetta molds on top of the Salted Hazelnut Streusel or reserve the sorbet in the freezer. Before piping, temper the sorbet to a softened consistency, or process it in a Pacojet and then pipe it afterward.

Milk Chocolate Dip

• 300 g Cacao Barry Alunga 41% Milk Chocolate
• 300 g Cacao Butter
• Combine both ingredients in a small container and melt in 30-second increments in the microwave, being careful not to burn it or incorporate too many bubbles.
• Reserve in a warmer until needed.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

• 525 g heavy cream
• 225 g mascarpone cheese
• 75 g confectioners’ sugar
• 8 g Tahitian Gold Whole Vanilla Bean Paste 3X, Tahiti, Tahitian Classic
• Combine all of the ingredients in a stand mixer bowl and start to whisk on low speed until the mascarpone cheese is no longer visible.
• Increase the speed and whip until you see soft to medium peaks.
• Place in a piping bag fitted with an Ateco #47 Basketweave tip.

Chocolate Sauce

• 130 g water
• 154 g granulated sugar
• 93 g heavy cream
• 54 g Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cacao Powder
• 50 g Cacao Barry Fleur de Cao 70% Dark Chocolate
• Combine the water, granulated sugar, heavy cream and cocoa powder in a pot and bring to a boil.
• Continue to boil for three minutes on medium-low heat.
• Place the dark chocolate in a deep metal container, then pour the sugar mixture over it.
• Let sit for one minute before emulsifying with a hand blender.
• Place on an ice bath, then store in the fridge until needed.

Assembly

1. Start by placing all of the needed Viennetta molds in the freezer for at least 30-60 minutes.
2. Pipe 60 grams of the Vanilla Gelato evenly into the bottom of the molds.
3. Add 15 grams of the Salted Hazelnut Streusel on top and gently press down to flatten.
4. Finish by piping 60 grams of the Chocolate Sorbet on top, then smoothing and cleaning the top of the mold with an offset spatula. Place immediately in the freezer until firm enough to unmold.
5. To dip, take a frozen Viennetta base and remove any frost that may have formed. Make sure the Milk Chocolate Dip is at 104°F (40°C). Dip each Viennetta quickly into the mixture, removing excess from the bottom using the top of the container. Place dipped bases directly into the freezer until ready to pipe.
6. For piping, start by placing a rectangle of parchment paper down on a turntable. Pipe a small amount of Mascarpone Whipped Cream and place a frozen, dipped Viennetta base on top. Make sure to remove any frost that may have formed on the outside of the chocolate. Using freshly prepared Mascarpone Whipped Cream, start by piping on each of the shorter ends. Begin by piping a wavy row of the whipped cream, followed by a straight line. Continue this pattern until you have three rows of each. The top of the final straight row of whipped cream should be flush with the top of the Viennetta. Use a warm spatula to clean the excess whipped cream off each end.
7. Repeat the same pattern along both long sides.
8. Finish piping the top in a waving motion, making sure to cover the chocolate completely.
9. Store the finished Viennetta in the freezer until needed.
10. To plate, carefully remove the Viennetta from the freezer using an offset spatula. Carefully dust cocoa powder down the middle of the Viennetta, leaving the outermost waves of whipped cream white.
11. Carefully remove the Viennetta from the parchment and place it on a clean serving plate.
12. Warm the Chocolate Sauce briefly in the microwave and serve it to be poured tableside.
13. Slowly pour the chocolate sauce over the outermost waves of Chantilly.

(This article appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)