Jungsik's Best Five
OMIJA BINGSU I played around with the fundamentals of bingsu, taking shaved ice and turning it into omija granite. I added a French touch with the rhubarb syrup, and used lemon basil herbs for the sorbet, which is my twist on the condensed milk that is more commonly used for the traditional dessert.
FIG TART I love seasonal fruits. For autumn, I’m making a simple fig tart with the best figs from California. To balance out the sweetness, I use pinot noir grape sorbet and huckleberry jam, with fresh huckleberry for some acidity.
BABY BANANA Inspired by my favourite Korean banana milk, I made a trompe-l’oeil dessert that looks like a real banana. For a touch of fun, we serve it on a real fruit basket and guests can pick up their banana from the basket and put it on their plate.
NY-SEOUL My interpretation of the classic French dessert ParisBrest, and it combines all of my worlds—France, Korea, and the US. The soul of Korean cuisine is told through the use of brown rice. French choux techniques are incorporated with New York flair by adding pecans and caramel.
PETIT FOURS I use a Hang A Ri, a Korean traditional claypot, to present our little petit fours. They are a macaron, a bonbon (both flavours change seasonally), and a Yakgwa, a classic Korean sweet similar to a sable. Before the guests leave, we give them a cookie bar to take home with the menu.