There are pastry chefs who favor single-flavor desserts and those who opt for the merry-go-round of flavors that harmoniously come together in the diner's palate. One might argue that pastry chefs are the benign, white coated, precision-seeking version of the tireless mad scientist, constantly exploring new flavor profiles, textures, and styles. PreGel AMERICA provides pastry chefs with an inspirational library of flavors and a pantry of staples to help them expand their techniques, play with textures, enhance their styles (whether modern or classic), and ultimately build an unforgettable creation.

FLAVOR HIGHLIGHTS — ICC 2012 Pastry Competition

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A truly great dessert is marked by more than just one-note sweetness. It should have that special spark, a stand-out flavor or an extraordinary ingredient combination. This season, PreGel AMERICA is highlighting five flavors to help pastry chefs inject inspiration onto the plate with their 5-Star Chef Pastry Select line of ingredients. There's Strawberry Compound and Mango Compound for fresh tartness, Peanut Paste and Milk Chocolate Crunch Filling for richness, and Champagne Compound for a little effervescence. Getting inventive with seasonal flavors and adventurous textures, these Southern pastry chefs tickled the senses and pleased palates across the board. With this season's PreGel flavors, you too can seal the deal on your next dessert.

• Chocolate Cognac Cake, Hazelnut Crumble, Cognac Veil, Ginger Cream Fluid Gel, Chocolate Tuile, and Chocolate-Ginger CrémeuxClick to learn more ▼

In Round 2, Pastry Chef Aya Fukai worked her way into the rounded, rich flavors of Cognac. The smooth nuttiness of star ingredient PreGel Hazelnut Arabeschi in her Chocolate Praline Ice Cream emphasizes the Cognac's Monlezun oak ageing, while chocolate leans into the brandy's rich dried fruit flavors. View Recipe
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• Hazelnut Mochi, Hazelnut Ice Cream, Pickled Plums, Lemon-Hazelnut Rubble, and Chocolate Tuile Click to learn more ▼

Round 2 finalist Jennifer Yee incorporates classic Asian flavors and textures into her plated dessert. Soft, supple mochi gets a nutty kick from PreGel 5-Star Chef Pastry Select Hazelnut Superior Paste, while Pickled Plums and Lemon-Hazelnut Rubble add a tart kick and textural variety to the creamy backdrop of her smooth Hazelnut Ice Cream, flavored with PreGel 5-Star Chef Pastry Select Hazelnut Superior Paste and stabilized with PreGel Superneutro Milk. View Recipe
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• Mango Noisette, Caramel-Hazelnut Ice Cream, Hazelnut Panna Cotta, Passion-Mango Crémeux, and Caramelized Hazelnut Click to learn more ▼

Hints of soft passion and mango flavors give a tropical nuance to Round 2 finalist Salvatore Martone's dessert. Caramel elongates the rich, smooth nuttiness of the PreGel Pastry Select Hazelnut Superior Paste in his Caramel-Hazelnut Ice Cream, while a Hazelnut Panna Cotta made with the same hazelnut base has a softer, creamier flavor—all of it brightened and delicately countered by essence of mango and passion fruit. View Recipe
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PreGel 5-Star Chef Pastry Select Links

Strawberry Compound

Mango Compound

Peanut Paste

Milk Chocolate Crunch Filling

Champagne Compound

NUT PASTES – A MAIN STAY IN PASTRY

Let's talk about nuts. Pastry chefs love to use them for cakes, mousses, gelato, and ice creams. And they're expensive—very expensive. Harnessing nut flavor via infusion can also be quite cumbersome. Fortunately, PreGel has created some wonderful nut pastes, including 100% Pure Sicilian Pistachio, Peanut and Hazelnut, to help pastry chefs utilize these wonderful flavors without breaking their backs or draining their wallets.

At the 2^nd Annual StarChefs.com Pastry Competition, 11 semi-finalists found a creative way to incorporate PreGel's Pistachio Superior Paste into their plated desserts. From Frangipane, to Veil, to creams, cakes and ice cream, PreGel's 5-Star Chef Pastry Select Superior Pistachio Paste took the stage in a variety of forms.

FRUIT FLAVORINGS – YEAR-ROUND TASTE & CONSISTENCY

Whether it's citrus in January, juicy pears in June, or mulberries in August, pastry chefs change their offerings with the seasons. PreGel's large variety of gelato, soft serve and pastry flavorings give pastry chefs access to a vast variety of fruit flavors year-round. PreGel ingredients also eliminate the arduous task of adjusting recipes due to the varying sugar contents in fresh fruit. They're ideal for consistency and large batch production.

SOFT SERVE REVIVAL

In 2011, we saw the revival of a childhood classic–soft serve ice cream. The trend popped up everywhere, from food trucks to the dessert section of fine dining menus, bringing soft serve ice cream back to the forefront, along with never-before-seen flavors and textures. PreGel's Tenero (Soft Serve) is helping pastry chefs explore this new territory by providing them with a complete palate of flavors.

Need some inspiration? Check out some pastry chefs who are thinking outside the box when it comes to creating sophisticated soft serve creations:

Chef Graham Elliot
of Grahamwich - Chicago, IL

Cinnamon Stick Soft Serve, Roasted Apple, Salted Caramel and Pie Crust
View Gallery

Chef-owner Jenn Louis
of Sunshine Tavern - Portland, OR

Magical Shell: Honey Ice Cream, Chocolate, Salt and Olive Oil
View Gallery

Chef Bill Kim
of Belly Shack - Chicago, IL

Soft Serve Vanilla with Vietnamese Cinnamon Caramel Topping
View Gallery

Chef Takashi Inoue
of Takashi – New York, NY

House-made Madagascar Vanilla Soft Serve Ice Cream with Hoji and Green Tea Syrup
View Gallery

COFFEE – THE BEST OF HOT & COLD

Chef Graham Elliot of Grahamwich - Chicago, IL

Greek Yogurt Soft Serve, Pomegranate, Glazed Chestnuts, and Dark Chocolate
View Gallery

What is it that makes an affogato so irresistible? Some might argue it's the battle between hot and cold. Others love the marriage of sweet ice cream and bitter coffee that at once soothes the stomach and awakens the senses. Italy's traditional affogato is now appearing on menus all over the United States, and has become a new fixture as an afternoon pick-me up.

PreGel's newest line of coffee-friendly, frozen desserts and beverages, Caféttone, comes in classic flavors like Mascarpone, Fior di Latte (Sweetened Milk), Dark Chocolate, and Salted Caramel, all ideal for updates on the espresso-ice cream creation. Inspired by the textures of an affogato, PreGel created Fruittone, a line of fruit flavored frozen desserts and beverages that lend themselves to infused-syrup and fruit juice reduction toppings. Try some interesting fruit flavor combinations such as Pear Fruittone with a cranberry reduction or Pink Grapefruit Fruittone with raspberries or tarragon syrup. Yogurttone completes the line by providing chefs a tart frozen dessert and beverage perfect for building salty or sweet confections.