Doris Reynolds on toques and sweet potato cheesecake

This is the era of the celebrity. There are those headline grabbing actors and notorious members of cafe society who haunt the pages of Vanity Fair and People magazine. Celebrity designers of clothing make sure their names are never forgotten and we consumers run about with their logos prominently displayed. Rock stars are elevated to godlike status, authors are lionized and mobsters are glorified.

In the past few years the celebrity chef has garnered more attention in the media. Hardly a morning show seems complete without a chef demonstrating his or her prowess and skill. The tabloids are full of the exploits of Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse and Paul Bocuse. Press agents and public relations consultants are as important to chefs and restaurateurs as are their food purveyors, interior designers and the customers themselves. Many of these celebrity chefs spend more time before the cameras than they do in the kitchen.

Lest you conclude that celebrity chefs are a phenomenon of the present times, let me assure you that their status in society is centuries old. At one time the Assyrian kings wore royal headdresses encrusted with gold and jewels which stood above the head with ribbed sides. These headdresses were copies of the hats worn by the royal chefs who enjoyed such prestige that special hats were designed to distinguish them from common folk. However, the chef’s hats were constructed of fabric without the embellishment of gold and precious stones. In 1950 BC, the king of Assyria held his chef in such high regard that he ordered him to wear a headpiece similar to his own. In those days the kitchen staff was responsible for keeping the monarch alive; free from poisoners and others bent on treachery. During the Byzantine era, priests wore tall black hats which were patterned after the cooks’ and chefs’ hats. These chefs were so revered and respected that the priests emulated their headgear, hoping that they too would engender such adulation. To distinguish themselves from the cooks they wore black instead of the traditional white. The pleats in this headgear represented the ribs in the royal crown.

The Greeks also came to esteem the culinary giants of those ancient days. During the Middle Ages, however, cooks were considered too powerful and were persecuted. Escaping to Greek Orthodox monasteries, these talented chefs repaid the priests by cooking up some of the best vittles ever experienced by these humble men. To show their appreciation, the monks decreed that their cooks wear the high, white toques as a symbol of their importance and high status.

The French, being of sound mind, selective of foods and appreciative of anything culinary, soon adopted this “crown” as the symbol of haute cuisine. To them, the “toques blanches” or “la blanche toque” were worn with pride and honor. Their white plumes dominated the finest kitchens and the one hundred pleats in their toques are supposedly representative of the one hundred ways to prepare an egg, the measuring stick of a really creative cook. Early on, the toques were in a rainbow of colors and several shapes with various symbols embossed on them. The famed chef for Louis XIV wore a chef’s hat adorned with a fresh rose every day.

At one time the hats were highly starched and had a bulky top which flattened over the eye giving the wearer a coquettish look. Auguste Escoffier, the famed gourmet, preferred a flatter style, which he wore with élan and insouciance.

Although classical chefs continue to wear the toque, it is gradually losing out to more casual headgear. Although the traditional chef’s smock or jacket is still worn, many chefs now have given up on costuming themselves in the customary threads and are to be found in the kitchen in a variety of outfits. Plaid or checkered trousers are now de rigueur and baseball caps are apt to be found in contemporary kitchens. What is most essential to those in busy restaurants is a pair of sturdy, comfortable shoes, and designers have now developed special non-skid clogs especially for chefs. No matter what the dress code might be, there’s no doubt that Americans venerate and appreciate those hard-working cooks and chefs who may not be fashion plates but produce plates of food that we relish, enjoy and savor with delight and gratitude.

Ask Doris

Q: My wife and I both love sweet potatoes and made a special trip from Montgomery to attend the Sweet Potato Festival in Tuskegee, Ala. The various sweet potato foods were delicious but I am still tasting the great sweet potato cheesecake served up in generous slices. I hope you can find a recipe for this cheesecake so I can make it at home.

— Lester Graether Bonita Springs

A: This festival is held the second Saturday in October, so sweet potato mavens can begin to plan the trek over to Alabama for a tasting of special treats. In the meantime here’s the recipe for that tasty, zesty cheesecake.

Sweet potato cheesecake

Crust ingredients

2 cups finely crushed gingersnap crumbs (about 40 2-inch-round cookies)

1 cup pecans, very finely chopped

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

¼ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Filling ingredients

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups cooked, firmly packed, pureed sweet potato

2⁄3 cup sugar

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

2 jumbo eggs

1 cup evaporated milk

Topping ingredients

1 cup sour cream

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup finely chopped pecans that have been lightly toasted

Crust preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine all ingredients and pat over the bottom and halfway up the sides of an ungreased 10-inch springform pan. Place on the middle oven shelf and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or just until the crust is firm. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Topping preparation

Prepare the topping by whisking the sour cream, sugar and vanilla together and set aside while you prepare and bake the filling.

Filling preparation

Beat the cream cheese, sweet potato, both sugars, bourbon, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a large mixer until smooth. Beat the eggs in one at a time, add the milk in a thin, low stream and continue beating until mixture is smooth. Pour into the crust and spread to the edges. Set on a large baking sheet and bake in the 375-degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the filling is set.

When the cheesecake tests done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes exactly. Raise the oven temperature to 475 degrees.

With a spatula, carefully spread the topping over the partially cooled filling and sprinkle the toasted pecans over the top.

Return the cheesecake to the middle oven shelf and bake for 10 minutes; no longer.

Remove the cheesecake and set on a wire rack and cool for 45 minutes; then place in the refrigerator and cover with a large round tray. Cool for at least 12 hours or overnight.

To serve, release the springform clamp and lift off the sides of the pan; cut into slim slices and serve. Serves 10 to 12.

Doris Reynolds is the author of “When Peacocks Were Roasted and Mullet was Fried” and “Let’s Talk Food”. They are available for sale in the lobby of the Naples Daily News. Also available is a 4-part DVD, “A Walk Down Memory Lane with Doris Reynolds”. For information and comments regarding today’s column, contact Doris Reynolds at foodlvr25@aol.com.

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