If you saw her dressed in street clothes and not in her chef’s garb, chances are that you would think Yasmine Sandhu is a fashion model, not the fashionable executive pastry chef at D.C.’s all-natural, low-cal restaurant, Rock Creek at Mazza. But, indeed, this slender-as-a-willow chef may be up to her elbows in berries and yogurt — which she may be draining into thickened yogurt cheese — but she is not walking the fashion show runway.
For someone charged with creating healthfully streamlined, yet totally scrumptious, desserts, Sandhu admits that for her becoming a chef, and at that, a pastry chef, was something of a fluke, and cooking professionally was about her fourth career.
“I was always around great food,” she says. “Food was always part of my travels … For an Indian family, cooking (for a woman) is a nontraditional career choice. … But I was inspired to this by my love of food.”
Why baking?
“It was a dual program,” she says, “and when I went into it, I was gravitating toward pastries. I like to eat desserts. I have a sweet tooth and would rather eat a dessert than the entrée.”
About six years ago, this D.C. native moved to Cambridge, Mass., where she enrolled in the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, and simultaneously, she took a job cooking at a restaurant in Harvard Square. Upon returning to her home turf of Washington, Sandhu got her first local job at Equinox restaurant before moving over to the kitchens at Middleburg’s Market Salamander and then back to the metro area to bake at trendy Buzz bakery in Alexandria.
As luck would have it, she applied for and was hired at Rock Creek, where she does the daily battle of the bulge for the restaurant’s patrons by creating treats and then running the recipes past a nutritionist to determine that the fat and calorie counts are in check. She does this by eschewing the use of butter and heavy cream, and therein, dessert lovers, is her major challenge.
So where do her ideas come from?
“I get ideas by going out to eat, from cookbooks and from my travels,” she says, adding that the owners of Rock Creek give her lots of freedom to create and are very supportive. “But I work with a nutritionist and I must follow basic guidelines: control calories and saturated fat, and then I have to make the dessert healthful, too.”
For someone who used to love to bake (and eat) cakes, Sandhu’s repertoire now leans toward light, delicate custards and fresh fruits; any dessert that may have extra fat and calories is reserved for the “mini” bites on the dessert menu. “Some patrons may order two or three of the same bites,” she says. “They can pick and choose.”
All butter aside, Sandhu has been particularly proud of her calorie-lean basil panna cotta with blueberries and her lemon-lavender cake. And she is tackling yet another project: creating gluten-free desserts.
“It’s a little unique,” she says, “I use almond and rice flours in conjunction.”
As she looks to the future, Sandhu admits she has no desire to own her own bakery. Why?
“I love traveling,” she says, “and I love how food fits into life.”
(Restaurant information: Rock Creek at Mazza, 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, 202-966-7625; Lunch — 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday; Dinner — 5:30 to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday)
Q&A with Chef Yasmine Sandhu
Do you cook at home?
Very rarely, and definitely not desserts. I just do light dishes; my husband really does all the cooking. My father-in-law has a sweet tooth and he asks me for desserts.
What is your comfort food?
Breakfast dishes, such as pancakes, waffles, hash browns and eggs. And also Thai green papaya salad and Vietnamese grilled pork.
How do you define your cooking style?
It’s changed since I’ve been here. It used to be big, spicy flavors and decadent desserts. Not so much anymore. I look for great product that is simply prepared.
What are your must-have ingredients?
Drained yogurt — that goes in cakes and whipped cream. Then my spices, such as cardamom, ginger, allspice, black pepper. Then extra virgin olive oil, almond and rice flours. We don’t use granulated sugar but instead a product called Whey Low, a natural sweetener and sugar substitute. I also sweeten with agave, honey, date sugar and maple sugar.
What has been your luckiest culinary moment?
Coming here has been it, and being given the opportunity to head up this pastry kitchen and to let all the wild flavor ideas in my head come out on paper. And also to have a chef who trusts me enough … that’s unique. And to have pastry chefs with whom I’ve worked become mentors and friends.
From the Chef’s Kitchen: Basil Blueberry Tartlet
From Yasmine Sandhu: This recipe is my interpretation of a fresh fruit tart. Instead of using pastry cream, I have substituted a panna cotta, and the pie crust is served as a cookie crisp on top. The portions are for mini tartlets, but larger ones could be easily made.
Basil Panna Cotta
Yield: 20 Small Portions/8 Large Portions
1 cup heavy cream
2 1 ⁄ 4 cups buttermilk
1 1 ⁄ 2 Tbsp. unflavored powdered gelatin
9 oz. Whey Low or granulated sugar
3 ⁄ 4 cup fresh basil leaves
Bring heavy cream just to a boil. In a bowl, whisk gelatin with 1 ⁄ 4 cup of buttermilk and set aside.
Put the Whey Low or sugar and basil leaves into a blender and pour 1 ⁄ 2 cup of hot cream over basil; purée until smooth. Add gelatin to remaining heated cream and whisk until fully dissolved. Pour both creams into the buttermilk, whisk and strain. Pour into well-sprayed molds and let chill at least one hour.
When ready to serve — gently turn panna cotta out of the molds and onto a plate. Sprinkle fresh blueberries on top and around the plate — place Brisee Crisp and a sprig of fresh basil on top.
Caramelized Brisee Crisp
Yield: 25 portions — 2-inch rounds
1 1 ⁄ 2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1 ⁄ 4 cup olive oil
1/ 3 cup water
Pulse flour and salt in food processor till well mixed. Mix oil and water together and pour into machine in four separate additions, pulsing well each time. Turn dough out and knead a few times. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When ready to roll, cut off a small piece of dough and roll very thinly between two pieces of parchment paper. Cut into desired shape and lay on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough. Place tray back in fridge or freezer and let chill for another 30 minutes. Before baking, sprinkle tops generously with sugar, place another pieces of parchment paper and baking tray on top.
Bake 10 minutes at 350 or until tops are golden brown.
