Save Room For Dessert With Michelle Kogan Of Morimoto

Morimoto is widely known as one of the best sushi restaurants in New York. In the impeccably designed dining room, they serve a variety of tasting menus, plus traditional Japanese rice and noodle dishes. Often overlooked in a restaurant so renowned for a certain thing is the dessert menu. While the course does come last, it is not an afterthought. Pastry chef Michelle Kogan is creating a menu of innovative and delectable sweets for sushi lovers dining at Morimoto.

Save Room for Dessert with Michelle Kogan of Morimoto (Slideshow)

The young pastry chef has always had a passion for food. She started out making crêpes with her stepmom before she was even a teenager. "She's a great cook and inspired me to get into this industry," Kogan says of her stepmom. Her interest in Japanese cuisine goes back many years too, and started professionally with her training at nobu 57. She uses traditional Japanese ingredients like matcha, and loves bringing in acidic flavors. 

In pastry, your dish is the last thing a customer eats before they leave. While this can be a lot of pressure, Kogan loves it. "It's great knowing that you're the last bite of food the customers is left with," she says. Kogan admits she has a lot to learn, but one taste of her desserts proves that she knows plenty already.

Spraying the Passionfruit Cake

The passionfruit cake starts with a coating of white chocolate cocoa butter.

Details

The cake is topped with a miso-hazelnut crumble.

Click here for more photos of pastry chef Michelle Kogan at work.

Jane Bruce is the Photo Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @janeebruce.