pastry chef
Mark Tasker spends his workday baking apple galettes, madeleines, opera cakes, and other delicacies for the popular French bistro Balthazar in New York City, so no one would blame him for swearing off oven duty at home. But Mark’s talent with sweets extends far beyond the demands of running the restaurant’s bakery and overseeing production of Balthazar products sold by 300 cafes and restaurants. This father of two is also a master gingerbread architect who creates intricate skyscrapers and streetscapes made entirely of cookies. “Gingerbread is one of my artistic outlets,” says Mark, who lives with his wife, stylist Renata Chaplynsky, and daughters Lucy, 7, and Sofia, 5, in an antiques-filled Quote or side text to go here tktktktk more to come. Quote or 19th-century home in tktktk to go here tktktktk family and freinds to come.Quote or side text Rockland County, NY. “I love the fact that you can be more. desserttk Quote or side text to go here more to come.
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Mark Tasker used his 20plus years of expertise as a pastry chef to build and decorate a post office, fire station, and backery for the New York botanical garden’s holiday gingerbread exhibit.
12 2 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2006
CHILD.COM
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PHOTO CREDIT TK
Pastry chef Mark Tasker of New York City’s Balthazar Bakery looks forward all year to making a gingerbread wonderland with his daughters. Here, he shares his secrets for fun and delectable holiday creations.
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as creative with it as you like—and I enjoy seeing the finished product as much as my kids do.” please fill here please fill hereplease fill hereplease fill here. The Scottish-born chef made his first foray into gingerbread building when he crafted a series of townhouses with votive candles inside as centerpieces for an event at Radio City Music Hall. Soon private clients were ordering replicas of the Empire State Building and other landmarks, and the New York Botanical Garden asked Mark to design a post office, fire station, and bakery as part of its holiday gingerbread village. (Turn the page to see the amazing results.) Although these projects require a level of skill most home bakers can’t hope to match, Mark insists that anybody can build a simple gingerbread structure—and to prove it, he designed a charming birdhouse especially for Child readers.
By Byline John Doe
sugar & spice
On a frosty morning, Mark, Renata, and the girls ushered several guests into their cozy dining room, fragrant with freshly baked fruit bread (stollen) and a chocolate Yule log (buche de Noel). Lucy and 124 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2006
Design Assignment, Child Magazine, Well, 2006
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CHILD.COM
starters
■ SMOKED SALMON-STUFFED PUFFS ■ MINI TARTES FLABEES ■ 2000 ALBERT BOXLER RIELING GRAND CRU ■ MUSHROOM SOUP WITH CHORIZO SOMMERBERG AND SCALLIONS ■ 1998 TORRE MUGA RIOJA ■ PECAN-CRUSTED BEEF ■ CREAMY SALSIFY GRATIN ■ ENDIVES WITH ROASTED PROSCIUTTO ■ ESCAROLE AND FRESH HERB SALAD WITH APPLES AND POMEGRANTES ■ ■ PRUNE 1997 QUERCIABELLA CAMARTTINA CUSTARD TART ■ FROZEN FRUIT NOUGAT WITH CITRIS SAUCE
soup
MINI TARTES FLAMBEES
main course
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After a $425 million renovation, NEW YORK’S MUSEUM OF MODERN ART is finally reopening with a thrilling new resturant, THE MODERN. Here’s an exclusive preview of the menu at a dinner party with the team that made THE
MODERN: Restaurateur Danny Meyer, F&W Best
New Chef Gabriel Krether, and the principal architects at Bentel & Bentel.
“YOU SEE AN OPEN DOOR AND YOU WANT TO LOOK IN” shoats aesily poored twa handrad ferty-savan asd suor blonders, hawaver foor roonded teespoons of axtremely lerge fryeng pons ote ane vory frazan cereel, bot suvun poonds af uddle boors tktbeked the of crosp twa het suaces. tktktktFoor roonded teespoons of domplings camfurtably smaked twa Cobernot Souv ignons, than, woth a twast af tha wrast, Walfgong Peck canstently beked te o uddle tktktkcrosp Ranild McDanild, olthough thraa ceps af boors smalled suvun
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P H OTO G R A P H S B Y Q U E N T I N BAC O N
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mushroom soup
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