I set the kitchen on fire making my first cherries jubilee. I was eight years old. My mother called the fire department as we watched her handmade toile curtains burn to a crisp. After the flames were extinguished, the fire chief said I was to curb my kitchen passions until I was older. I was crushed.
My sweet tooth has always been my undoing. I started baking early, turning out delectable jam tarts and ultra rich chocolate mousse. My piece de resistance was sculpted pineapple filled with tart lemon-pineapple mousse. Then it was on to pie crusts and a feeble but heartfelt attempt at puff pastry.
Growing up in New York City, I had all my favorite places for desserts. In those days it was Ferrara's in Little Italy for cannolis, Dumas on the upper east side for croissants, Jon Vie in Greenwich Village for French cookies, and Patisserie Lancianni on Bleecker Street for just about anything.