“Don’t Skimp on the Chocolate!”

Executive Pastry Chef Andrew Comey Practices his chocolate philosophy at Mohonk Mountain House.

By Patricia D. Sherman

Andrew Comey, Certified Executive Pastry Chef at the Mohonk Mountain House near New Palz, NY, has been making wonderful chocolate creations since high school.

“My first memory of chocolate was when I was in high school,” says Comey. “A good friend of mine had a book called The Joy of Chocolate, and we would try to make something out of it every weekend just for pure indulgence!”

Comey went on to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America in 1985 and then honed his skills as chef and manager at resorts throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean. He joined Mohonk Mountain House, a 266 room National Landmark property in the heart of Hudson Valley, as Executive Pastry Chef in 2001. In 2005, he received certification from the American Culinary Federation.

Chef Comey practices a simple philosophy when cooking with chocolate. “If you want a chocolate dessert, don’t skimp on the flavor,” he says. “Always use a good quality chocolate and enough of it to bring out the flavor without overpowering.”

He uses three types of chocolate. “The first is Guittard, which is American from California. We use about 200 pounds a week for our chocolate fountain that we have on our dinner buffet. The second is Vahlrona, from France. I use 75 to 100 pounds a week for items such as decorations and mousses and other desserts. I also use a Swiss chocolate called Espirit des Alpes for desserts.”

Chef Comey is known for his signature Tower of Marquis (recipe). He has been making different variations of this decadent chocolate creation for 15 years.

“The Tower of Marquis dessert sits on a teardrop shaped chocolate cookie, has chocolate garnishes, and is accompanied by raspberry coulis,” he says “It is extremely rich, yet smooth to the palate and has a distinctive raspberry flavor. Combinations of bitter chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and cocoa give it a full chocolate taste pleasing for any chocoholic!”

Chef Comey says his own favorite dessert is his Chocolate Macadamia Torte, which has a cookie crust topped with roasted macadamia nut and caramel filling covered in chocolate mousse and glazed with ganache.

Mohonk Mountain House, 90 miles north of New York City, has been a vacation destination for more than 130 years. Mohonk’s inclusive overnight rates offer three meals daily prepared by award-winning chefs, afternoon tea and cookies, as well as most recreational activities.

Visit www.mohonk.com.

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