His hedgehogs are almost too cute to eat.
In pastry dough chef Fred Chang ’s childhood home , repast were centered around being nutrient — not of necessity gratifying . Because of that , baking was n’t precisely a regular natural action . In fact , they never even had flour in the house .
“ I grew up in suburban southerly California to Formosan immigrant parents , ” he says . “ My mom raised us on churn veggie drizzle in European olive tree oil , and basically everything we rust was steam or boiled , minimum saltiness , definitely focused more on eating to be healthy . ”
That did n’t cease Chang from working for several James Beard award - pull ahead and Michelin - starred chef , ( admit Christina Tosi ) , competing in two season ofMasterchef , building anInstagram followingof over 70,000 , and , in the end , falling in love with baking .
Photos Courtesy Fred Chang; Design by Mia Coleman
“ My old sister , Kim , did an exchange programme in France during high school , and she introduce me to Graeco-Roman French pastries . Things like macarons or brioche , which I had never even heard of until that item , was how I got exposed to more classic French afters , as opposed to just American cupcake , ” Chang recalls . One dish in particular , “ The Supernova ” by French pastry chef Iris Lau — which won first at the 2012Valrhona C3 competition — particularly bond out to him : “ Seeing a plated dessert that looked so gossamer and insubstantial , it was what inspired me to really dive into the universe of pastry , ” he says .
you may see some factor of that ethereal inspiration in Chang ’s own impulsive baking aesthetic today : mirror cake with dreamy regal glazesthat luminescence in the dark , adorably squishy hot Milk River cakehedgehogsthat look like characters in a bedtime story , and delicately placed flowers and mint sprig atop complete pastel ice vortex . ( As a callback to his mum ’s insistence on healthy feeding , Chang use all - natural , plant - found component like butterfly stroke pea powder to achieve these colors , too . )
One of his favorite recipes is his hot Milk River cakes , thanks to the tiptop tender crumb , which is a outcome of heating up milk with butter , then adding it to the batter . Because it can couple so well with so many different fruit and chocolates , he engage this method acting ofttimes in his bakes . In the pillow slip of hedgehogs , the milk bar is combined with Bavarian cream and chocolate ganache with hazelnut . ( you’re able to find a collection of his recipes on his web log , Freddy ’s Harajuku . )
“ I use Milk River in almost every formula that I stake , be it in cake soak , cake batter , a variety of doughs , custards , ganaches / namelakas , hair gel , ice cream , Milk River teas … ” he articulate . “ Milk tot up flavor , fat , caramelization — all bully things that you need to make a dessert savour that much better . ”
Of course , Chang ’s Chinese inheritance plays a part in his desserts , too — as does his love for Japanese brio and video game . Take hismilk Camellia sinensis hot chocolate , for model . In a bid on a Taiwanese pet , he blend a roasted miso and hojicha concoction with milk powder and refined sugar for a tiptop creamy , salty , and sweet drinking . Chinese refinement and cooking , as Chang explains , take influences from Japan , China , Korea , and Malaysia , so by craft his dessert in the style of these culinary art , Chang feels as if he ’s pay homage to the state where he was born .
“ I struggled immensely with embracing my own heritage and culture , ” he says . “ I would be actively shamed for bringing dumplings to shoal for dejeuner , and it got to a point where I had to basically seek to hide my identity as an Asian American to adjudicate and fit out in . The fuss is , you ca n’t really hide out something like that . And I eventually learned that , no matter how firmly I seek to change the fact I was Taiwanese - tolerate , I could n’t , and I should just have intercourse who I am , and espouse that in its entirety . ”
Chang also utilize his baking to give back to his community and beyond . In 2020 , he released an e - rule book of donut formula , and donate all the net to the Black Lives Matter Global connection Foundation and It get Better . He ’s also collaborate on pop - up dinners for causes like Loveworks , an brass dedicated to avail minor pursue their cacoethes , and even hosted practical cooking class throughout the pandemic to raise money for COVID-19 inquiry .
“ I know what its like to be an outcast for the color of my hide , for being gay , and I do n’t wish that form of hatred or discrimination upon anyone , ” he says . “ Since I bed to misrepresent and bake , I figure , why not use that , and make the human race a more accepting and loving place ? ”
