Foodie Chap With Executive Pastry Chef Francis Ang of Fifth Floor Restaurant

KCBS radio "Foodie Chap" and KPIX 5 television "Eye On The Bay" host Liam Mayclem introduces us to the culinary stars behind the food and wine loved by so many in the Bay Area.

KCBS Foodie Chap Podcast:

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Currently the Executive Pastry Chef at the acclaimed Fifth Floor Restaurant, Francis Ang originally joined the team on the savory side as a line cook. When executive chef David Bazirgan recognized Ang's passion for desserts, Bazirgan worked closely with Ang to hone in on his pastry skills and quickly promoted him to Pastry Chef.

Ang was recently named Food & Wine magazine's West Coast "People's Best Pastry Chef" as well as one of Zagat's "30 Under 30" in San Francisco.

Finding inspiration from his travels throughout Asia, Ang creates desserts such as rum baba with pineapple three ways, kaffir leaf-coconut sorbet, basil seeds; and a chocolate mousse bombe with orange cream, hazelnut crunch, mandarins, and hazelnut ice cream.

Prior to joining Fifth Floor, Ang was working at the acclaimed Gary Danko restaurant in San Francisco, where he was lucky enough to train under Gary Danko himself, learning about pastries and desserts, making ice creams, sorbets, mousses, soufflés, etc.

Executive Pastry Chef Francis Ang (credit: Foodie Chap/Liam Mayclem)

""Everyone loves dessert and the joy
of my job is making customers happy."
- Francis Ang | Executive Pastry Chef

Ang grew up in the Philippines and still remembers the delicious dishes his dad and grandmother use to cook when he was growing up. He moved to San Francisco when he was 19, where he enrolled in the City College of San Francisco's culinary program. An internship at the Copenhagen Bakery in Burlingame was an early indicator that Ang was meant to be working as a pastry chef.

When not at work, Ang finds himself with his wife eating at other local San Francisco restaurants, reading cookbooks, or traveling. Chef Francis and Chef David Bazirgan recently teamed up with the Fifth Floor team to raise money for Habitat for Humanity as the Philippines rebuild after the hurricane that devastated the region in 2013. Francis and his family witnessed the devastation at first hand.

Make a reservation to dine here ASAP as the restaurant is soon to close and be reborn as something new.

Meantime enjoy the conversation and my time in the kitchen with Chef Francis Ang of Fifth Floor, San Francisco. He's a star chef who walks in humble shoes and delights his guests with every passion filled dessert he serves.

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Fifth Floor Restaurant's Sourdough Ice Cream (credit: Foodie Chap/Liam Mayclem)

Sourdough Ice Cream

Makes 1 Quart

2 cup cream
1 cup milk
7 egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
5 oz sourdough crust (you can reserve the inside for croutons or such)

Method:

1. Take half of the heavy cream, and mix it in a saucepot with the milk, sourdough crust and half of the sugar. Bring to a boil and cover for 10 minutes. Strain

2. Whisk egg yolks and combine with the remaining sugar in another pot.

3. Temper the liquid by slowly drizzling the hot liquid mixture into the egg and sugar mixture while whisking quickly so that the eggs do not cook??

4. Using a thermometer cook the custard on low heat while simultaneously scraping with a spatula on the bottom of the pot. The mixture should reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit. When it does, turn off the heat and steep for 10 minutes

5. Strain the custard through a sieve into the remaining cream. Chill this -- it is the ice cream base

6. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on your ice cream maker for making the ice cream.

ENJOY!