Jordan Kahn, the pastry chef at Varietal, is “the pastry chef in New York right now,” as one of his peers recently told us. Today's Annotated Dish, “Meditation in Purple,” was informed by the writings of the immortal French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. “Purple is the color of inspiration,” Kahn says. “I wanted to make a dessert that would inspire. And one that, if you tasted it, you could tell was purple.” Mouse over the arrows to hear about each element.

Photo: Melissa Hom