Archive for the 'Dessert' Category

Valentine’s Day Sweets For Your Sweetie: Le Bon Garçon, Cutie Pie That!, Magnolia Bakery

Published by Gastronomer on February 3, 2012 in Dessert, Los Angeles and Products I Love. 1 Comment

I was sold on Valentine’s Day back in middle school when my crush* gifted me a heart-shaped box filled with chocolates between first and second period. No matter that the drugstore batch tasted like Halloween leftovers or that the “relationship” lasted barely a week—I was totally smitten and as far as I was concerned, Valentine’s Day ruled.

While the good ‘ol days of pastel-colored conversation hearts and flimsy perforated cards are over, I can still appreciate honoring February 14 with something sweet for my sweetie. Here are a trio of locally made desserts that will charm the pants off just about anyone. You’ll see…

Justin Chao of Le Bon Garçon crafts the most brilliant caramels I have ever tasted. Every batch is made from scratch using the best ingredients and no preservatives, which results in a soft and silky caramel that is truly like no other. It’s quality you can really sink your teeth into.

For Valentine’s Day, Le Bon Garçon has created a limited-run blood orange-infused caramel called Caramour, as well as beautiful packaging to go with it.

Other flavors available include classic salted caramel, passion fruit, and macadamia nut. Make sure to place your orders by February 7 in order to ensure delivery by Valentine’s Day.

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The Best Apple Fritter Ever at Diaz’s Bakery – Ojai

Published by Gastronomer on January 26, 2012 in Bakery, Breakfast / Brunch, Central Coast and Dessert. 5 Comments

Get thee to Diaz’s Bakery for freshly made apple fritters the next time you’re in Ojai. My friend Melina introduced me to this monstrosity a few weeks ago, and it’s been making regular appearances in my doughnut-flavored daydreams.

Each Frisbee-sized fritter is coated from top to bottom in a classic sugary glaze. The innards are soft, simple, and dotted with cinnamon-sprinkled apples. The whole thing is truly spectacular, but the best bites are along the cratered edges, where the icing has turned the deep-fried nubs into candy. It’s the perimeter that disappears first on my fritter.

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Mighty-O Donuts – Seattle

Published by Gastronomer on January 9, 2012 in Breakfast / Brunch, Dessert, Doughnuts, Seattle and Vegan. 9 Comments

On our final morning in Seattle, The Astronomer and I hopped a bus to the quaint neighborhood of Wallingford to visit Mighty-O Donuts. While I’m usually dubious of fried dough with health claims attached to it, I’d heard such positive reviews of Mighty-O’s vegan offerings that I felt compelled to try them for myself.

I mean, if there’s one town in this world that could produce a delicious doughnut without chemicals, preservatives, hydrogenated oils, artificial colors and flavors, genetically modified organisms, or animal-derived ingredients, I would put my money on Seattle.

Mighty-O has been selling their unique brand of O’s in the Seattle area since the late 1990s and opened this store in 2003. The shop produces over a dozen different varieties of cake doughnuts each day with either a vanilla or chocolate dough and various toppings.

Oreos are a passion of mine, so I chose the “Cookies and Cream” doughnut ($1.85) with a vanilla base, sweet glaze, and crushed chocolate cookies.

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Street Donuts – Seattle

Published by Gastronomer on December 23, 2011 in Breakfast / Brunch, Dessert, Restaurant Review, Seattle and Street Food. 3 Comments

My passion for doughnuts was born in Seattle a little over a year ago [See: Top Pot and Frost], so it was only appropriate that I continued exploring the city’s fried dough scene on my most recent visit.

Launched this past May, Street Donuts combines two of my very favorite things—street food and doughnuts. The trailer is parked in an empty lot on 2nd Avenue and Pike Street, right next to a Japanese hotdog vendor.

A bowl of a dozen freshly fried rings goes for a cool $4.50, while a half dozen is priced at $3.25.

What sets Street Donuts apart from other mini doughnut hawkers are their unique toppings. Every order includes two toppings and additional ones can be added for fifty cents more. According to founder Yi-Chun Lin, caramel and ginger, as well as vanilla pudding and Nerds, are extremely popular among Street Donuts’ fans.

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Peppermint Sandwich Cookies with Candy Cane Bits (or Homemade Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s)

Published by Gastronomer on December 19, 2011 in Cookie, Dessert and Recipe. 6 Comments

Pumpkin is nice and gingerbread is lovely, but of all the seasonal flavors available at this time of year, it’s peppermint that really gets me in the holiday spirit. There’s something so festive and right about the cool burst of spicy peppermint, especially when it’s paired with chocolate.

I’ve been meaning to make these Peppermint Sandwich Cookies with Candy Cane Bits (or Homemade Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s) ever since last year’s Eat My Blog charity bake sale. Valentina of Eastside Food Bites baked these for the event and I was fortunate enough to snag one before the hoards descended upon the spread. I dug into the cookie the following day and fell head over heels in an instant.

The star of the cookie is the pretty pink filling, with its clean peppermint flavor and crunchy bits of candy cane. The thin chocolate sables clasping onto the cream are crisp, buttery, and a touch salty, rounding out the sweetness just right.

Even though it’s sunny and snow-less here in Los Angeles, these cookies take me to a winter wonderland. Happy holidays!

For filling

1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate chips, finely chopped
1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
15 individually wrapped peppermint candies
2 drops red food coloring (optional)

For cookies

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
15 tablespoons (7 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, but into 3/4-inch cubes, at room temperature

Make filling

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over medium heat. Remove the cream from the heat and pour over the finely chopped white chocolate in a large bowl along with the peppermint extract. Make sure all the chocolate is covered by the cream. Let stand for 1 minute, then whisk the white chocolate until completely melted. Let stand at room temperature.

While the filling cools down, chop the peppermint candies in a food processor until no large chunks remain. Add the candy to the filling along with the food coloring once it is completely cool.

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