Dessert and Decadence

Honey, I'm Home!

“If it’s lighter, it’s sweeter. If it’s darker, it’s more flavorful”.  Those words accurately describe the honey at the Red Rock Springs Farmer’s Market in Rock Springs, AZ.  And what honey it is!  A veritable feast for the sweet senses!

Gary Larsen, the owner of the Red Rock Springs Farmer’s Market, has been providing fresh local honey to Arizona residents for 17 years.  From the lightly golden to the dark and rich, Gary has worked with local vendors to bring in the best of this tasty sweetener.

What flavors are available, you ask?  Desert wildflower, orange blossom, mesquite, and pecan.  The desert wildflower is light and sweet, while the mesquite has hints of the smoky flavor of good mesquite wood….that premium wood you use for barbecues.  And the pecan honey is collected from bees that exclusively pollinate the pecan orchards near Sahuarita, AZ.

The Ultimate Topping
As I sampled each of the flavors, visions of slowly drizzling each one over a hot biscuit fresh from the oven flitted through my mind.  The lighter honeys would add a delightful sweetness, whereas the pecan honey with its dark rich nutty flavor would change the morning biscuit-and-coffee ritual into a completely new taste experience.

I finally shook myself out of dreamland and purchased some of the pecan honey.  Watch out, bran muffins….you’re about to get a new flavor added to your crunchiness!  And watch out friends I have over for an afternoon snack…you’re about to experience an Arizona flavor that’ll leave you wanting more.

The Red Rock Springs Farmer’s Market is located in Rock Springs AZ, about 17 miles north of Phoenix, next to the Rock Springs Café.   In addition to the honey Gary also has local fruit, veggies, trail mixes, and Arizona salsa.

So before your next baking binge, drive a short distance to the Farmer’s Market and pick up some local Arizona honey.  With the variety of flavors there, you’ll have a great time planning how you’ll add a whole new dimension to the taste treats that you produce.

Here’s their website: Red Rocks Springs Farmer's Market 

My Review: Halfway to Heaven:

 

Halfway to Heaven

 

Forget About the Cookies

Autumn is in the air!  Here in Phoenix, the temperature has dipped below 100 degrees,  which means it’s “cooler”.  It’s time for dressing your cactus for Halloween, carving prick ly-pear fruits, and being able to go outside for more than five minutes.

Autumn also means pumpkin pie and cookies and other foods that are flavored with ginger. But  this article isn’t about those things. This is about decadence, so forget the cookies.  This is about alcohol: Skyy Vodka’s Ginger Infusion.  Released in 2010, this is one of their all-natural infusions, and with the unusual flavor of ginger.

When I first heard about Skyy's ginger vodka I wasn't sure what to expect for two reasons.  First, it sounded…well….weird.  Ginger isn’t the first flavor I think of when I think of vodka.  Second, ginger is a flavor that can be difficult to work with because it’s spicy, so it requires a delicate balance of ingredients.  But since I’m a brave guy I gave it a try.  And…it’s great!

To begin with, Skyy vodka is good vodka anyway.  They boast that their vodka has no impurities and that shows in the flavor.  Infusing the ginger added a remarkable dimension to it.  The ginger and the vodka flavor are balanced together very well; neither is overpowering, and both are equally prominent.  There isn’t the spicy burn that ginger has, but all of the flavor is there.  This is a vodka that quietly lures you into wanting more. In fact, if you like candied ginger you’re going to love Skyy Ginger.

The simplest way to enjoy it is to chill a shotglass and drink it straight.  It also makes interesting and unique cocktails.  I read an article where Adam Wilson of Beretta in San Francisco created a Ginger Sour using Skyy Ginger, so I gave it a try at home.  It's really good.  This cocktail shows off the vodka's flavor very well; the maple syrup adds a nice smoky flavor and the ginger brightens up the drink by adding a spicy note in the background. 

 

Ingredients:

* 2 oz SKYY Infusions Ginger Vodka 

* 1 oz Lemon Juice

* 1/2 oz Egg White

* 1/2 oz Maple Syrup

* Lemon twist for garnish

Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.

2. Shake vigorously and strain into a cocktail glass.

3. Garnish with twist of lemon.

 

So if you’re looking for an interesting way to jazz up your autumn cocktail hour, give Skyy Ginger a try.  You’ll find that it’s a lot more fun than pie.

 

 

Spumoni Ice Cream Cake

 

 

We’ve all had spumoni ice cream: layers of chocolate, cherry, and pistachio ice cream with candied fruit and nuts mixed in. Yum!  Well, Abby’s Grill in Phoenix has taken spumoni to a new level: spumoni ice cream cake.

Abby’s spumoni cake is made with fresh spumoni ice cream that’s hand-made at Abby’s using ingredients purchased from local Italian markets.  There’s nothing artificial about it, and that becomes obvious with the first bite.  The flavors burst with each bite, and you want to lick the plate when you’re finished.

The "secret" ingredients:
Fresh cherries fill Abby’s spumoni, rather than the candied/maraschino cherries that you’ll find in the store-bought version.   Fresh pistachios, hand-made ice cream, tasty graham-cracker-cookie bottom crust, and orange whipped cream topping make this a dessert to go searching for.  In addition to all the fresh ingredients, there are also a couple of “secret” ingredients that Tony the manager wouldn’t tell me about.  But whatever they are, they’re good!  Top it off with a good cup of coffee and you’ve got a dessert you’ll remember.

So when you’re craving spumoni ice cream, skip the grocery store and forget about the local ice creamery.  Head on over to Abby’s and have a slice of their spumoni ice cream cake.  After a big piece of it, you’ll never look at a dish of plain spumoni the same way again.

Rating: Halfway to Heaven 

Halfway to Heaven  

 
http://abbysgrillcafephoenix.com/

 

 

 

Arizona in a Cone

  

Terroir in Frozen Form
At first glance it looks like any other ice cream cone - vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet, right?  Nope! You’re looking at ice cream that reflects the land and the culture that is uniquely Arizona.

There are two flavors here: On the top: horchata, a Mexican milk-based treat that’s been made into ice cream.  On the bottom, peach-habenero sorbet.

The top layer of this frozen treat is the description of delicious.  The unique flavor of horchata has been captured perfectly; sweet rice milk layered and laced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.  It’s a symphony of flavors all wrapped up in a cool treat.  As you work your way down the scoop you find your mind drifting onto a happy cloud of creamy goodness laced with vanilla and cinnamon.  All is well with the world….

……and then you hit the habanero.  Whooooa, baby!  That’ll get your attention!  The peach-habanero sorbet will yank you out of dreamland faster than a bucket of cold water to the face.  But boy, is it good!

 
Peaches and Cream this ain't...
The peach flavor is bright and bold. Peaches have a unique flavor that’s perfect for ice cream. In fact, peach is the third favorite fruit flavor in America because of its texture and tone and ability to mix well with other flavors.  Habaneros are one of the hottest peppers in the chili pepper family.  Small and orange, they pack a punch you won’t forget anytime soon.  If you’ve never tried one, then the best advice I can give you is: proceed with extreme caution!

Combine those two flavors and you have an awesome sorbet!  Light, flavorful, and spicy!  This sorbet delivers a solid peach flavor and then just enough habanero to give a small burn on the tail end of every bite.  The lightness of the sorbet makes it very refreshing and easy to eat, and the habanero keeps it interesting.  As the saying goes, when you eat this sorbet you know “you aren't in Kansas anymore.”  And where do you find this Arizona delight?  Pink Spot Ice Cream….the same people who featured lobster ice cream.

So as summer winds down, don’t settle for the same old boring frozen treats.  Hustle your ice-cream-lovin’ self down to Pink Spot and ask for Arizona in a Cone.  Your taste buds will never want plain old chocolate or vanilla again.

Musical rating: I'd walk 500 miles:

I'd Walk 500 Miles

You're darn right I would!

 

 

Mango-Amaretto Dessert Sauce!

  
Nestled in the corner of a strip mall on 99th Ave and West Bell Road lies an Italian restaurant that’s extremely popular with the locals: Dominic’s Italian Bistro.  I’ve driven past it hundreds of times without noticing it, but one day a friend told me that I just “have to go there”, so I did. And I’m glad I did because they have an awesome dessert.

 

Italian Cheesecake with Mango-Amaretto Sauce.  Woo hoo!  That Mango- Amaretto sauce is outstanding!

 

The sauce has an interesting “layered” effect: the first taste you experience is the mangoes, followed by the almond flavor of the Amaretto.  The tanginess of the mangoes is balanced by the sweetness of the Amaretto to create a wonderfully flavorful dessert topping.  Debbie, the co-owner of Dominic’s, makes the sauce herself. She purees fresh mangoes, and then sautés them with butter and Amaretto just long enough to bring all the flavors together.  It’s all wrapped together with a slight hint of caramel without being overly sweet. In other words, it’s just what I like.

Real Italian Cheesecake
The cheesecake is excellent, too.  It’s light and flavorful, and not heavy like some cheesecakes can be.  When I asked Debbie about it she told me that it was “real Italian” cheesecake: there is no cream cheese in it.  It’s a combination of three sweet Italian cheeses including Mascarpone and Ricotta. It’s delicious!

Debbie and her husband Dominic have been at this location for four years, and in the restaurant business since 1962.  The bistro is warm and inviting; the walls inside are adorned with photos of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and many sports heroes.  The décor gives you the feeling of being in old Italy, from the checkerboard tablecloths to the small lamps on each table.  Dominic and Debbie are there every night they’re open and their kids and grandkids help with the tables and kitchen duties.  The food is excellent; pizza, pasta, antipasto, and especially, desserts.

 Here’s their website: http://dominicsbistro.com/

The next time you’d like a real Italian dessert, visit Dominic’s.  And be sure to ask for the Mango-Amaretto sauce!

Rating:

Halfway to Heaven        

 

...and well deserved!

Lobster Ice Cream!

Ice cream you eat with your pinky extended

Scenario:  You’re with your favorite person:

You: “Sweetie, let’s go out for my favorite: lobster and melted butter!”
Them: “Are you crazy??  It’s 110 degrees outside!  It’s too darn hot!"
You: “OK, then how about some lobster ice cream?”

You heard it right.  Lobster ice cream. 

Pink Spot Coffee and Ice Cream in Phoenix has ice cream that’s made with lobster.  Chunks of Maine lobster are mixed in with a sweet “double butter” ice cream (that tastes like French Vanilla) to produce a delicious blend of sweet ice cream and tangy seafood.  It takes a bit of adjusting to the initial flavor combination, but after the first bite, you’ll like it.

Where to get a "Lob-sicle"
Pink Spot resides in a small building just off of Central Avenue and Thomas road.  They’ve been in business for nearly three years and they pride themselves on their unique flavors of ice cream.  Mexican chocolate, horchata, and habanero-peach sorbet are all on the menu. But it’s the lobster that brings people in.

How did they come up with such an unusual flavor?  Mark and Julie (the owners) were searching online in June to find new flavors, and found a creamery in Maine that sells this specific combination.  They ordered up several tubs sight unseen (and untasted), so when it arrived they were just as curious as they knew their patrons would be.

Do the patrons like it?  They do!  Pink Spot has already gone through several tubs of the lobster-dessert delight and, while I was there, several more people came in specifically to taste it.  I’d say it’s a winner.

Other Delights
Pink spot serves more than ice cream, though.   They also serve breakfast sandwiches, bagels, smoothies, and some great coffee.  So even if you’re not up for a “seafood parfait”, there are plenty of other tasty items that you can choose from.

So when the heat is getting to you and you're feeling adventurous, head on down to the Pink Spot.  With an ice cream flavor like lobster, you can’t go wrong.

 

 

 

 

 http://pinkspotcoffeeandicecream.com/

 

 

Something Tasty, Something Blue(berry)

 

Summertime brings warm weather, picnics, outdoor fun,and summer wine.  However, when you search for summer wines, you’re faced with the usual rose’, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and on and on and on.  Same old, same old.

Not if you go to Su Vino Winery in Scottsdale!  Much to my sweet-wine-lovin’ delight, they have four tasty light wines that will change what you drink for summer.  Chardonnay and Pinot are fine  for staying inside and sipping (while holding one pinky high), but these have “pool party” written all over them!

Enter four sweet wines from Su Vino: Summer Rain, Sweet Symphony, Peachy Keen, and the all-new Blue Breeze.  Sweet tasty wines all infused with fruit flavors to keep you going “Wow!  This is good!”  Throw in some fruit and you have a party in a glass.

Summer Rain: Riesling with a tart green-apple infusion.  This is an excellent balance of tart and sweet.  Riesling can sometimes be overly sweet, but the apple is tart enough to balance out the sweetness.  Nice fruit-forward apple taste that is brightened up by the Riesling.  It’s not overly sweet, and not overly tart.   It doesn’t need to be paired with anything; it’s excellent by itself.  In fact, the only thing that would make a chilled glass of Summer Rain even better would be a swimming pool to be soaking in while drinking it. 

Peachy Keen:  Chardonnay infused with natural peach flavors.  Strong peach flavor balanced by the tartness of the Chardonnay.  Usually, I’m not a fan of Chardonnay because it’s too tart for me. But the sweet peach flavor balances it out nicely.  The stronger flavor is peach, and the tartness of the Chardonnay comes in the background.

Sweet Symphony: This wine features the “Symphony” grape; a combination of Grenache Gris and Muscat of Alexandra. Natural flavors of mango and citrus fruit are added in to create an interesting combination of flavors.  

Blue Breeze:  I’d never tasted a blueberry wine before, so I was all excited to give this a try.  It’s great!  It’s not a “blueberry wine”….it’s a sweet red wine with an infusion of natural blueberry.  Blueberry flavors with a light red wine flavor in the background. This is a proprietary blend specifically developed by Cory Whalen, the owner of Su Vino.  He had tried other blueberry wines and didn’t like them, so he invented his own.  I’d say he’s created a winner.

Ranked from dry to sweet, they list like this:

• Summer Rain
• Peachy Keen
• Sweet Symphony
• Blue Breeze

So the next time your friends invite you to a pool party, skip the old boring summer wines and reach instead for some light and fruity flavored wines from Su Vino.  Your friends will be glad you did.

Check out Su Vino's wines here.

Oatmeal Cookie Frozen Yogurt

A Tasty Twist on Tradition for National Oatmeal Cookie Day

 

Oatmeal cookies remind us of home: soft chewy cookies hot from the oven, and we sit on pins and needles waiting for them to cool just enough so we can take that first bite.  Well, things are a bit different here in Phoenix….we don’t dare turn on the oven…it’s already too hot.  So what’s a good hot-weather dessert for oatmeal cookie lovers? 

 Oatmeal Cookie Frozen Yogurt! 

Yogurtology on N. 67th Avenue in Phoenix has frozen yogurt that tastes like an oatmeal cookie.  From the moment I read that name, I just HAD to try it.  I had planned to look for some actual cookies (since today is National Oatmeal Cookie Day (Really.  It is.) but this is a great twist on a traditional flavor and I was intrigued!   So I visited Yogurtology and gave it a try.

Woo hoo!  That is gooooood yogurt! 

Does it remind me of oatmeal cookies?  It sure does!  All of the cookie flavors are there: the cinnamon, the vanilla, the sugar, the milk, and the butter.  But what really impressed me is this: good cookies have a texture – they’re kinda chewy yet kinda firm.  And this yogurt is exactly that; chewy and substantial.  It’s yogurt, but there’s just a little something about it that makes it more cookie-like.  And it’s not overly sweet either. I can eat one or two cookies. I can eat a lot of this yogurt.

Yogurtology also has a wide variety of toppings: fresh fruit, cookies, granola, coconut, chocolate chips, etc. They also have some unique toppings: chocolate rocks, mochi, and baklava. And how can you go wrong with a place that offers baklava as a dessert topping?

The owner, Angie Macarthur, has had her shop open since October of 2010.  Angie got the itch to open a yogurt shop when she worked in a boutique next to a different Yogurtology in Scottsdale. She changed careers, and North Phoenix benefited.

What’s the customers’ favorite flavor?  Oatmeal cookie.  The next two popular flavors are cupcake batter and red velvet cake.  Every Tuesday they offer their yogurt for 35 cents per ounce rather than 40 cents, so if you’ve got a craving for yogurt, give it a try then.

As for me….it’s those oatmeal cookies all the way!  Summer is coming and I’m looking forward to enjoying my new favorite: cookies that you get from the freezer.

Musical review: I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.

Cant Stop Loving You

Website: www.yogurtology.com

Check it out.  The frozen variety really beats the heck out of sitting in front of a hot oven.

Warm Afternoons and White Chocolate

Peachy Canyon Zinfandel Port 

The Paso Wine Grand Tasting Tour was in Phoenix recently, and I was
invited to attend   (thanks to EaterAZ.com).  It was there that I got to taste Peachy Canyon Zinfandel Port.   And what a  port it is! Medium bodied, full fruit flavor, and just a hint of alcohol to add some tartness to it.  This is definitely a port for sharing!

Peachy Canyon Vineyards is owned by Doug and Nancy Beckett and operated by their two sons Josh and Jacob.  They focus their wines mostly on Zinfandels (but they also offer cabernets, malbecs, and a viognier), and that focus on Zinfandel produces an excellent Zinfandel Port

The fruit used to make the port is 100% zinfandel, and sourced completely from the Paso Robles appellation.  The wine used for the Zinfandel Port is aged in barrels for several years which produces a medium, lightly sweet, and all-around delicious dessert wine.  Alcohol content is 19.8%, but you’d never know. It’s very drinkable, and not overly sweet  or syrupy.

This is the sort of port you can drink on its own.  In fact, I tried pairing it with several items (fruit,  chocolate, etc.) and it just didn’t go well with anything until I tried it with something that I rarely  eat: white chocolate.  Peachy Canyon’s Zinfandel Port pairs really well with white chocolate!  It’s probably because the chocolate has a creamy taste to it, and that is offset by the slight tartness of the alcohol in the port. 

And when’s the best time to drink it, you ask?  With friends, on a warm afternoon, sitting on a  terrace that looks out over the vineyards. Glasses of port along with bites of white chocolate would be the perfect ending to the perfect dinner on the terrace.  So before summer winds down, gather your friends, have dinner on the terrace and share a glass of port and white chocolate.  It'll become one of those really good memories.

 

I rate this one as Halfway to Heaven:

Halfway to Heaven

Give it a try! http://www.peachycanyon.com/

 

 

 

It's da Bomb!

Amaretto Bombe' at Bombero's in Phoenix.

Bombero’s is a wine bar and bistro on Central avenue in northern Phoenix.  It’s an unassuming establishment with a simple brick front building and a wonderful tree-covered patio behind it where you can sit on cushioned wrought-iron furniture and enjoy the warm Phoenix winter days.  They feature South American food and have a chic, hip interior that is both upbeat and relaxing.

 And why would you go there, you ask?  Because, in the vernacular, it’s “the bomb”!  Or more specifically, for their Amaretto Bombe dessert.

The bombe is kind of like a truffle: A solid shell of white chocolate ganache supported by a base of lady finger cookies that surrounds a creamy Amaretto-flavored center.  Mixed in with the amaretto cream are slices of mandarin orange.  The exterior is decorated with sliced almonds and topped with candied orange peel.

How is it? Delicous!  The Amararetto flavor is light and enjoyable. The white chocolate has a nice crunch and the mandarin oranges add a tangy citrus flavor to offset the sweetness of the chocolate.  The combination of the crunchy almonds, the sweet Amaretto, and the tangy mandarin oranges is particularly pleasing. 

I tried to think of a wine that would pair with this and I couldn’t.  The chocolate ganache is pretty  sweet, so this really needs a cup of coffee to go with it. Fortunately though, Bombero’s serves up an excellent cup of Illy coffee that pairs perfectly with the bombe.

When’s the perfect time to enjoy an Amaretto Bombe?  At the end of a great date with your sweetheart.  This isn’t a first-date dessert. This is a “we’re in a serious relationship and I really like you” dessert.  The two of you can sit on the patio underneath the trees festooned with sculpted-metal stars on one of our typical Phoenix warm afternoons, gaze into each others' eyes, and have one bombe and two forks.  It's the perfect end to a perfect date.

Review: I just can't stop loving you.

Cant Stop Loving You

Check Bombero's out.  The food is excellent, the people are great, the atmosphere is wonderful, and the bombe is....well....you know.  http://www.bomberoswinebar.com/