Dessert and Decadence

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Bars!

Lemon-icious!

In Phoenix in the winter we have something that most other states don’t: an oversupply of citrus fruit.  Oranges, grapefruits, and especially, lemons. Everyone has at least one fruit tree in their yard, and during winter nobody can even give them away.

Shelley Au, owner of Shelley’s Specialty Desserts, has a great use for them: she makes excellent lemon bars.

Her mural-adorned bakery in Glendale AZ delivers up baked treats that will make you decide that this is your new favorite place.  Lemon bars, pies, cheesecakes, cookies, and all other kinds of sweet treats. The store is both a bakery and a small eatery where you can sit inside on the wrought-iron furniture or outside to enjoy Glendale’s beautiful winter weather.

I had heard rave reviews about the lemon bars so I decided to take the plunge and try one.  Or two.

Boy, those are some goooood lemon bars! Tangy lemony flavor that’s balanced by a light sweetness that’s not overpowering.  Light flaky crust on the bottom, and lots of powdered sugar on top.  Excellent! 

Real Lemons Make a Great Bar
More important though, is that they are REAL lemon bars, using real lemons.  Store-bought lemon bars have artificial flavors added.  Not at Shelley's bakery.  She uses only real lemons, both lemon  juice and lemon zest, hand-grated in her store.  This gives her bars the real flavor of lemons…as it should be.

In fact, Shelley hand-makes all of the treats she offers, and all with local ingredients.  The differen ce in quality is obvious – these are the top of the line.

Shelley has been baking desserts for local restaurants for 11 years.  One year ago she opened her own   shop and, judging by the stream of customers that kept coming in while I was there, her desserts are very popular.  

 So next time you’re hankerin’ for lemon bars, skip the store-bought bars and head on over to Shelley’s Specialty Desserts.  But be warned….you won’t be happy with one.  Once you taste the flavor of real lemons, you’ll be stopping by regularly for more.

Musical Review:

Halfway to Heaven

http://www.shelleysdesserts.com/

 

 

Drawing the Long Straw Wins

Vin de Paille Quintessence from Tablas Creek Vineyards in Paso Robles

Vin de Paille (pronounced “Vaa d’Pie”) is a delicious dessert wine.  The translation from French means (literally) “Wine of Straw” or “straw wine”.   However, this wine is definitely NOT made from straw. Tablas Creek uses the traditional Mediterranean technique for producing it: ripe grape bunches are carefully laid down on straw-covered benches in their greenhouses and allowed to dehydrate in the sun. When the grapes reach the desired sugar concentration, they are pressed and the juice is moved to oak barrels for fermentation. The juice ferments until it reaches an alcohol level at which the sweetness of the juice is balanced by the acids and mineral characteristics of the wine itself.

Drinking Vin de Paille brings to mind the scene of a tranquil farm after harvest.  The crops are picked, the hay is mown, and the produce is off to market. The sun sets low in the sky, pumpkins are stacked up near the other autumn vegetables, and everything is right with the world. 

So how does it taste?  Excellent!  A honey-like flavor touched with a little maple syrup, caramel, and apricots.  It’s sweet and tasty, but not overpowering. It’s more viscous than regular wine, but it’s not syrupy.  And one unique thing: this dessert wine has backbone.  Its flavor is powerful enough that it can stand up to foods and/or desserts. Some dessert wines are best by themselves, but this one can be drunk by itself or with a dessert.

Which dessert, you ask?  Easy: coffee caramel crème brulee!  The caramel flavor in the brulee combines with the hint of caramel in the dessert wine, and the mild coffee flavor offsets the sweetness very nicely.

 

Coffee-Caramel Crème Brûlée

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1/4 cup dark-roast coffee beans, coarse-ground or crushed
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
2 cups half and half
8 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 teaspoons raw sugar

Instructions:

1.      Bring 1 cup cream and coffee beans to simmer in heavy small saucepan.

2.      Remove from heat; cover and let steep at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.

3.      Preheat oven to 325°F.

4.      Stir 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves.

5.      Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush.

6.      Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, swirling pan occasionally, about 11 minutes.

7.      Remove pan from heat.

8.      Add remaining 1 cup whipping cream (mixture will bubble up).

9.      Stir over low heat until caramel is smooth.

10.  Stir in half and half. Strain coffee-infused cream into caramel cream; discard coffee beans in strainer.

11.  Whisk yolks, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl to blend.

12.  Gradually whisk in cream mixture. Strain custard into large measuring cup.

13.   Arrange eight 2/3-to 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups in roasting pan.

14.   Divide custard among ramekins.

15.  Add enough warm water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins or custard cups.

16.  Bake custards until just set in center, 65 to 70 minutes.

17.  Transfer custards from water bath directly to refrigerator.

18.  Chill uncovered until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

19.  Sprinkle top of each custard with 1 teaspoon raw sugar.

20.  Using a kitchen torch, melt the sugar on each custard until deep amber. (Alternatively, preheat broiler. Arrange custards on small rimmed baking sheet; broil until sugar topping melts and browns, about 2 minutes.)

21.  Refrigerate custards until sugar topping hardens, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Serve cold.

My review:  I just can't stop loving you.

Cant Stop Loving You

 

So pour yourself a glass of Vin de Paille and relax in front of the fire. It’s going to be a long winter, but this is a great dessert wine that will make it go by nicely.

http://tablascreek.com/vdp_quintessence06.shtml

 

A Port for Manly-Men!

Last week I visited my favorite place: Paso Robles, the town with 250 wineries.  However, instead of going wine-tasting, I went dessert-wine tasting to see what they offered.  First on the list was Roxo Cellars.

Roxo (pronounced “Roe-show”) Port Cellars is a family owned winery specializing in ultra premium  
Port-style wines.  They make their Port-style wine using only traditional methods with minimal interference. The grapes are exclusively hand-picked and sourced from Paso Robles and Cienega Valley vineyards in California.

I tried five different ports and they were all very good.  However, one in particular stands out: the 2007 Paso Melange.  Yeah! That is some gooooood port!

Not for the Faint-Hearted
Strong and earthy, this is a good port for really full-flavored, not-so-sweet desserts. It has a strong spicy/earthy flavor to it, very strong fruit flavors, and a light sweetness. It can easily stand up to a good dark chocolate or even my favorite, chocolate and ancho-chili crème brulee.

Even though it’s a port, this isn’t the sweet syrupy stuff your grandma drinks. This is for strong flavors.  Even the website suggests that it would go well with a good cigar, and I believe it.  This is a manly-man port that doesn’t give any quarter.  Strong and spicy, it’ll remind you that just because it’s a dessert wine, you aren't drinking any kind of sissy-water.  It’s awesome!

So if you’d like to get some port that’ll go well with dark chocolate pots de creme, visit their website at http://www.roxocellars.com/ and order up some Paso Melange.  

If you're in Paso Robles, you can visit their tasting room at 810 11th St, Paso Robles, CA.   Then go get yourself a bunch of dark chocolate to go with it.  Trust me, you’ll need it.

Musical review:

Ooo Baby Baby!

Yeah...it's that good!

Beer and Chili Peanut Brittle

Hot and Sweet!

I just love Arizona-themed food!  And when it comes to adding a little “hot” to something we all love, the Two-Alarm Beer Brittle by GoodyTwos Toffee Company in Scottsdale has my vote for both original and delicious.

Using a secret combination of artisan beer, cayenne pepper, and chili powder, Donna and Shannon of GoodyTwos have created a crunchy tasty snack that’ll get your attention and have your guests asking for  more.

It tastes just like regular peanut brittle (well, not quite as sweet), and with a distinct wheaty flavor in the background.  Then the pepper kicks in with a spicy but not too hot flavor in the background.  Subtle, but there.

When I asked how they managed to keep the pepper hot but not scorching, Donna said that it was the beer. When the beer is in perfect balance with the peppers, it softens the burn while adding a mild-yet-distinct flavor of its own.

So the next time you want a sweet snack with a little kick, or something that will make your football-watching guests sit up and take notice, bring out the Two-Alarm Beer Brittle!  It’ll be a hit!

http://www.goodytwos.com/

 

Potato Pie.....Sweet!

Sweet Potato Pie

“Once you try sweet potato pie, you’ll never go back to pumpkin!” said the eight-year-old son of a friend of mine.  “Oh, sure” I thought.  And then I tried it.  Darned if the little know-it-all wasn’t right.  It is that good, and I won’t go back to pumpkin pie.

Sweet potato pie is a traditional side dish in the Southern United States, but it’s not so well-known in  the North.  In fact, it surprised me that so few people know about it.  Sweet potatoes are sweeter than pumpkins, but not overly so. They have a delicate flavor that blends very well with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, so they make a great holiday dessert.

The secret to making a creamy sweet potato pie is to *steam* the potatoes.  If you boil them they become waterlogged (and make a soggy pie), and if you roast or microwave them, they become dry.

Make a Memorable Pie:
Sweet potato pies are good by themselves.  To make them more interesting, put toasted pecans onto the top.  The earthy flavor of the pecans combines with the sweetness of the pie for an interesting flavor combination.  Add a good cup of coffee to the mix and you have a truly memorable dessert.

Toppings: Many people add a dollop of whipped cream. I like to use Chantilly Cream, made with brandy and orange liqueur (recipe follows).  Hey…anyone can spray on that canned whipped cream, but add Chantilly Cream and your guests will be convinced you’re a dessert guru.

Pairing suggestions:

• A port that’s not too sweet goes well with it.  My favorite is La Quinta Syrah Port from San Antonio Winery in Los Angeles.
• A good Madeira.  The nutty flavor of the Madeira pairs well with the sweetness of the pie. 

Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup cream
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
1 unbaked pie shell

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Prick pie shell dough with fork before baking.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes without filling.
4. Combine all ingredients in any order.
5. Mix well with an electric hand mixer until all ingredients are smooth.
6. Pour filling into precooked pie shell and put into oven on 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue cooking for 35 minutes.
7. Serve warm with whipped topping or ice cream.
8. Enjoy!

Serves 8-10

Chantilly Cream:
Ingredients:
2/3 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp brandy
1 tsp. Grand Marnier
1/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. dairy sour cream

Directions:

1. Refrigerate a medium-size bowl and beaters until very cold.
2. Combine cream, vanilla, brandy and Grand Marnier in the bowl and beat with electric mixer on medium speed 1 minute.
3. Add the sugar and sour cream and beat on medium just until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. DO NOT OVERBEAT.
4. Serve on top of sweet potato pie.
5. Graciously accept applause from guests.

Musical Review:

Cant Stop Loving You

Go ahead: take the plunge and try sweet potato pie this holiday season.  Who knows….you too may never go back to pumpkin.

 

 

Gettin’ Social with Pies

Is it too cold for an ice cream social?  Then hold a pie social! 

The first-ever pie social was held in Phoenix today to benefit the after school pro grams at Kenilwort h Elementary School.   The social was a community effort, so dozens of local people brought their pies, ready for tasting by discriminating judges from all over Phoenix.

 Four tables held the palate-pleasing pastries, and for a mere $10 donation we could taste up to five pies.    And since donating to a good cause means the pies have no calories, how could I resist??

 The pies came in all flavors;

• Standards such as pumpkin and apple
• Interesting combos, such as Chili Apple
• Unusual flavors, such as Schadenfraude (like pecan pie without the pecans).

 

 The winners (well, MY winners) are:

• My favorite: Pumpkin Chili.  I love cool combos of flavors!
• Most interesting: Basil Banana Chocolate S’Mores.
• Most unusual: SchadenFraude Pie.
• Best name: “Almost Vegan” chocolate crème.

 

The event was well-attended and good times were had by all.  When I left the event there was still a line of people purchasing tickets, so I’d say the first annual pie social was a success.  I’m looking forward to next year…but I hope I can get some pumpkin-chili pie before then. This is, after all, Arizona.

 

Top 3 Desserts at 'Phoenix Cooks'

Last Saturday I attended Phoenix Cooks, an annual benefit for the Phoenix Children's Hospital.  There were over 300 food vendors there: restaurants, wineries, confectionaries, breweries, and cooking schools.  Naturally, I started looking for desserts.  But not just any dessert, mind you. I wanted to find the really gooey, sweet, over-the-top types.  The following are the top three:

#3: Wedding-cake-in-a-cone!
Blue Ribbon for Originality. I love creative ideas, and this one is right up there!  The Fairmont Scottsdale Resort in Phoenix hosts weddings, and to show off how their bakery can help make yours a success, they baked wedding cake and put it into petite little sugar-cones!  It was vanilla cake with a swirl of raspberry filling in a crunchy cone.  Very good idea, and a great way to give out samples!  All the flavor of a great wedding cake, but no chance of someone smashing it in your face. 

(Side note: I say we make Phoenix the food-in-a-cone capitol, just like the Minnesota State Fair is the food-on-a-stick capitol.  Why should they have all the fun?)




#2: Chocolate Mousse Parfait with Raspberry Sauce. 
Blue Ribbon for Nifty Technology. Made by the Talavera Restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort in Scottsdale ), this tasty treat is a delicious semi-sweet mousse alternated with crème’ fraiche.  The best part: The nifty technology.  In the photo, see that little red tube sticking out of the parfait?  That contains raspberry sauce.  You squeeze the tube to drizzle raspberry sauce all over the parfait. And there’s just enough to cover the chocolate without being overpowering.  Cool!

#1:  Salted Caramel Panna Cotta! 
Blue Ribbon for excellent combination of tastes and textures. I love panna cotta anyway, and this is awesome!  This is from the Elements Restaurant.  Creamy caramel panna cotta, topped with caramel corn and chocolate-covered peanuts for crunchiness.  Just enough sweetness in the chocolate to combine with the slight saltiness of the caramel to create a complete and satisfying treat!  Great flavor, great texture, and original thinking in combining the ingredients.  Five out of five stars! And yes, I would smear this on my body.



My opinion of the panna cotta: Ooo Baby Baby!

Ooo Baby Baby!

 

If you're ever in Phoenix in September, go to Phoenix Cooks. It's for a good cause, the chefs and wineries trot out their very best, and everyone has a great time.  It's well worth the entry fee.  See you there!  www.PheonixCooks.com

P.S.  I wonder how that panna cotta would taste in a cone?  I'm kidding!

“Every Hour is Happy Hour!”

Ice cream with a kick!

Have you had enough of the standard old chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream?  Perhaps you want something different?  Well, how about a shot of Kahlua to go with that scoop of frozen goodness?  Or maybe a splash of vodka or rum to liven up that nice cold dessert?  Better yet, how about if the booze was IN the ice cream?  That would make your tastebuds tingle, wouldn’t it?

Enter “Lee’s Cream Liqueur”, a new ice cream store in Scottsdale that makes all kinds of decadent ice creams in which the liquor is blended into the ice cream itself.  That rum you’re tasting in the Rum Raisin? That’s really rum. And that delightful bowl of “Margarita”?  Yep, that’s real tequila in there.

Owner Lee Turner is a wonderfully warm and friendly lady who has been making ice cream since she was very young.  It became more than just a hobby when her friends would exclaim how much they liked it and suggested that she could make a career of it.  She opened her store on July 30, and so far, all of her visitors love it.  The premium ice cream is made in-house, and comes in at about 5 percent alcohol.

Liqueur-filled chocolates, step aside!
Being the ever-inquisitive type, I jumped right in by ordering a bowl of Kahlua ice cream.  Delicious!  Every bit as tasty as I expected.  Coffee-flavored goodness with just a hint of alcohol bite.  Not overpowering, just  floating in the background to give it a little complexity.  That spurred me on to try a combination rum-raisin and strawberry daiquiri.  Yum!  Rum-soaked raisins in creamy vanilla custard right next door to tangy-sweet strawberries and rum.  Yes, I think I’ve found my new favorite hangout!

Strawberry Daiquiri in a cone
Lee’s “potent” flavors include Margarita, Apple Martini, Champagne, Strawberry Daiquiri, Kahlua, Long Island Iced Tea, and Piña Colada.  If you prefer to not have the alcohol, she also has “Shirley Temple” ice cream including chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mint, walnut, and an awesome banana and Oreo cookies.  Wow.  Can I get that all piled up on one cone?

So the next time you’re hankerin’ for a new taste treat, hustle on over to Lee’s Cream Liqueur.  She’s at 7137 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale, 480-429-5337.  I suggest you hurry because once word gets out, she’s going to be really busy.

Review: I just can’t stop loving you:

Cant Stop Loving You

http://leescreamliqueur.com/

Chocolate Mystery Pot de Crème

I love surprises. Well….FOOD surprises.  Other kinds don’t exactly tickle me pink.  And I recently had a food surprise that I really liked.

Two weeks ago I went to a wine tasting event at a very nice restaurant called the Eureka Grill. They served the wine samples along with tastes of their excellent food.  One of the menu items that really grabbed my attention was their chocolate Pot de Crème. It was delicious! 

Anything chocolate is good of course, but this was particularly good.  “Why?” I asked.  “It’s blackberry chocolate” said the waiter. The chef had added blackberry to enhance the flavor. 

I liked it so much I returned the next week and ordered another.  But this time…it was different.  Still very very good, but different.  This time, it had Bailey’s Irish Cream added.

As it turns out, the chef and owner, John Petricca, adds “background” flavors to enhance the flavor of the chocolate.  John’s collection of different ingredients are carefully selected to add to the Pot de Crème’s subtle complexity of flavors. 

The flavors include:
•    Blackberry: Delicious flavor that adds a tang to the chocolate.
•    Kahlua: the smoky flavor of coffee to round out the sweet dark chocolate.
•    Bailey’s Irish Cream: Irish whiskey and chocolate – Sweet and sultry!
•    Cointreau: Orange flavoring adds that citrus twist.
•    Hazelnut: Nutty, creamy, chocolaty! 
•    Raspberry: The ultimate flavor combination!

What John doesn’t do is tell anyone what he's going to add, so every week it changes.  The dessert is a mystery that keeps you asking: “What flavor will it be this week?”  It’ll be good, but it’ll be different.  Nice!

Eureka Grill also serves (among other things) pasta, salmon, steak, and lamb; all prepared with an eye toward the elegant, but with budget-friendly prices.  Of all the foods there, though, my favorite is the desserts.

So the next time you’re in Surprise Arizona, head on over to the Eureka Grill and get a little “surprise” for dessert. Their “mystery” chocolate Pot de Crème.

Eureka Grill: http://eurekagrill.com/

Jalapeno Ice Cream

"We Dare You to Try Hot Ice Cream!"

So challenged the headline in a small ad in a local publication.  Who can pass that up?  Not me!  I, never being able to resist tasting something new, decided to take them up on it.  So I drove to Sparky's Creamery in Tempe to taste something that was too intriguing to ignore: Jalapeno ice cream.

  

Greg, the manager at Sparky's, dished up a big scoop of Jalapeno Lime ice cream, and I cautiously gave it a try. 

Oh yeah!  That is gooooood ice cream!

Woo hoo!  Think of a lime creamsicle that has a little Cayenne pepper added: Creamy and limey and all-around delicious, with just a hint of burn at the finish.  Yes, you can taste the heat of the Jalapeno, but it's not overpowering and does nothing to detract from the lime flavor.  In fact, the two balance each other very well.  Jalapeno adds an interesting twist of flavor to the lime, and the heat of the pepper is tempered by the cream. So you get a delicious lime ice cream with an interesting little tweak at the end.  I like it!  Definitely different, and definitely tasty!

Sparky's has been in business for a little longer than six months in downtown Tempe.  According to Greg, the reason for the Jalapeno ice cream was that they wanted to have something "uniquely Arizona" to offer the visitors to the store.  This certainly fits the bill! 

They hand-make the Jalapeno ice cream every day, and can control the amount of pepper in each batch.  ("Would you like to try it when it's a lot hotter?" queried Greg.  "No thanks!" I said).  They strive to maintain a consistent level of heat in each batch, though, so that each visitor has the same experience.

My enthusiasm for the ice cream must have rubbed off on others in the store, because after I praised it loudly, a lady from Wyoming also tried it and she, too, loved it.

Sparky's offers two "hot" flavors: Jalapeno Lime and Habanero Chocolate.  Both are very good, but my favorite of the two is the Jalapeno Lime.

I always like to find restaurants that serve up unique items, and Sparky's definitely has it with this one.  It's different and it's tasty. This would be a lot of fun at parties just because it's so good, and people would be asking "This is good!  What is it?  It's kinda like lime, but what's that other flavor?" 

Sparky's is located at 510 S Mill Ave, Tempe, AZ.  Phone number: (480) 921-7456.  Next time you're in Tempe, stop by and try their Jalapeno Lime ice cream.  It'll add a little "spark" to your day!