from MontanaPomegranate, sea salt and chipotle oh my! Not necessarily the flavors you associated with caramel but the award winning artisan caramel maker Robin Bequet from Montana thinks inventively when it comes to her soft sweet candies that friend Jessica was gracious enough to give me a box of for my birthday. They are spectacular.
from Roni-Sue, Essex St MarketWant to make a room of dudes freak out? Put a plate of dark chocolate covered bacon in front of them. Needless to say this treat, which is exactly what it sounds like, was a hit for Dungeons and Dragons snacking.
Of course, I’ve combined Bacon and dessert before (with the amazing Mo’s Bar and that glorious treat that is candy bacon) but Roni-Sue, whose shop I visited at the Essex Market, takes the simplest and most intense approach. “Roni” a lovely lady named Rhonda Kave who calls it Pig Candy.
Chili Pepper Dark ChocolateBespoke Chocolates is hidden down the aptly named Extra Place right off of Bleecker. Blink and you’ll miss it – but you won’t want to. While the occasion for which I bought their Chili Pepper Dark Truffles (to share with my fellow Dungeon and Dragons players on the first night of our adventure) may not have been the most romantic, the spicy heat and rich darkness is an ideal gift for Valentine’s Day.
Other equally enticing flavors are available and made fresh daily. The chocolatier, who I believe served me, is as nice as can be and speaks with a lovely British accent… she’s like Tammy Littlenut’s hot older sister from across the pond that makes incredible sweets.
Chocolate, crema, and cakeSpain offered what I was hoping for: Iberian hams, anchovies, fried little peppers, etc but it totally surprised me with the best cake I’ve ever moaned the phrase “YUM…” to. It came from Rita (more info about the restaurant in this week’s restaurant entry) and it was like Duncan Hines boxed cake but gourmet – deliriously delicious.
Of course, we had other delectable sweets and I don’t mean for the cake to cast too long shadow over the cinnamony crema catalana – a spiced but mild crème brulee, or the incredible chocolates we sampled at the Mercet Bouqueria, which were as tasty as they were beautiful and sometimes humorous to look at.
You imagine a chocolate stout and you think thick, creamy, rich and strong. Young’s version manages to be all that but really quite drinkable as well. I first tried the brew at Berry Park as the snow fell outside, but was happy to find the British import at out local grocer as well. Young’s is a family brewery that’s been around (impressively) since 1831.
That chocolate flavor by the way, comes from real chocolate, added into the brewing process before bottling making it a great after dinner beer in lieu of dessert.
40 Great Jones StreetAs a fan of Will Cotton’s scrumptious and almost creepily saccharine paintings as well as fun things secret and rare, I was thrilled to make it to his two day only bake shop hidden inside the usually appointment only Partners and Spade space.
The epicenter of the bakery/installation was the towering stack of pastel cakes, of which I could hardly get enough of and took many photos. One of his paintings hung in the back as a team of little helpers rushed around with fresh baked birthday cakes and macaroons.
I spoke to the artist himself to say I was a fan of his work and he was totally adorably embarrassed and hoped we liked his baking as well before scimpering off to his frosting and flour.
The treats were tasty, though having just come from the New Amsterdam Market, I was stuffed almost too full to truly appreciate more than a bite (Jim chowed the rest). The entire experience left me feeling almost like one of the nymphs in his paintings, surrounded by a tempting, sugary landscape.
Click here to see the rest of Will Cotton at Partners and Spade
How could I resist this ice cream cone cupcake from Penny Licks? It's adorable. But, it was also terrible. Every part of it, even the sprinkles, tasted old and stale and flavorless. It was unconscionable.
The perfect fall dessert, Pumpkin pie is usually associated with Thanksgiving, but after finding the best version I've ever had at Blue Stove (with home made whipped cream and a rich, caramelized bottom-crust with a hint of chocolate) I'm hoping to grab a few of them for my lucky Halloween party guests – we'll just call them dead jack-o-lantern pies.
Of course, if you are not near a bakery as good as ours, the classic Mrs Smiths has served me well for years.
Reed's Ginger Chews are probably the cheapest things you can find at Dean and Deluca (two bucks opposed to the seven some of the chocolate bars cost) and the added bonus of being good for the digestive system makes the deal even better.
Reed's also makes great candied ginger and, according to their site, a ginger ice cream that sounds incredible, but it's not something I've come across yet myself.
Olde Timey YummyI was excited to find Cup O Gold at Galco’s (read more about it in the drinks section). My mom would often reminisce about the chocolate/coconut/marshmallow cup of deliciousness as the one thing she craved while pregnant. It’s hard to find but more popular in California than anyplace else. It’s super yummy and I wish the candy, which has been around since the 1950’s, was more available.
from Momofuku Milk Bar, 207 2nd AvenueAs you can see, the infamous Crack Pie from Momofuku Milk is like crack not only humans but apparently cats as well. I had a hard time getting a shot of the gooey, indescribably yummy dessert without Tiptoe interfering with a sniff (she likes to just smell, not eat human food).
Of course, if she had eaten it, she would have known the glories of what can be done with butter, sugar, and eggs assembled in the most ingenious of ways.
by Grace Stanton, BakerMy dear friend Miss Grace Stanton can do just about anything. Trim hair? Check. Tell you how to make a compost pile? Check. Make you feel good about a bad situation? Check. Correctly use (and adorably pronounce) phrases like “Holy Bananas”? Check.
In addition to all of the above, she’s currently training to become a pastry chef, so I jumped at the chance to secure her creativity and skill for my sister’s baby shower (a mere few weeks till I’m an aunt!!) – but I had no idea what I was in store for.
Jim most accurately described Grace’s blue and white labor of love as “expressive” and it was the absolute hit of the party. Some day (perhaps quite soonish) Grace will be a full blown pastry chef/bakery owner/queen of the fondant; in the meantime (if you’re really nice) I can see if she can hook you up with an incredible edible creation.
My brother-in-law was unable to find my sister’s favorite cake for her birthday (black forest), so he did the next best thing: he bought his own favorite cake. Fortunately, my family all agreed that he’s got pretty good taste: this fluffy coconut vanilla from Magnolia is pretty amazing. The frosting has that wondrous meringue, marshmallowy consistency and looks like a sugar cloud dream. It’s even worth braving the Sex and the City tours to pick one up.
from Jacques TorresThanks to Astrid and Marcus who gave this jolly dark chocolate fella to Jim for his birthday. It comes from Jacques Torres and, you might agree, is not a little bit creepy in the eyes. I’m almost concerned about the ramifications of eating him with those penetrating eyes baring down on me… it’s easy to envision myself in some sort of Twilight Zone moment. However, this is Jacques Torres chocolate and eating it will be worth the slim possibility of supernatural retaliation.
Made With Only Five IngredientsHaagen Dazs takes me back to my childhood, back when my dad used to have a goldenrod tee-shirt with a Haagen Dazs logo in brown. I still love that shirt, but I haven’t had a scoop of Haagen Dazs in years – but friends have been raving about their new ‘Five’ brand.
The idea is simple: ice cream made from only five ingredients. It’s a refreshing option today when most store bought foods are loaded with who knows what. Best of all, they’re really tasty – both the coffee and passion fruit have been huge hits and I’m looking forward to trying the mint and brown sugar.
This is what I wrote back on March 23rd:
Just next door to Fanny is Blue Stove, a bright and airy bakery run by a friend of a friend (a lovely slave to the stove named Rachel) offering an array of home baked pies in unique and classic flavors like pecan (with an excellent sweet cream topping), cherry, key lime, and blackberry mousse. Just like Fanny, it's situation in a slightly less traveled section of Williamsburg makes it feel more like a secret spot frequented by in-the-know locals rather than a passing trend.
There's no static menu, you're limited to ordering only what has sparked the baker's fancy, but I can promise (now having sampled three little pies, which was the perfect amount for a four guest dinner party) that everything is absolutely top notch. Before the bakery moved in to this adorable space with its a peekaboo pantry, black and white tile floors, beautifully aged pressed tin, and homemade welcome sign, the baker would take orders and deliver pies to those with a sweet tooth for fresh baked goods, building up a quite a reputation among those who prefer their pies without a lot of artificial junk.
We loved the pies we grabbed to go, but there's an array of large tables should you prefer your sweet to stay with a cup of coffee or tea.
RUNNERS UP:
Calpis Ice Bar
Momofuku Cookies
Ronnybrook Ice Cream
Ralph's Italian Ice
Brent Beer Brittle
Raspberry Buttercream Cake
From an old family recipe in 1923, to the best mid-level gift baskets of today, Almond Roca has earned its proud moniker, “America's Finest Confection”.
Recipes of the week: Prosciutto Corn Cakes (with sausage and peppers)
