A Year of Sweetness and a GIVE AWAY!

It is here – my one year blogiversary! It has been quite a sweet year.

One of my favorite places to get a sweet treat in Los Angeles is Sweets for the Soul. This is a sweets shop to rival all others. They make an amazing brownie. The exterior is faintly crisp like a French macaron, while maintaining a satisfying chewy soft texture. The Valrhona chocolate is stunningly rich with a delicate creaminess. These brownies are just sexy. So buttery they almost melt away.

On a recent visit I discovered the Caramel Bliss brownie. Is there anything better in the world than combining chocolate, caramel and pecans? This brownie is dense and luxurious. The caramel is sweet and toothsome. The pecans supply the perfect bite, blending together all of the flavors.

While Sweets for the Soul is known for their seductive brownies, they do have an enticing glass cake stand right by the register. This glass carapace is home to daily specials from pb&j cupcakes to cookies and more. To my surprise I found one lone cinnamon sugar cake donut shyly hiding beneath the glass lid.

I ordered it instantly.

It was perfect.

Crumbly soft and sweet, it was a heart shaped piece of heaven. What are you waiting for? Get in your car and visit Sweets For The Soul in Atwater Village, I promise you will not be disappointed!

On this blog I often wax poetic about my on going love affair with desserts. Let me eat cake is really just a philosophy for enjoying life’s sweet pleasures. To celebrate my blogiversary I have a GIVEAWAY. Sweets For The Soul’s owner Lilly LaBonge has kindly donated a $20 gift certificate for one of my readers! Simply leave a comment below and I will be picking a winner at random on Thursday. For a second chance to win tweet a link http://bit.ly/b6Kp79 to this blog post and leave me another comment letting me know you have done so. Be sure you leave an email so I can contact you if you win!

Good luck!

* must be a Los Angeles resident to win giveaway*

Sweeten Up Your Day with Macallan ... and a Give-Away!

I recently attended a Macallan tasting at the W Hotel, courtesy of my lovely friend Julie. While I certainly enjoy the occasional Scotch on the rocks, I have never been too discerning of my whisky.

That has all changed.

After sampling different varieties of Macallan single malt Highland Scotch I developed a true appreciation for the nuances of a finely crafted whisky. A few drinks and I was in love. I now recognize the value of the subtle notes of flavor, the depth and richness and the smooth texture of Macallan. After talk of my other love, dessert, Macallan’s ambassador Eden Algie urged me to experiment with Macallan in my dessert adventures.

Through playful experimentation and one too many drinks I discovered that Macallan is not only lovely as a drink to pair with desserts, but it also offers a sophisticated marriage with sweets.

Scotch is either single malt - meaning it comes from one distillery - or a blend of different whiskies. Scotch lovers usually favor single malts because of their smoothness. Macallan offers a variety of single malt Scotches. The Macallan 12 is matured in Spanish sherry oak casks. The Fine Oak varieties are triple aged in European sherry oak casks, American sherry oak casks and American bourbon oak casks. The difference between the two is found in their color and flavor composition.

I tested the Macallan Fine Oak 15 and the Macallan 12 in two different desserts. Tell me what you think.

Maple Macallan Glazed Donuts

Donuts are irresistible. Doughy, sweet, fried, they are all the things that comfort me. I decided to try my hand at making donuts at home. They were easier than I thought. I made both fried donut holes and baked donuts. I found that the maple Macallan glaze paired best with the donut holes. The dense cakey texture of the baked donuts overpowered the delicate flavor of the glaze. I used the Macallan 12 for the glaze because it is sweet and distinctive. This Macallan has big vanilla and toffee characteristics that complimented the maple and the donut.

The glaze was so fantastic I could eat it alone. Bursting with a syrupy rich flavor, the subtle Macallan essence washes over the tongue. This makes for a decadent breakfast with a nice cup of tea or a nice finish to a meal when accompanied by a glass of Macallan 12.

Traditional Scottish Honey Cake with Macallan

When researching Scottish desserts, I found that honey seemed to be a prominent ingredient. I decided to make a traditional Scottish honey cake. What came out of my oven was transcendent. The edges of the cake were slightly crisp and super buttery. The cake was studded with hints of refreshing citrus. It was nutty and luxurious with a faint woozy bite. With this recipe I used the Macallan Fine Oak 15, which is light, mellow, and subtly floral. This whisky has soft notes of spice and fresh zesty elements that balance nicely with the assertive honey glow of the cake. I dusted the cake with powdered sugar and light cascade of orange blossom honey rather than the citrus butter cream in the recipe. For added pleasure enjoy this cake with a glass of Macallan 15.

Did I mention there is a give away? I have a little present for you… leave me a comment telling me which recipe you liked best or leave me a recipe you think would pair well with some Macallan and I might send you a bottle of Macallan Fine Oak 10. For another chance to win, follow @EdenAlgie on twitter and leave me ANOTHER comment letting me know you are following him. Winners will be selected using random.org. Good luck!

Maple Macallan Glaze (adapted from Gourmet)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter


2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons whipping cream

2 tablespoons Macallan 12

6 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted

Melt butter with maple syrup and cream in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and and Macallan and whisk until mixture is smooth. Allow glaze to cool until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Dip doughnuts into glaze or drizzle glaze over doughnuts.

Scottish Honey Whisky Cake

Ingredients:

6 oz self-rising flour

6 oz butter

3 eggs

4 tablespoons Scotch

6oz light brown sugar

zest of 1 small orange

2 tsp honey

confectioners sugar and honey (topping to taste)

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the orange zest and honey and mix until incorporates. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl and add half of the flour and mix. Pour in Scotch and fold into mixture. Add remaining flour and fold together.

Grease 6 muffin tins or two mini loaf pans and pour in batter. For loaf pans bake of 20-25 minutes in oven at 375 or until cake is golden brown. For cupcakes bake at 275 for 18-20 minutes or until a light golden brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Things To Do In Denver Before You Die: D Bar

photo courtesy of Dbardesserts.com

After my lovely experience at Nomelie Cupcakes, I began a culinary conversation with Nomelie’s owner through Twitter. She is as sweet as her cupcakes and gave me more than a few fantastic recommendations on the best eats in Denver. Per her advice, R and I headed to D Bar in the Uptown area of Denver where we were joined by our friend Neil.

D Bar is a restaurant devoted to desserts. Upon arrival it was very clear that D Bar was the place to be on a Saturday night. Every Saturday night chef and owner Keegan Gerhard can be found behind the bar preparing his sweet masterpieces right before your eyes. Inside D Bar the lighting is dim, the room is packed, and the energy is electric. After a long wait in the cramped heated doorway of the restaurant we were finally seated. The prime seating is along the L shaped bar - this is where all of the action can be experienced first-hand. We sat along the counter facing the window, which turned out to be a comfortable spot with the windows serving as mirrors to the bar behind us.

D Bar offers a well-stocked wine and beer list. We started our meal with my favorite wine: Layer Cake Primitivo. Layer Cake is a well-balanced and jammy wine that lends itself well to both sweet and savory dishes. It was the perfect accompaniment to our food.

We ordered four desserts to try to get the full spectrum of D Bar’s offerings. The desserts $8-$10 each. The Palmond is an almond cake with a caramelized pears and almond ice milk. The cake was dry and crumbly with a crisp almost pasty almond layer on the top. The pears were soft with a deep rich flavor. The almond ice milk was a light and cool compliment to the caramel tones of the pear. While this was a pear dish I would eat again, I did not enjoy the mild and dry flavors of the cake.

I have a special place in my heart for donuts. When donuts are on the dessert menu at a restaurant it is often hard for me to pass them up, so I was sure to order D Bar’s Brioche Cinnamon Sugar Donuts. The order comes with three fluffy, sweet brioche donuts dusted in cinnamon sugar and served with vanilla dipping sauce with a chocolate swirl. When the donuts were dipped in the subtle combination of vanilla and chocolate, it added a sweet gossamer casing that enhanced an otherwise average donut.

After watching waffle after delicious waffle pass by, we had to order the Warm! Mit Waffles. This is an ice cream sandwich unlike any other. Let go of your preconceived notions of ice cream sandwiches because this dessert is nothing like its predecessors. Vanilla bean ice cream is packaged between two warm rock sugar waffles that are adorned with a three-cherry compote and amaretto cream. The waffles were ideal: a gentle, firm exterior that gives way to a warm, doughy bite. The cherry compote added a pleasant tartness that paired harmoniously with the other sugary flavors.

Our final dessert was not on the menu, it was the night’s special: Baked Alaska. I’ve often heard of this fabled dish, but I’ve never seen it on a menu. This was my favorite dish of the evening. This Baked Alaska consisted of a tart shell filled with coconut ice cream covered by a baked meringue. All of this was lying atop slices of pineapple, which were brushed with a vanilla bean caramel sauce. Each dense mouthful was permeated with vanilla bean. The pineapple was sweet with no hint of tartness. The meringue top was baked to perfection with toasted edges and a gooey, spongy bite.

I have an unyielding penchant for sweets and D Bar satisfied my proclivity. Whenever I am in Denver I will be sure to make a stop at D Bar.

D Bar
1475 E. 17th Ave.
Denver, Co 80218
(303) 861 - 4710

Holy Grace!

Doughnut tasting night at Grace... Yes, I said doughnut tasting. Three delicious courses all consisting of donuts.  A total of five glorious fried carb confections in one sitting… holy Grace! 

R and I went to Grace on Saturday, a day after National Doughnut day but just as special. This was my first visit to Grace and what better way to experience this famed LA spot than through its desserts. There is a wine pairing option with the doughnuts, but we opted for coffee instead - keeping it traditional with the ol’ coffee and doughnuts pair.

Course 1: Salted Caramel Doughnuts with Bourbon Pecan Ice Cream

 

After the first bite of this gooey salty sweet treat I had to pause. Or rather, I took a moment of silence. I was wide eyed, sugar crazed, and happy, just happy. It was heavenly. Caramel glazed over a hot doughy mouthful studded with salt crystals. Everything about this salty sweet confection was perfect. How could two more courses even compare?

Course 2: Pistachio Chocolate Buttermilk Doughnut with Marble Ice Cream and Dried Cherries

 

As I feared, Grace got a good start out of the pastry kitchen but quickly lost steam with course two.  The chocolate buttermilk doughnut was covered in sugar and oozed a pistachio filling. It sat atop chocolate ice cream and dried cherries. The doughnut itself was thick and moist but drowned in the overpowering pistachio filling. When I happened upon a dried cherry every few bites my mouth was confused. “What are you doing here cherry? You are not helping this situation. Where is that caramel doughnut? I want that one again! Valiant effort Mr. Pistachio Chocolate Buttermilk but you are not quite as good as your predecessor.”

Course 3: Buttermilk Brown Butter Glazed Doughnuts with Warm Rum Spiced Milk

Now the buttermilk brown butter was delicious, but the warm rum spiced milk? After a twirl with my spoon and a teensy taste on the tongue I did not proceed any further with the rum spiced milk. I didn’t know whether to drink it or dip it, but it’s slimy slick texture was so unappealing I didn’t want to do either. The buttermilk brown butter was like a traditional glazed doughnut with a hint of sophistication.  However, I think I only enjoyed it so much because of its resemblance to the salted caramel in course one.

Overall the tasting menu was good, especially with a strong and memorable first course: the salted caramel doughnut. I think I will dream about that doughnut, it was so divine.  In the end the doughnut tasting menu was a one trick pony but man, was that one good trick!