A Dessert Not Easily Forgotten

Four months ago while my cousin was visiting from Toronto, I took her to The Prado in Balboa Park for a foodie lover's paradise. And as those who know me at all, paradise must include a fabulous dessert. This dessert was suited for such a hot day as it was and the combination of I believe it was three different sorbets was reminiscent of a ice-cream bomb done in a daintier manner. The sorbet trio was placed in an entirely edible almond-brittle bowl, held to the plate with a zig-zag of raspberry sauce. To me the most intriguing aspect was the multi-colored sugar sculpture that organically set in the sorbet as its own artistic sculpture. Bravo Prado on your dessert concoction that I will never forget especially since I made a blog about it.

The Creative Genius of Rodger

Rodger is the creative genius behind this innovative dessert at Sushi Puzzle in San Francisco, CA. On the spoons, there is a combination of lychee and raspberry sorbet, and on the outside are slices of wasabi cheesecake. Wasabi cheesecake? I know it sounds strong, but the wasabi flavor was subtle because of course Rodger used fresh wasabi. To eat this dessert, you took a little of the cheesecake and a little of each sorbet and then ate them together. The combination was refreshing with the sorbet and slightly tangy with the wasabi cheesecake. Rodger, you have done it again, and now I am left only to dream about this creatively unique dessert.

Compelling Crème Brûlée

This is the crème brûlée that I ordered for dessert at the Blue Bayou restaurant located in the Pirate's of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. The texture of this crème brûlée was amazingly thick and silky, and it had a nice thick sugary crust on top. The hard sugar surface is always fun to break through to get to the custard goodness underneath. This dessert was also served with fresh berries, a white chocolate stick, and tropical purées that made the presentation beautiful. I am still amazed at the simplicity of crème brûlée as a dessert, but this could be a result of not having making it from scratch before. Experimentation with a kitchen torch might be in the near future.

Is it the bomb?

On my trip to the East Coast, I ventured to a place called Giacomo's in Boston, MA. The food was excellent and I assumed the desserts would be as well. I ordered the Chocolate Truffle Bomb, but sadly not really the bomb. Why? It was a chocolate cake caved in on top by thick ganache. The cake was okay, the ganache could have been smoother and silkier, and it needed something crunchy. It would have also been more creative with multiple layers of different flavors rather than a solid mass of cake. Conclusion: if you are going to add bomb to your title make sure the dessert lives up to it.

San Fran's Sweet Treats

One of my main objectives when traveling is to try a city's desserts. Over the memorial day break, I had the chance to visit a good foodie friend in San Francisco and try this dessert at Izakaya Sozai. In the center is vanilla ice cream, which could have been substituted with lychee ice cream to make this even more amazing to me. Then there these mini green tea cakes sandwiching a sweet red bean center. Strawberries are placed in between for contrasting complementary colors and freshness. The whole dessert is drizzled with a bit of a sweet glaze and sprinkled with powdered sugar to not only please the eyes, but also my taste-buds! Oh the joys of dessert reminiscing.

Took Myself Out for Dessert

I took myself out for dessert at this place called Toast Enoteca and Cucina, which happened to be owned by the same person who is also the owner of Aqua Al 2, an amazing Italian Restaurant also in downtown San Diego. This was the Strawberry Torte and it glorifies this amazing fruit that is in season and gratefully in a delicious dessert such as this one. Underneath the sliced strawberries is a light custard, and thin layers of crispy phyllo dough. My only suggestion, could we drizzle some melted chocolate over the top please?

Trying local desserts

A while ago I met a girl who worked as a pastry chef intern at this place called Tendergreens right by my church in Point Loma. I finally got a chance to give them a try and was delighted to try their strawberry shortcake. Delicious. The cake was dense enough to hold up the liquid from their freshly made whipped-cream and juicy macerated strawberries. My only complaint? More strawberries please! I need to have at least a half a one per bite of course! I look forward to trying another one of their daily dessert specials. My taste buds can hardly wait.