Dessert Mon Nov 16 2009
The New Yorker's latest food issue gives Chicago's Lutz Cafe a shout-out in an article on "spit cake," or Baumkuchen. To make this "king of cakes," a baker must brush layer upon layer of batter onto a spit, creating an elaborate ring of cake that looks like the inside of a tree trunk when sliced. According to the New Yorker article, the cake is so hard to make that it is only sold during the holidays at Lutz, and it sure isn't cheap.
— Dana Currier /
Dessert Sun Nov 15 2009
Patient Hoosier Mama pie fans spilled out onto Chicago Avenue on an unseasonably warm mid-November Saturday afternoon. With the line extending outside and past the picture window of the cozy West Town retail space, proud owner Paula Haney asked waiting customers what inspired them to stop in on this day of all days. No common thread emerged from the varied answers that could account for the day's exceptionally brisk business. Simply, word continues to spread that Haney and her quickly growing team are crafting outstanding pie. Now there is another reason to indulge in their creations: Ruth & Phils Gourmet Ice Cream.
Starting this week, customers eating in the Hoosier Mama shop can get their slices of pie à la mode, while folks carrying out pie can bring home pints of Ruth & Phil's French-style ice cream. Alison Bower, owner of the Lincoln Square-based ice cream company, yesterday offered free samples of two flavors to the long line of pie fans: Madagascar vanilla bean and sour cream-cinnamon. Both flavors offered an exceptionally smooth mouthfeel and reserved sweetness which made them natural accompaniments to pie. Now it is almost impossible to imagine Hoosier Mama's double-crusted bourbon- and vanilla-infused pear pie without the headiness of Ruth & Phils vanilla ice cream, or the traditional apple pie minus the spicy tang of the sour cream-cinnamon.
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— Sharon Bautista /
Dessert Wed Nov 11 2009
I've been in a cranberry rut lately with my desserts, so yesterday in preparation for a dinner with friends, I hit went online for inspiration and something without berry or crumble in the name. Right away I found it, at one of my favorite sites, 101 Cookbooks: Beeramisu, or tiramisu made with beer. (follow the link for the recipe.) Fall is always a good time for cooking with beer. Especially something like Beeramisu, which doesn't require a lot of prep time or ingredients.
After two trips to the grocery store, one to double the amount of mascarpone I'd initially bought, I began to assemble my dessert. When I popped open the bottle of beer I realized there were going to be three kids eating with us, so I decided it would be best to boil the alcohol out of the beer. I made a mistake with the beer. I didn't want to buy a six pack of stout or porter, so I bought Grimbergen, thinking it would be sweet and spicy enough. But when it came time to pour the beer over the lady fingers, I added a shot of coffee, as the recipe says to. I thought I could skip the coffee, and perhaps with a darker beer I could have, but not with a Belgian blonde.
Since tiramisu, or Beeramisu, doesn't need to bake, it's a quick dessert to make. I layered lady fingers with the beer-coffee mixture poured over them, alternating with a creamy blend of mascarpone and whipped cream. When I served it I worried that my lady fingers looked a little dry, but my 6-year-old dinner guest assured me that, no, those lady fingers looked soggy. They tasted soggy, too. In the end it was hard to actually distinguish the beer taste, but the dessert was a hit. My husband even ate a spoonful at breakfast this morning. Next time, I'll try a richer, darker beer and leave out the coffee, for a more beer-thentic experience.
— Lori Barrett /
Dessert Thu Nov 05 2009
We're not paid to hawk Groupon, but today's deal is worth noting: $40 worth of Swirlz cupcakes for $20.
You're welcome.
— Robyn Nisi /
Dessert/Erotica 140 characters at a time.
If you're like me and daydream about buttercream, chocolate ganache, and anything with a buttery, flaky crust...and are a borderline-might-actually-be-a twitter addict then you need to add these sugarcoated tweeple to your follow list ASAP. Tweets about delicious treats maybe not be as good as eating them but they are titillating -- it's dessert foreplay, if you will.
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— Shanna Quinn /
Recipe Tue Oct 20 2009
"What possessed you to make your own candy pumpkins?" -- I've been getting this question a lot over the past few days as I talked about writing this piece. The only answer I have is because it sounded fun ...and it was fun!
My original plan entailed making candy corn but as my sugary adventure progressed, I felt 
taking the leap into candy pumpkins was way more impressive--and I enjoy being impressive. The recipe is exactly the same for candy corn if you chose to go that route.
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— Shanna Quinn /
Dessert Wed Jul 15 2009
Last night, I did something that proves that I've lost all sense of adventure and surprise: I bought my own birthday cake--a beautiful one from Sweet Mandy B's, with seashell-shaped frosting around the border. Oooh. So pretty.
All I need is a glass of skim milk and I'll be good to go.
This brought up a question--what the are BEST birthday cakes? Homemade? Bakery made? A package of Dunkin' Stix ate with a cup of coffee?
Please discuss.
— Robyn Nisi /
Random Tue Jun 16 2009
Threadless.com's shirts are so cute, sometimes you just want to eat them up. In fact, many people have -- by turning their favorite designs into cakes.
It's not just for fun, either -- it could be for profit, too, if you enter the Threadcakes contest this summer. From June 15 (ie, yesterday) until August 3, you can submit photos of your own Threadless shirt-based cake to the contest for a chance to win a Threadless 12-Month Club membership, "tons" of Guittard chocolate and a Charm City Cakes prize pack. There are two categories -- 2D (just the design on the cake) and 3D (the design is the cake) -- and you can submit as many cakes as you want. So read the rules, sign up and get to baking!
— Andrew Huff /
Starfruit, the frozen kefir cafe, is opening a second location in Lincoln Park on Thursday. The grand-opening will have a live DJ and activities for kids served along with the kefir smoothies and parfaits. And, on Thursday only, each kefir purchase comes with a free topping. For Chicago parents facing a day with bored kids at home waiting for their teachers to finish filling out report cards, a little face-painting and frozen-treat outing might soothe a lot of pre-report card angst. The cafe is at 2142 N Halsted Street.
— Lori Barrett /
Dessert Fri May 29 2009
If you're like me (meaning, you have little to no self control when it comes to sweets), you've been guilty of making an emergency run to Whole Foods not for organic wheat germ or Acai berries, but for one of the way-inappropriately sized Carol's Cookies sold in their bakery. (Toffee Crunch is my fave.) Recently, I learned Carol's has been making these half-pound beauties in the Chicago area since 1979 - the year of my birth. Coincidence? I think not.
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Carol's recently put out a call asking loyal fans to submit ideas for the company's next cookie flavor. (Yes, the winners get free cookies. Stick with me here.) To participate, visit Carol's Web site or join the new Facebook fan page, "Carol's Cookies Giant Cookie Club." The contest starts June 1 and runs through Aug. 12, 2009.
After reviewing all entries, Carol's bakers will select the top five flavors and spend four weeks perfecting the recipes at the Carol's cookie factory. The five finalists' recipes will be judged on Sept. 15, 2009, at the Carol's factory by Carol Goldman (yes, the Carol), and foodies Katrina Markoff of Vosges Haut-Chocolat, Marc Shulman of Eli's Cheesecake, Bryant Keil of Potbelly's Sandwich Works, and restaurant critic Sherman Kaplan from WBBM AM 780 radio.
The winner will receive a year's supply of free cookies, as well as virtual applause from the online universe. Oh, and the champ also gets to be guest baker for two days at Carol's Cookies Highland Park bakery. The runners-up even get some cookie dough. So what more can I say, people: Cookie it up!
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
Dessert Mon May 11 2009
The queasy period of spring, when we don't know if a heat wave or a blizzard is waiting around the corner, has ended. I put away my winter boots just this past week. It felt great. So great, in fact, that I decided to pick up some annuals for my porch.
I made it to Adams and Sons, a Humboldt Park garden supply that is housed in a deceivingly small building--as I wandered around (for way too long) checking out row after row of plants and gadgets, I got hungry and realized that Tipsycake was only a few doors south. And that it was open. I took a break from my overwhelming petunia shopping.
When the bakery opened a few years ago, Tipsycake was known for its Lamingtons, an Australian treat that is a square of white cake with a layer of raspberry jam and coated with chocolate and flaked coconut. Perhaps they're the answer to our Hostess Sno-Balls: reportedly they're as common as donuts Down Under. For good reason, a pile of Lamingtons still dominates Tipsycake's daily offerings: they're awesome. I was concerned that the chocolate would have a Ding Dong-esqe waxy coating, and instead it was a blessedly thin layer of (real) chocolate glaze. The flavors are not overwhelming but it made me wish I could seven more of these, even if they don't look like the delight they actually are.
I went back to the flower place and was able to figure out the color scheme for my potted impatiens in seconds. I credit the cake.
— Robyn Nisi /
Stop by Ben & Jerry's today to receive a free cone. Participating Chicago area locations include:
Ben & Jerry's Navy Pier
700 East Grand Ave.
Ben & Jerry's Navy Pier Kiosk
600 East Grand Avenue
Ben & Jerry's Oak Park
1025 West Lake Street
Ben & Jerry's Evanston
1634 Orrington Ave.
— Gemma Petrie /
Event Wed Apr 01 2009
Hoosier Mama Pie's Paula Haney will share the ovens today with cooking personality Bertha Mason. The pair will be making mock apple pie -- which isn't an April Fool's joke at all, but a Depression era cost-cutting classic -- at the store, 1618-1/2 W. Chicago Ave., from noon to 4pm. Stop in for a taste and a laugh.
— Andrew Huff /
Perhaps in time for the warm weather that's due any day now, another Korean frozen yogurt shop is rolling into town. Red Mango, which has set up shop in Evanston and Naperville, has a cheery HELP WANTED sign covering a storefront window on Clark Street, just above Diversey--probably at the exact latitude in the city's grid system as YoBerri, a few short blocks away on Halsted Street. Last year, after the suburban locations opened, both Time Out Chicago and Chicago magazine named Red Mango the best probiotic frozen treat. Now we have to wait and see which will arrive first: the "fresh" and "bright" frozen yogurt or the fresh and bright spring we're waiting for.
— Lori Barrett /
Dessert Fri Mar 27 2009
Vosges has their "Green Collection" for Spring available now in their boutiques and on line
.
The collection includes:
Ellateria - Indian green cardamom + dark chocolate + white poppy seeds
Kaffir - Thai kaffir lime + fresh coconut + dark chocolate
Kayoko - Japanese macha green tea + white chocolate + cherry blossom petals
Buddha's Leaf - Malaysian pandan leaves + dark chocolate + cocoa powder
Green Truffle Collection, $28-$42
Vosges is also making great strides in eco-conscious production. Their shipping department uses air-filled bags that are made from 100% post-consumer waste and are biodegradable as opposed to styrofoam peanuts. Vosges manufactures their products using 100% renewable energy and heir boutiques in Chicago, New York and Las Vegas run on 100% renewable energy as well. Catalogs are printed with paper from a mill in the USA that is 10% post-consumer waste and certified for sustainability.
So you can feel good about all that chocolate you snarf down.
Vosges
951 W Armitage
520 N Michigan (North Bridge Mall)
— Christine Blumer /
Dessert Sat Mar 21 2009
I am as big a fan of the bacon in dessert trend as anybody can be. I've consumed chocolate-dipped bacon from Bleeding Heart, bacon candy bars, bacon-maple cupcakes from More, bacon-fat gingersnaps, and bacon brittle; I've made bacon-fat truffles (thank you, Schwa, for giving me your recipe) and bacon baklava. The last four items in this list were all consumed at a Baconalia party.
But I have a little secret: my favorite sweet involving a pork product doesn't involve bacon at all. It involves chorizo.
Coco Rouge is already well-known for their Carnassier bar, using maple-cured bacon. I prefer their Andalucia bar, which has been out for some time, but hasn't received the same attention. The base of the bar is a bittersweet chocolate with Aleppo pepper; in the chocolate, there are bits of honey-sweet toffee studded with small morsels of chorizo. The overall effect is mostly sweet, with an occasional burst of smoky, savory sausage. The pepper used in the chocolate is a terrific counterpoint to the chorizo. I'm not sure sausage would work in many of the other desserts where bacon can be used (sausage baklava?), but in this case, the combination is perfect.
— Leah Williams /
