Find the Best Desserts – Top 10 Dessert Blogs (Part 2)

May 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment

One of my favorite foods - the berries, loaded with antioxidants

And here are the other five blogs that did not fit space-wise in part 1 of this post.   Just to refresh your memory, one of the important criteria in the selection process was to find bloggers that are providing us with great baking ideas, recipes, stories, etc. but not listed on every blogger’s site as a fav, or enjoy 100 plus comments per post. Of course educational, visual and entertaining aspects were not overlooked.

not without salt

The first thing that attracted me to Ashley’s blog is the word poppy-seed on top of the home page. If you have visited my site previously you know that one of my weaknesses in baking is “poppy-seed”. In Hungary, you are thriving on poppy-seed from the moment you born. I think my mother was preparing all her meals with poppy-seed while breast-feeding me.

But seriously, Ashley’s blog is everything a successful baking blog should be – educational, informational, stimulating (all your senses) and entertaining. When selecting blogs as “top” among the so many, I am very much aware of the readers’ need. When you are deciding to prepare a sweet treat, whether for a nice quiet evening with the family or for a celebration of some sort, you want the dessert to be special, but easy to prepare; not time-consuming, but when presenting it to a crowd, you want it to look as if you have labored for hours to create it just for them.

Ashley’s blog, not without salt, fits all the requirements of a leading blogger, with a quest to teach, share and cook everything with love and salt. It also reminded me the story I wrote about a while ago about the importance of salt in our existence; so go ahead and read it, I am sure you will enjoy it.

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Find the Best Desserts – Top 10 Dessert Blogs (Part 1)

May 27, 2011 by 7 Comments

Rigo Jancsi, the hungarian chocolate mousse cake I grew up with

I decided to take a tour in the dessert blogging community and select the top 10 dessert blogs for you for the Memorial Day Holiday. The criteria for inclusion in this list, include the following:

  1. I hit the site and I yell out: Wow!
  2. The first photograph I see takes my breath away
  3. The date on the top post is not older than one week
  4. I start to read the top post and I find myself interested to click on the “continue to read”
  5. The recipe is written clearly with enough details to follow
  6. The blog is at least 80% about desserts
  7. Easy to read
  8. There are no ready-made mixes, cans, jars (except jams), gums, or ingredients that I cannot pronounce in the recipes
  9. The recipes are not straight copies from cookbooks or from other authors
  10. Contains limited number of comments (I’d like to promote bloggers that work hard to create great blogs, but for whatever reason ignored or missed.)

Little did I realize that I am asking nearly the impossible. This tour was a real education. No blog matched all ten criteria and after surfing for a half-a-day I still only had 7 blogs on my list.

I think it should be a real eye opener for all of us dessert bloggers (and perhaps food bloggers, as well) and try to work together to enhance and upgrade our blogs to be a better value to our readers. I discussed earlier in my posts about the benefits of multiple brains vs. a single one. I still think it is a good idea.

I’d like to start a “Dessert-Genius-GroupR” that will tour the dessert blogs and select a blog for our weekly meeting to dissect, analyze and recommend improvements. I realize that not everyone can be a star photographer, or a genius recipe developer, but that does not mean that the only desserts we can make and post that is written by someone else, published in cookbooks or put together with the help of artificial ingredients. Recipes handed down from moms and grandmas are fine; but still the best ones are those that we develop from scratch on our own. The only way we will be able to develop great recipes, if we understand the characteristics of the ingredients and how to use them. It also means that we need more educational blogs to help those of us who are great writers, but lack professional and/or scientific education.

If you are interested in joining me in developing this centrally leading Genius-GroupR, please contact me at your earliest.

The first blog on my list is:

Dorie Greenspan

As much as I wanted to select bakers that are relatively unknown, but doing a great job as dessert blog developers and writers, I could not leave Dorie Greenspan off this list. Although, Dorie’s blog cannot be classified as a dessert blog by a strict interpretation, nevertheless there are enough dessert recipes on her site that we can overlook the formalities. In addition, I own five of her cookbooks; all of them are about desserts. I believe Dorie is secretly a dessert lover and blogger. She has contributed significantly over the years toward the enhancement of creative pastries and the enrichment of creative desserts.

Dorie’s reputation as a great cookbook writer/author, a professional recipe developer, mentor and friend is mile high and not without merit.  It is, therefore, not surprising that I have selected her as one of the top dessert bloggers in our time.  With all her knowledge and experience, she is always open to new ideas, not embarrassed to learn from others (even if those may not be near to her level) and not afraid to ask questions, when something is not clear. These qualities can only be assigned to a giant, such as Dorie Greenspan.

Whether it is Tuesdays with Dorie, or French Fridays with Dorie, we always want to be next to Dorie with the hope that something will rub off on us. We also like Rainy Days and Mondays with Dorie, Super Wednesday with Dorie, but Never on Sundays with Dorie (please people, she needs a day to rest).

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CHOCOLATES YOU MUST KNOW – TOP 10 CHOCOLATIERS

December 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment

CELEBRATE THE SEASON WITH CHOCOLATES

THE EIGHT CHOCOLATIER: CHRISTOPHER ELBOW CHOCOLATES

The Artisan:

Christopher Elbow began perfecting his chocolate-making skills while working as a Pastry Chef in Kansas City and that is where he started his own chocolate company. His passion for working with chocolate allowed him to be highly creative. His hand-painted sparkling jewels are not only one of the best work of art (excluding Norman Love’s work, of course), but most carry well-balanced flavors, ingredients in perfect harmony and aroma that can fill a dance hall. He worked with such famous TV chefs, as Emeril Lagasse and he is featured in many print publications, including Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, InStyle and Oprah.

The Chocolates:

Chef Elbow’s use of Vietnamese cinnamon, rosemary with a hint of caramel, or sparkling bubbly flecked with shimmering gold are just phenomenal. We could not stop eating them until we realized that the box is empty.

I must add, however, that not every piece is “perfect”; we did find some misses, but from such a large selection of uniquely flavored bonbons, he is allowed to have a few that may not be to our liking. For instance, in the Rum Raisin chocolate, the rum overpowered the entire product and we did not think that Mango was the right fruit to be used with caramel; he high acidity of this fruit altered the taste of the caramel, and not in a good way. On the other hand the crunchy caramelized hazelnut filling with the smooth, creamy milk chocolate shell was just delightful and the Raspberry, with a layer of the pate and the dark ganache are divine.  The Venezuelan Spice where dark chocolate center spiced with chile and enrobed in a thick dark chocolate shell and the Orange Pekoe Tea with aromas that infiltrated our entire surroundings are both complemented the overall presentation. At first, the Venezuelan spice tastes like the regular dark chocolate ganache; rich and velvety, however as it slowly melts away on the front of your tongue, you can feel the spice catching up to you as it leaves a fiery kick on your palate. You must try the Champagne bonbon if you want celebrate the season by washing down the combination of milk and dark chocolates with the bubbly. The Cappuccino tastes as if you are sipping a nice cup of coffee accompanied with a piece of smooth milk chocolate.

We believe, however, that seven caramel-based creations of the total of 25, creates  an imbalance in their otherwise unique and tasty inventory.  I love a well-made caramel but if it is nearly one-third of the choices it reduces the selection options. I addition, some of the caramels are either too sweet or the caramel a bit overdone which accentuates the bitterness of the bittersweet. I don’t want to give the impression that Chef’s Elbow creations are anything other than top of the line but requires a careful selection.

Since I taste (and create) many chocolates, my critical palate has a couple of cons but please keep in mind that everyone has their own preferences and tastes  and to enjoy these chocolates requires a fairly sophisticated palate.  I also like to make my doctors unhappy, because I believe in all those reports about the beneficial effects of dark chocolates, they don’t.

Chocolatiers at Chef Elbow’s level work with top ingredients (for those who keep track, he uses El Rey couverture). We just don’t know what technique creates this kind of palate magic.

How to order:

It is a good idea to visit their website: http://www.elbowchocolates.com/shop_online and review your options (even if you live nearby). Every chocolate piece is a work of art and they presenting them in their gift box. They also sell chocolate bars, (actually 17 different variations), drinking chocolate in a tin and chocolate coffee.

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CHOCOLATES YOU MUST KNOW – TOP 10 CHOCOLATIERS IN THE US

December 9, 2010 by 4 Comments

Three little mice...9 little mice...L A Burdick

I came to realize that my camera is “not ready for prime time” for food photography. Although, it has high optical zoom and I was making pretty good pictures with good lighting,  it is far from being sufficient for my poppy seed cake, dobos torta or linzer cookies. So, I am back to the “shopping board.” While I am reading, studying, reviewing, comparing and window shopping for a new camera, I will write a couple of posts with information that may interest you, but may not necessarily need the visual assistance, photographs provide.

Everyone loves a Top 10 list.  Who are the top 10 chocolatiers in the U.S.?  I’m basing my list on taste, appearance, and originality.  Appearance means appearance of the chocolate, not the packaging.  While it’s important, and may add to the perceived value of the product, I personally don’t enjoy eating boxes.   The list is compiled with the assistance of family members, friends and chocolate  expert buddies; each entry must have received the most votes We evaluated only truffles, bonbons, and pralines—not solid bars.  And while there are a lot of terrific European chocolatiers (and some that made the list are from Europe originally) why pay for overseas shipping when we have so many local artisans to choose from.  To make the list, the chocolatier had to either be based in the U.S. or have retail stores here.

I would also like for you to chime in with your own nominations for top chocolatiers, and I’ll present a reader’s top 10 list.  The chocolatier must sell in the United States.

I’ll be putting up the list in stages over the next few days. Without further ado, the official and authoritative Chocolate and Figs Top 10 chocolatiers of 2010 begins with No. 10.

The Tenth Best Chocolatier in the US:  L. A. BURDICK

Larry Burdick’s chocolates are handmade in small batches in New Hampshire. The chocolates are elegant and sophisticated, yet also fun and playful.

The Artisan:

Larry Burdick was a pastry chef in New York City when he chose to focus on making chocolate. He decided that if he wanted to concentrate on making high quality tasteful chocolates he needed to be in a more serene surroundings than New York City can provide, so he moved to Walpole, New Hampshire where he still maintains his headquarters.

The Source:

Burdick sourced his cacao beans directly from the Grenada Chocolate Company, in the southeastern Caribbean, until 2004, when a severe hurricane devastated the island and ruined the cacao plantations. Dried and fermented beans were shipped to high quality couverture producer Felchlin in Switzerland for processing.

As of today, Felchlin and Valrhona make up the bulk of Burdick’s chocolates, but production in Grenada had been steadily increasing each year, so they hope that the trend will continue. Burdick likes to use minimally sweetened chocolate which allows him to create unadulterated chocolate flavor.

The Chocolates:

The bonbons/pralines/truffles of Burdick are delectable, but about half the size of what you might find at another chocolatier’s shop. However, despite their small size, each piece delivers a blast of great chocolate flavor. The ganache is always perfectly proportioned, and definitely in the French style. They’re firm and dense, yet melt decadently, allowing plenty of time for the flavors to shine through.  The shells are thin, melt easily and quickly, and provide just enough chocolaty appetizer before the main course, the ganache.

One of the benefits of small sizes is that you can fit plenty of pieces into one box (even a quarter pounder contains 20 pieces). Burdick likes to incorporate liqueurs, cherries, raspberries, orange, and the like into the ganache, but he never allows them to overpower the chocolate. Many of his chocolates use traditional flavors, but he does a few “eccentric” pieces like a combination of milk and dark chocolate interior with cherry liquor, cherries and cumin seeds or the white chocolate ganache infused with lemongrass and a touch of vodka decorated with pink peppercorns.

We selected the following bonbons as their “Top of Line”, although it was not an easy task:

  1. Baton Framboise
  2. Brazilia
  3. Earl Grey
  4. Orinoco
  5. Richelieu

Baton Framboise is made with fresh raspberry in which the seeds provide a wonderful textural crunch and additional hint of fruitiness; the top is sprinkled with chopped pistachio. Brazilia harmonizes espresso, kirsch (cherry liqueur) and anise for an unusual but highly enjoyable piece. The espresso and kirsch add some kick (hopefully the FDA won’t be banning this alchohol/caffeine combo) and anise delivers a light and flavorful accent. It is absolutely delicious.  The Earl Grey with bergamot is simple but refreshing (and I love the aroma of bergamot).  The Orinoco with Caribbean spices and a touch of rum  is a unique work of art; the cocoa nibs hold off the melting of the combination of milk and dark center which  allows the explosion of flavors linger indefinitely. Richelieu is also a combination of sweet and savory, with quite unusual ingredients (this is one of those that I call eccentric); it blends cherry liqueur with cumin, milk and dark chocolate interior to provide a sweet yet uniquely savory contrast, and the coverture is topped with a dried cherry. You should certainly try it; you may be surprised by its delicacy and the lingering taste.

You can also find other interesting pieces, like Pavé Glace (dark chocolate, cocoa butter, cognac, saffron and a touch of butter), Trinidad (a baton of dark ganache with cinnamon, cardamom and chopped hazelnuts) and  Fig (you knew that I will mention this) with dark chocolate ganache balanced with a flavorful fig and port wine.

However, three pieces stand tall among their peers, fashionably shaped into adorable figures of penguins, mice (with silk string tails) and honey bees, that are almost too cute to eat. The penguins are filled with lemon-accented chocolate ganache, the honey bee contains its namesake ganache with almond wings and the mice have three treatments: dark chocolate ganache with orange, milk chocolate with espresso and white chocolate with cinnamon.

OH! These cute penguins are a delight...L A Burdick

The dark chocolate version tastes similar to the Jaffa bonbon, but the milk and white siblings are unique. The espresso-accented milk chocolate is a refreshing balancing act, while the cinnamon and white chocolate combination is tastier than dark chocolate lovers (like me) dream of in their philosophy. One mouse is included in each quarter pound box and two mice can be found in the half and full pound assortments. These little creatures are so good  that you might want to purchase your own litter of mice; the penguin are equally charming. I was told that they are making additional seasonal figures, (e.g. snowman, turkey, etc), but I have not seen or tasted those yet.

How to Order:

One can order online http://burdickchocolate.com, or by phone: 800-229-2419 and a beautiful catalog will also be mailed to you. If you happen to be in Walpole, New Hampshire, Cambridge, Massachusetts, or New York City, you can feast in person at Burdick’s Chocolate Shop and Café, http://www.burdickchocolate.com/stores-and-cafes-nyc.asp, destination spots for many fans.

PLEASE NOTE:  There was absolutely no monetary or any other related exchanges involved in these posts.

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