pannikincoffeeandtea.com
After my friend and talented director/choreographer, Casey Nicholaw, recommended I check out Pannikin Coffee and Tea while performing here in San Diego, I absolutely had to try it. Now he specifically told me to get their carrot cake, which I happily obliged. OMG. I can officially say this was the BEST carrot cake I’ve ever had in my life. Seriously. I mean, I have tried a lot of carrot cake and this one beats them all. The slice was huge (which I like), and the cake was fantastic. It was fresh with THICK cream cheese icing. What I love about this carrot cake is that there weren’t too many raisins. Too often is carrot cake stuffed to the core with raisins, nuts, etc. What people forget is the “carrot cake” itself is an amazing flavor. In this one, I could taste the cinnamon and carrot and actually enjoy the spices. The icing was incredible. I could easily eat it alone with a spoon. Just thick, creamy, and lots of it! To top it off, there were toasted coconut shavings on the outside edge. DELICIOUS! My husband and I enjoyed this treat together, each getting an amazing latte served in a huge cup. I must say, this latte was no joke and one of the best I’ve had as well. How can you go wrong driving along the scenic Route 101, stopping at Pannikin, and enjoying some carrot cake and a latte while sitting outside on adirondack chairs in the sun? Yup, this is a must. Thanks Casey! xoxoBrownie
This recipe seems super easy and looks amazing! I love the idea of serving this dessert in a martini glass! It looks fancy and delicate, like a good martini! This would be a perfect dessert to serve at your next dinner party. xoxo Blondie
Lemon Silk with Fresh Blackberries
Yields 8 Martini Glasses
Lemon Silk
2 ½ cups Heavy Cream
½ cup Sugar
6 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 pint Blackberries
Method:
1) Place 3 to 5 blackberries in each Martini Glass
2) Mix Cream and Sugar in non-reactive saucepan
3) Heat to 175*F
4) Remove from fire and stir until temperature comes down to 150*F
5) Whisk in Lemon Juice
6) Immediately funnel into martini glasses filling 2/3 of the way up.
7) Let rest in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
8) Cream will set on its own
Stewed Blackberries
2 pints Blackberries
¾ cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
Method:
1) Combine Sugar, Lemon Juice, and ½ pint of Blackberries in saucepan over high heat until berries release their juice, and a clear purple syrup is formed
2) Turn off fire and stir in remaining blackberries
3) Chill until ready to serve
4) The second day, spoon Stewed Blackberries over Lemon Silk
Kimberly Bugler is the Executive Pastry Chef at the legendary 21 Club restaurant in New York City. Recently she developed easy summer dessert recipes that are simple enough for the home cook. Just Desserts NYC are thrilled to feature these recipes and encourage all dessert lovers to start baking!!! We will feature one at a time so you can have time to get into the kitchen. I personally love the idea of basil infused ice cream. Thai basil has a bold taste with a hint of licorice or mint. Paired with the vanilla roasted strawberries this dessert says gourmet but seems easy to follow. xoxo Blondie
Thai Basil Ice Cream with Vanilla Roasted Strawberries
Thai Basil Ice Cream
1½ cups milk
3 c cream
1 cup packed basil leaves, washed and dried
1 cup sugar
½ cup corn syrup
½ teaspoon kosher salt
10 egg yolks
Method:
1) Place Milk, Cream, Sugar, Corn Syrup, and Kosher Salt in Medium Saucepan over medium high heat, and whisk together.
2) Place Egg yolks in medium bowl and set aside
3) Place Basil leaves in Large bowl and set aside
4) When Milk mixture has come to a boil, pour half of the mixture into egg yolks while whisking
5) Pour Egg Mixture back into pot and return to low heat stirring constantly.
6) Cook Mixture until it coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow to boil.
7) Pour Ice cream base over Basil leaves and stir to coat all leaves.
8) Let steep 20 minutes
9) Strain leaves out and Spin in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.
10) Remove Ice Cream from machine when it reaches Soft- serve consistency, and allow to sit in freezer to continue freezing, preferably overnight.
Vanilla Roasted Strawberries
I pint Strawberries
1 cup Sugar
1 Vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
Method:
1) Remove stem end of strawberries, and quarter them
2) Toss them in a bowl with Sugar to coat them evenly
3) Spread evenly into a baking pan
4) Tuck vanilla bean under strawberries to avoid burning
5) Place Pan under broiler for 20 seconds, remove, stir strawberries,
6) Repeat several times until strawberries make a syrup and begin to char lightly on edges
7) Chill roasted Strawberries retaining syrup
8) Serve over basil ice cream
Bi- Rite Creamery
3692 18th Street
(@ Dolores)
San Francisco CA
94110
Bi-Rite Creamery is very famous in San Francisco. I have never been there when there isn’t a line outside the door and sometimes around the corner. It’s good ice cream! Using organic, local ingredients and making small batches, ensures that you are getting high quality dessert! Every day they feature a different artisanal flavor such as balsamic strawberry, salted caramel, and spicy mexican chocolate.
I decided to get a sundae…the “afternoon snack” sundae! I couldn’t resist roasted banana ice cream topped with homemade graham crackers, caramel sauce and whipped cream!! It’s one heck of an afternoon snack that I enjoyed late at night actually! As I got up to order I noticed a flavor called cinnamon snickerdoodle. In asking for a sample, the very friendly employee suggested I incorporate this flavor in my sundae. After tasting the delicious cinnamon ice cream and having a small chunk of snickerdoodle cookie, I couldn’t have agreed more! So there it was…one scoop roasted banana, one scoop cinnamon in a sea of grahams and caramel!!! YUMMY! I downed this sundae so fast I could have had seconds for sure! Bi-Rite recently started serving soft serve out of a little stand just past the ice cream location. You can also grab cookies, brownies, and cupcakes there. They are open seven days a week so get over to Bi-Rite! You definitely won’t regret it!! xoxoBlondie
1454 Camino Del Mar
(between 14th St & 15th St)
Del Mar, CA 92014
www.americanarestaurant.com
Ok, so I believe that a breakfast entree can occasionally be considered a dessert. That is, when it’s something like the “caramelized banana and chocolate waffle with walnuts and fresh whipped cream” I had at Cafe Americana in Del Mar. It was a chocolate waffle topped with the bananas, walnuts, and cream. It was so crispy and sweet, and the flavors blended together perfectly. I love waffles because they are light and you don’t feel heavy after eating them yet you still get a sweet fix. Of course in the morning, I had to balance it out with some salt, and their cheesy grits, apple chicken sausage, and Huevos Rancheros were fantastic! The restaurant is in an adorable cottage-type building and they serve breakfast all week long. There menu items were all intriguing, and they definitely are full of business. With the menu they offer and the cute street they are located on, you can’t go wrong. xoxoBrownie
Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte
590 Lexington Ave (at 52nd St)
New York, NY 10022
(212) 758-3989
This French restaurant in NYC just opened and serves one thing, STEAK and FRITES! Luckily, they also have a dessert menu!!! After my succulent steak and crispy, salty frites, I ordered the Le Vacherin du Relais. The dessert was explained to me as a tower of meringues with hazelnut and vanilla gelato, then covered in hot fudge and whipped cream. YUMMY! I said, “Yes please!” Merinque is one of my newest obsessions (ever since tasting Pavlova in London), and you know I can’t live without ice cream! I could barely wait to dig in! This sundae was perfect! The warm fudge glazed the meringues, but didn’t take away their crunch or chewy texture. I loved having two different kinds of gelato to give the sundae more flavorful dimension since meringue is tasteless. Le Relais did not skimp on the hot fudge either, which is a very important factor in any good sundae! This restaurant has locations in Paris and London with it’s NYC location that just opened. It’s great steak and frites with an excellent dessert menu to end the meal! Bonjour Le Relais!
xoxo Blondie
Three Twins Ice Cream
254 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
The motto here at this ice cream parlor is, “Inconceivably delicious organic ice cream,” and boy are they right! I was blown away by the levels of creaminess, taste, and variety of unique flavors. It’s all organic which just makes you feel even better as you lick away! I ordered a small scoop of their lemon cookie ice cream and have been dreaming about it ever since. I usually don’t like lemon flavored desserts, however, this ice cream looked so good in the case that I went against my usual sweet tooth. I am so glad I tried something different! The HUGE chunks of cookies mixed throughout the lemon flavored ice cream where so crunchy and exploded with a lemon/vanilla flavor. Every single bite included a cookie piece! It was the perfect treat after a late summer lunch. Three twins have many locations throughout San Francisco and in Napa Valley. I suggest going there ASAP and trying some of their “Inconceivably delicious organic ice cream.” xoxo Blondie
18 Cornelia Street
New York, NY 10014-4138
(212) 691-8211
www.pearloysterbar.com
OK, so yes I’m still in San Diego (reviews from amazing places here to come!), but I still have incredible places in NYC that I must share with you! Dining at Pearl Oyster Bar in the West Village is a must for every New Yorker and visitor. The food was ridiculous (get the Lobster Roll!) and the dessert was fabulous. I enjoyed their Blueberry Pie with vanilla ice cream. As you can see in the photo, the amount of blueberries inside is generous and oh so good! The crumble on top is heavenly. I love when there’s a crumble:-). Berries and crumble is a combination that you can’t ever go wrong with. The size was great for sharing (or not!). The only aspect of this pie is that it isn’t served warm. It was so good I didn’t mind, but I usually like my pie warm. Though I’m sure they would warm it for you if you so desired. I have a feeling Pearl Oyster bar will become one of my dining staples. The atmosphere makes you feel welcome, and the food doesn’t disappoint. xoxoBrownie
20 West 72nd Street
New York, NY 10023-4100
(212) 787-5656
sambucanyc.com
So, I’m currently in San Diego for a few months, but I’ve been meaning to post this dessert since I left NYC. I dined at Sambuca on the UWS, and I have to give a shout out to all you Gluten-Free friends! First off, they are extremely sensitive to those who eat Gluten-Free. Being an Italian restaurant, they’ve created an entire menu, on top of their regular pasta, using rice pasta. They even serve special Gluten-Free bread and it was delicious! What stood out was, of course, their brownie sundae! Having had many a brownie sundaes, I was thoroughly impressed y the taste of this one. Gluten-Free foods can taste a bit off, especially to those of us not used to it. This sundae was generous in size and fantastic in flavor. Both my husband and I enjoyed every bite. I give an A+ to Sambuca for their large amount of ice cream as well. I like to be able to have ice cream with every bite of brownie, and well, this fulfilled my preference! So, if you want a great Italian place to eat both Gluten and Gluten-Free, check out this lovely restaurant. xoxoBrownie
Ben’s Cookies
123 Kensington High Street Kensington, London
020 7376 0559
Ben’s Cookies are the BEST COOKIES I HAVE EVER HAD! They are fresh, warm, ooey-gooey, out of the oven, home-baked tasting, feel good…happiness! I want one of their cookies everyday for the rest of my life. What kind of cookies do they have there, you may ask? Dark, white, milk chocolate, lemon, coconut, ginger, white chocolate with cranberries, and fruit and nut are just some of the flavors they bake each day. Ben’s uses the best quality ingredients which produces a crunchy on the outside, but chewy and soft on the inside treat. I am IN LOVE with the Coconut cookie. Coconut flakes cover the top and are lightly browned from the baking process. The inside is almost under baked in texture and melts in your mouth. It’s a TASTE SENSATION! I also tried the Oatmeal Raisin. This cookie was like a Maple and Brown Sugar Pop Tart in cookie form. I couldn’t believe the chunks of brown sugar and cinnamon that I could see after I took a bite. It was incredible! Ben’s Cookies are so popular that they can’t keep them on the shelves! They are pulling batches out of the oven every five minutes. Sold by their weight, you can pick and choose which cookie you want. Be advised, you’ll want the biggest one!!!
xoxoBlondie
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