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 Read More »
Margie’s Candies
1960 N. Western Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 384-1035
Margie’s Candies has been a Chicago Institution since 1921! It’s such a fantastic place with an old soda shop vibe, brown leather booths, and waiters and waitress that have worked there forever! My newest dessert lover pal, Doug, who happens to be born and raised in Chicago, welcomed me to the Windy City with a perfect treat! Margie’s has NEVER closed for any occasion except Doug’s 50th birthday party, so he has some pull over at Margie’s…getting us a reservation on a very busy Friday night!
The sundaes here are HUGE! They come in an oyster shaped bowl that allows beautiful presentation and LARGE portions!!! Along with every sundae comes a vanilla wafer cookie that seems to be a Margie’s signature! I ordered their famous Turtle Sundae, but changed it up a little. I replaced the french vanilla scoops with cookies and cream and chocolate chip and then also added marshmallow sauce to the already existing caramel and hot fudge! I knew I had one chance at Margie’s so I had to GO BIG! My ice cream was delicious, chock full of cookies and chips. The caramel was gooey and sweet. I LOVED the hot fudge! Pouring it all over my ice cream and basically licking the sides of my dish until there was nothing left to have. Warm, rich, and very thick…this fudge was one to be reckoned with. My bites went like this (with spoon in hand): I dipped into my sweet marshmallow sauce then right into my hard ice cream, making sure to get caramel and whip cream too, and last but not least, a big dip into the hot fudge to coat everything in chocolate splendor! I was in sundae heaven!!! Luckily other people at the table couldn’t finish their sundaes (I will never understand this problem), so I got to indulge in sampling the coconut ice cream (so creamy) and rainbow sorbet (so refreshing) as well! They were both very yummy!
Margie’s is also famous for the candies, which are all homemade. Doug got a box of turtles for us to try. WOW! Caramel and pecans coated in a thick layer of milk chocolate was the perfect amuse bouche, if you will, to entertain our palates before the sundaes came out. I LOVED the soft, sweet caramel next to the crunchy, salted pecan! They were nice in size and really thick! You can tell in the picture that the caramel was so gooey, just oozing out of the chocolate with each bite. Homemade candies have no other competition!
Margie’s is definitely a place to go in Chicago for dessert. It even was a hangout for The Beatles! When they were too young to go to bars, they came to Margie’s for ice cream instead. There is even some memorabilia for customers to see! There is something for everyone here and if you are a sundae lover like me, you’ll have a hard time choosing! Thank you Doug for introducing me to Margie’s! xoxoBlondie
502 Sixth Avenue (Between 12th and 13th Streets)
NY, NY 10011
212-691-1363 www.barsixny.com
It’s apple season! And what better way to celebrate than with an apple pie! While dining at Bar Six, I finished my meal off with their “Special Dessert” for the evening: Apple Cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “What’s so special about an apple cobbler?” Well, first of all, you can never go wrong with an apple cobbler and ice cream. Second, this isn’t your normal idea of the dessert. It was literally a mini apple pie. Yes, with the traditional pie crust top and everything! The only difference from a pie though was that there was no bottom crust, therefore putting it in the cobbler category. WOW. Seriously, the top was light and flaky and the apples were fresh and perfectly cooked. It was served in a mini pie pan right out of the oven. The ice cream had slightly melted on top, making it the perfect creaminess. And by the way, they know the the right amount of ice cream to use as well. I hate when there isn’t enough to finish off the dessert. I never ran out with this one! If you want a fabulous and traditional fall dessert, go check out Bar Six! xoxoBrownie
Brownie and I have the pleasure of being a part of The Alice’s Teacup Cookbook, out next year!!!! Since Alice’s is our FAVORITE place for sweets in NYC, we were thrilled to be in some candid shots. The adorable owners even brought over a piece of their chocolate cake with buttercream icing for us to have. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…THIS IS THE BEST CAKE IN NYC! xoxo Blondie
