I’m a dessert lover. Yes, it’s true. Sugar
is my thing. Which doesn’t mean I don’t adore nibbling from that
basket of bread at the start of dinner and anticipating the pleasures
of each course thereafter. It’s just that for me, dessert is
the jewel in the crown of any meal.
But more and more often, those few moments after the entree plates
are cleared and the dessert menu is handed over – a time I used
to anticipate with pleasure – has become fraught with tension.
Why? Frequently, when I peer down at the roundup, instead of
finding creative sweets, or even humble but satisfying classics,
I’m confronted with the Holy Trinity of desserts: tiramisu, molten
chocolate cake and cheesecake.
For the 10 or so years that tiramisu and molten chocolate cake
have made appearances on menus (cheesecake has been offered for
an eternity; I think I spotted a slice on a mural in Pompeii
this summer) I’ve enjoyed them. Tiramisu can be an airy delight.
And I was charmed the first time I cut into that chocolate cake
and watched its hot center spill on the plate. Cheesecake? I’ve
only tried a few that let me down.
What do I want instead? I’m open to novelty.
If a chef constructs a miniature Ferris wheel out of spun sugar
and fills each of its seats with a different mousse, I’ll eat
it. But I’m just as happy when a classic dessert is given a twist
with an interesting herb or a luscious sauce is added to the
presentation.
Below are fall desserts from six chefs who care as much about
the end of the meal, as they do its beginning and middle.
Mark Lahm, chef and owner of the esteemed Henry’s End in Brooklyn
Heights, told GO Brooklyn: "We took molten chocolate cake
off the menu two years ago, but people still ask for it. It’s
become a comfort food."
So Lahm gave them an equally satisfying cocoa creation, his dark
chocolate bread pudding topped with a puff of cinnamon-flavored
whipped cream. If you think bread pudding is no big deal, I assure
you that it is when it’s served warm from the oven, with a crusty
top and a center as soft as a souffle. This one arrives in a
large square; it’s a serious serving, meant to sate a primal
urge for chocolate.
You’ll wish it were larger.
Creme brulee is another dessert that isn’t a news flash to the
palate, but I haven’t reached my saturation point with it yet.
Chef Laura Taylor of Superfine, in DUMBO, makes a rendition infused
with a note of sweet, spicy ginger. It’s subtle – more of a suggestion
of the root than a smack of flavor – and the creme is a thick
pudding. Taylor serves it in a small ramekin with a rich chocolate
cookie and a tiny, crumbly, powdered sugar-covered ball studded
with walnuts that nearly steals the show.
Like Taylor, chef Joe Eloriagga, who owns Tost, a panini and
wine bar in Park Slope, knows when to go easy with a good thing.
Among creative desserts like grilled panini filled with Nutella
(the chocolate and hazelnut spread) or mascarpone cheese with
fresh raspberries and chestnut honey, there’s a lovely panna
cotta infused with lavender. The custard is intensely rich, made
even more so with a topping of fig compote and balanced with
crisp, house-made biscotti. Eloriagga uses the herb judiciously
so it leaves just a whiff of its perfume.
"Too much lavender overwhelms everything," he said.
Jerome Sevier, of Saint Germain bistro and bakery in Bay Ridge,
keeps the presentation of his pistachio caramel simple. The two
layers of mousse are served unadorned on a small plate, and that
is how it should be. Garnishes would distract from the harmony
of the nutty, pale-green mousse and the sweet, honeyed flavor
of the caramel.
When it comes to pears, pastry chef Irena Kichenko, of Park Slope’s
Stone Park Cafe, can’t get enough. She fills the center of a
buttery little almond cake with the top half of a red wine-poached
pear. A cinnamon-laced tuile, filled with luscious hazelnut ice
cream, completes the plate. The dish – with its golden cake and
swirls of red wine – is an edible ode to autumn.
"Carrot-rosewater toast" sounds humble, but once the
rosy-colored slices of the sweet bread are plated, the dessert
is just as visually exciting as Kichenko’s pear production. Chef
Julie Farias, of Ici in Fort Greene, keeps the dessert simple:
just two slices of the toasted bread with a center of slightly
sweetened mascarpone cheese and a dab of plum compote on top
to add a bit of tartness.
"I don’t want too many flavors to compete with the sweetness
of the carrots and the delicate rosewater," Farias says.
So chefs, if you want to score brownie points with diners, give
them new desserts to love. It will make fall that much sweeter.
Henry’s End (44 Henry St. at Cranberry
Street in Brooklyn Heights) accepts American Express, Diners
Club, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. Entrees: $15.95-$24.95;
desserts: $7.50. The restaurant is open daily for dinner. For
reservations, call (718) 834-1776.
iCi (246 DeKalb Ave. at Vanderbilt Avenue in Fort Greene) accepts
American Express, MasterCard and Visa. Entrees: $12-$19; desserts:
$6. The restaurant serves dinner Tuesday through Sunday and brunch
on weekends from 8 am to 4 pm. Closed Mondays. For reservations
call (718) 789-2778.
Saint Germain (8303 Third Ave. at 83rd Street in Bay Ridge) accepts
American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. Entrees: $7-$19.95;
desserts: $3.75. The restaurant serves dinner Tuesday through
Sunday and brunch on weekends from 9 am to 4 pm. Closed Mondays.
For reservations, call (718) 745-8899.
Stone Park Cafe (324 Fifth Ave. at Third Street in Park Slope)
accepts American Express, MasterCard and Visa. Entrees: $14-$23;
desserts: $7-$8. Dinner is served Tuesday through Sunday. Brunch
is available all day Sunday. Closed Mondays. For reservations
call (718) 369-0082.
Superfine (126 Front St. at Pearl Street in DUMBO) accepts American
Express, MasterCard and Visa. Entrees: $12-$21; desserts: $7.
The restaurant offers lunch from noon to 3 pm; dinner is served
Tuesday through Saturday. Brunch is available Sundays from 11
am to 4 pm. For information, call (718) 243-9005.
Tost (427 Seventh Ave. at 14th Street in Park Slope) accepts
MasterCard and Visa. Panini and platters: $7-$15; desserts: $5.
The eatery is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Closed
Mondays. For information, call (718) 965-1075.
