Five Unique Dessert Shops for Valentine’s Day Sweets

Posted by Sally Traynham / Monday, January 30th, 2012

Everybody loves a box of chocolates on Valentine’s day, but this year, kick it up a notch and treat your special someone to one of these outrageously delicious and unique Valentine’s Day noshes.

If you want to keep with the chocolates theme, head to Artisan Confections where Jason Andelman creates beautiful chocolate masterpieces in one bite. Each piece of chocolate is covered in a stunning design created by a local artist. With flavors such as lemon-rose, port wine-fig and raspberry caramel, you can’t go wrong.

For something different, delve into the world of macarons. These French confections are known for their light, but bold flavors. PastryXPO offers various sizes of macaron gift boxes with flavors that you can mix and match.

Alexandria Pastry Shop is the place to go for a light, moist and perfectly balanced cake. For this lover’s holiday, they will be selling their chocolate raspberry marquis and red velvet cakes in heart shapes – the perfect ending to any Valentine’s Day.

Looking for quantity? Buy cookies. The Swiss Bakery and Pastry Shop is featuring linzer cookies with heart-shape cut outs, allowing you to see the delicious jam sandwiched in between.

As a lighter option, try a fresh fruit tart from Café Rumi. These creations are stunning to look at and are hand-crafted from the freshest, all natural ingredients. You won’t even notice the absence of chocolate.

Photo: Shutterstock/Sabino Parente

[tips for the food desk]

Top Five Sweet Eats of 2011

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

Alright, the countdown begins … five more days till we kiss 2011 goodbye and welcome 2012 with open arms as the year of the world’s possible termination. Just kidding. Maybe.

Anyway, I think now would be an appropriate time to put together a list of the top five things I’ve eaten in the year 2011, since that’s really what determines how successful a year was.

Let’s start with sweets.

Top Five Sweet Eats of 2011:

5. Nutella doughnuts at EatBar/Tallula (Arlington)

These little delights were an unexpected treat before my Sunday morning brunch at EatBar (next-door parent Tallula shares the same menu). The tiny ball of classically airy donut glazed with Nutella, possibly my favorite form of chocolate ever, was the perfect backwards dessert.

Read the rest of this entry »

Heidelberg Heaven

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

Folks, I have a problem. There’s officially less than five days till Christmas, and for the past week and a half, since my first visit to the German cookie haven earlier this month, I have not been able to stop myself from going back to Heidelberg Bakery … again … and again … and again.

As it’s gotten closer and closer to Christmas, I’ve come up with more excuses to go in there – I needed a little gift for my supervisor; for a co-worker’s birthday, a box of freshly baked cookies would be perfect; I need to wow everyone at the Christmas Eve party I’m going to (and I’m leaving out the fact that I just wanted to munch on something sweet myself). 

I’ve always had the sweetest sweet tooth, so it’s no surprise that I’ve fallen obsessively in love with Heidelberg. But what I don’t understand, particularly at this time of year, is my love for things like pfefferneusse. I have this inexplicable obsession with German spiced baked goods, and I really don’t know where it came from, as I don’t have a lick of German ancestry in my blood. 

Heidelberg's Christmas cookies

Each time I walk into Heidelberg I am blown away by the heavenly surroundings of cookies, baked goods, cakes, and more cookies! Seriously, cookies EVERYWHERE! And baskets of free samples — there’s nothing I love more. The first time, I was overwhelmed by all the cookies. But now, I want to get to know all the cookies — ALL the cookies. It’s my goal. Each time I’ve been back, I’ve tried something new, from the German chocolates to a free sample of marzipan. Up next? The powder sugar covered, marzipan layered bread (the only thing stopping me was the fact that it was $13 and I wouldn’t have anyone to share it with for another three days, and, obviously, I’d just end up eating it all myself). 

There’s a sweet in Heidelberg for everyone — for the chocolate lovers, the German spice cookie lovers, the butter cookie lovers, the marzipan lovers. Heck, there are even simple breads, rolls, croissants and sausages for the savory lovers. But I won’t go there. Not this week.

I know it’s no secret, but if you haven’t been to Heidelberg yet, now’s your time to go. GO!
Embrace the holidays — embrace the cookies.

*Cue angelic sound effects*

Heidelberg is located at 2150 N. Culpeper St. in Arlington (703-527-8394; www.heidelbergbakery.com).

-Julia Harbo

Egg Nog Bread Pudding

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Egg nog: the famous holiday drink that you either love or hate. Personally, I love it. The heavy sweet and nutmegy flavor is a must-have for me every year. And because it has such a distinct, powerful taste, it works amazingly as a front-stage ingredient in other recipes.

Today I’m bringing you a special recipe from the kitchen at Wildfire: Egg Nog Bread Pudding. This holiday dessert special is luscious and rich, served with an espresso cup of freshly made egg nog. It’s a spoonful of holiday cheer times two!

Egg Nog Bread Pudding
(Serves 12)

-1 cup brown sugar
-1 cup granulated sugar
-4 eggs
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract
-pinch of nutmeg
-1 quart egg nog
-2 cups whipping cream
-1 loaf (1 pound, 12 ounces) challah bread, cut ¾-inch thick

Mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, nutmeg, egg nog and cream in a mixing bowl to make a custard. Cut bread slices into 16 cubes per slice. Gently fold bread into custard. Let stand 20 minutes. Place the mixture into a 9×13-inch pan. Smooth the top and cover with plastic wrap and foil.

Place bread pudding pan into a bain marie (water bath) and bake at 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes until done and temperature is 190 degrees.

Let rest for 15 minutes, then cut into 12 squares. Serve at room temperature. 

Thanks, Wildfire, for sharing the recipe!

You can find this egg nog bread pudding on Wildfire’s dessert menu — theirs is served with warm caramel sauce and whipped cream and a small cup of freshly made egg nog, as pictured.

Wildfire is located on the 3rd floor of Tysons Galleria in McLean. Call 703-442-9110 for reservations.

-Julia Harbo

Freeze Jag: Gruto’s

Posted by Warren Rojas / Saturday, August 20th, 2011

August is historically the steamiest, stickiest, sweatiest month of the year–brilliant move, Founding Fathers, building the nation’s capital on a swamp–in these parts. We’ve tracked down 31 frozen treats (one a day for the rest of this month) to provide you with some temporary, and often insanely delicious, relief.

The place: Gruto’s – 141 W. Main St., Purcellville; 540-338-1983

The prescription: Triple Decker Belly Wrecker. Never mind that less is more nonsense. At Gruto’s, more is most definitely more. As in more soft serve. More toppings. And more public acclaim for ingesting heart-stopping amounts of each. All of which added up to my having to try their famous Triple Decker Belly Wrecker, a mountain of cold, creamy soft serve–vanilla, chocolate, twist and a rotating specialty flavor–interspersed with overlapping layers of confectionary bliss. I elected for a fiendishly chocolaty construct cobbling together a crunchtacular mix of crushed oreos (base level), candy coated m&m’s (middle tier) and crumbled peanut butter cups (top of the world, ma!).

Needless to say, I never reached the bottom of the Styrofoam cup. Which means I have LOTS of work to do if I wish to join the ranks of the 2011 Triple Decker Belly Wrecker club (check out the mounted plaques for the current crop of soft serve crushing royalty; confidence is distressingly low I’ll ever attain “Beast Buster” status). And precious little time to do it (staff counts down the days till “the end of soft serve” season on a chalkboard).

–Warren

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Keep tabs on the month long Freeze Jag trek here.

Freeze Jag: Sinmobile

Posted by Warren Rojas / Thursday, August 18th, 2011

August is historically the steamiest, stickiest, sweatiest month of the year–brilliant move, Founding Fathers, building the nation’s capital on a swamp–in these parts. We’ve tracked down 31 frozen treats (one a day for the rest of this month) to provide you with some temporary, and often insanely delicious, relief.

The place: Sinmobile – www.sinplicityicecream.com; @Sinplicity1

The prescription: Mango madness sinwich. Sinplicity founder Leland Atkinson has been a fixture at the Falls Church farmers market for quite some time now. But he’s only recently taken his sweets catalog on the road, dishing out artisan ice creams, sorbets and baked goods on random streets from a self-styled “Sinmobile.” When we happened upon the mobile munchies depot, Atkinson’s paean to luscious fruits–lemon-ginger, blood orange, magical mojito, blackberry & cabernet–appeared to be in full swing. Which made the mango madness sinwich a no-brainer. The house made sandwich is a frosty fruit fiesta featuring a happy marriage of mango sorbet and lemon custard (seriously citrusy, with a dose of tropicality) nestled between lime-infused macaroons. The wondrous cookies were flaky around the edges, cakey towards the center and pleasantly tart throughout.

Non-sorbet sinwiches include: the javariffic mud pie (fudge-cappucino ice cream surrounded by mocha macaroons) and willpower straining cow pie (brownie-studded chocolate ice cream bound by chocolate macaroons). Oh yeah, and they’ve got many of their signature “sins du jour”–dark Belgian chocolate, Madagascar vanilla, salty caramel, Thai peanut, strawberry shortcake, snickerdoodle were all on tap when we swung by–too.

–Warren

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Keep tabs on the month long Freeze Jag trek here.

Freeze Jag: Lazy Sundae

Posted by Warren Rojas / Monday, August 1st, 2011

August is historically the steamiest, stickiest, sweatiest month of the year–brilliant move, Founding Fathers, building the nation’s capital on a swamp–in these parts. We’ve tracked down 31 frozen treats (one a day for the rest of this month) to provide you with some temporary, and often insanely delicious, relief.

The place: Lazy Sundae – 112 N. West St., Falls Church; 703-532-5299; www.mikesdeliatlazysundae.com

The prescription: Head in the Clouds ice cream. This surreal looking scoop of dyed vanilla ice cream interwoven with marshmallow fluff is so near and dear to Lazy Sundae co-founder Rebecca Tax’s heart, she got a tattoo of the sky blue sweet (David Tax, her brother and business partner, chose to get inked with a mocha chip cone in honor of their mom). The stuff is crazy sweet, hitting you with an intoxicating rush of gooey-rich fluff, while the underlying vanilla is super creamy and extra buttery. “Our ice cream is made approximately five days after being in a cow,” David assured me, tipping his hat to Shenandoah’s Pride Dairy for the exquisite raw material.

Lazy Sundae boasts all kinds of eclectic flavors–sprinkle of sunshine (littered with rainbow sprinkles), honey baklava (baklava folded into honey vanilla ice cream), strawberry cookies and cream (strawberry ice cream bolstered by crushed oreos), peppermint (their debut flavor back in 1996 and perennial top seller)–but they tend to only stick around for a short time. ” We rotate our entire inventory every two days or so,” David suggested.

Meanwhile, they’ve already prepped their next generation temptations: fried oreo and fried rice krispy treat sundaes. “We will be showcasing this at the Beach Shack this week and adding it at Lazy soon!” David pledged.

You have been warned.

–Warren

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Keep tabs on the month long Freeze Jag trek here.

Red Meat: Warren Brown

Posted by Warren Rojas / Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

It’s been a decade since local cheflebrity Warren Brown dropped the legal briefs and picked up a rolling pin:

(Image: Joshua Cogan)

He’s since opened several bakeries/cafes, helped pioneer the reality cooking show/travelogue concept and has penned a few cookbooks (with at least one more already in the works for next spring).

WR: Butter. Sugar. What other culinary elements could you not live without?

WB: It’s equipment for me. My mixer. My stainless steel skillets (always skip the non-stick). My coffee grinder – to mill spices and whole grains.

WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered? How long did it take? Do you still make it today?

WB: Sweet & Sour Chicken. Haven’t made it in years, but first did it in high school. I remember feeling especially proud when I got the recipe right and successfully fried the chicken strips, and when I tasted the sauce and liked it!

WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?

WB: Stone fruits

WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …

WB: Moro–kinda old, by Sam and Sam Clark, published in England. Love the foods they share.

WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?

WB: Timpano – after the main dish from the movie Big Night. I’ve made it twice, both times was years ago. It was an all day affair and making the sheet of pasta was a real work out!

WR: If I could the spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …

WB: Darren Norris @ Kushi.

WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?

WB: Tough one. I like scones in the morning with scrambled eggs. Scones with oats and raisins and multi-grain.

Nothing is measured so I don’t really know measurements, but roughly speaking:

WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss my …

WB: New line of cupcakes we’re test running this summer in our Summer Loving freestyle cupcake-a-thon. Strawberry cheesecake, Key Lime pie are just two early eye catchers.

WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …

WB: This summer, a Peak Organic pale ale, or a cold glass of white wine.

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Key Lime pie cupcakes sound like a little slice of heaven. Can’t wait to try one…

Come back next Tuesday for another helping of Red Meat.

–Warren

How-to: Kakigori

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

Happy first day of summer! What better way to celebrate the start of summer than with a sweet icy treat? I’ve already talked about Korean bing soo, so today I will share another icy treat, Japanese “kakigori.” Kakigori is basically shaved ice with sweet flavored syrup. I guess it is pretty similar to the snow cone, but the difference is in the texture. Snow cones use crushed ice while kakigori uses shaved ice. The bad news: I haven’t been able to find any restaurants in Northern Virginia that serve it. The good news: It is extremely simple to make and requires very few ingredients.

First you’ll need kakigori syrup (try looking in your local Hmart, Lotte, or you can buy it online here), an ice shaver (again, you can try looking in your local international market, or there are plenty on Amazon for under $30), and ice (not pictured).

Melon Kakigori Syrup and Ice Shaver (Image: Mai Nguyen/Northern Virginia Magazine)

Just shave the ice and generously pour the syrup on top.

Melon Flavored Shaved Ice! (Image: Mai Nguyen/Northern Virginia Magazine)

Have fun with it, add fruits, different flavors of syrups, or even sweetened condensed milk on top.

Blueberries on top! (Image: Mai Nguyen/Northern Virginia Magazine)

A lot of you might not be inclined to buy an ice shaver, but I think of it as an investment. Not only do I like these better than the snow cones from ice cream trucks (the ice is nearly impenetrable and the syrups always melt to the bottom), but think of all the endless customizable icy treats you can make for many summers to come.

- Mai Nguyen

Eye on NoVA: Cupcakeries

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, August 12th, 2010

I suppose this type of lunacy might make more sense:

If there WERE ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER OPTIONS:

View NoVA Cupcakeries in a larger map

Wise up, people!

–Warren