Dessert Club: Toppings

This theme was DC member Andrea's brainchild.  So much of what we make in Dessert Club has a topping, or two, or more - something to drizzle, sprinkle, crumble, spoon, spread, or shake on top of our creations to give them that extra special oomph.  So Andrea's idea was to showcase our toppings - those unsung, minimalist ingredients that make something sweet, something extra-special.

The very sad thing is, Andrea couldn't make it.  She'd had to go out of town unexpectedly, and tried desperately to make it back in time, but traffic was against her, and it just didn't happen.  We were so sorry she - and her Dessert Nachos - missed it, but we loved what we had to share.

Dessert Pizza with Custard, Berries, White Chocolate and Granola

Chocolate Truffle Cake with Raspberry Sauce

French Chocolate Bark (wow, yum)

Hawaiian Butter Mochi with Chocolate Banana Jam

Jacques Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookies 
with Chocolate Finishing Salt (mine)

Citrus Semifreddo with Berry Sauce & Crushed Gingersnaps

...and the clear, landslide winner...
Nectarine Mascarpone Tart with Candied Ginger

Dessert Club: Tropical

And just in case you were wondering, yes, I have updated the Dessert Club page with current links.  I am an animal of updatedness this week!

In May, our Dessert Club theme was "Tropical."  In case you need to know exactly what this means,

trop·i·cal  (trp-kl) adj.

1. Of, occurring in, or characteristic of the Tropics.

2. Hot and humid; torrid.

trop·ic  (trpk)  n.

1. Either of two parallels of latitude on the earth, one 23°27 north of the equator and the other 23°27 south of the equator, representing the points farthest north and south at which the sun can shine directly overhead and constituting the boundaries of the Torrid Zone.

2. Tropics or tropics The region of the earth's surface lying between these latitudes.

 

Luckily, everything that came, qualified.  Yummily.

 

Mango-Glazed Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla-Coconut Sorbet

 Tahitian Starfruit Creams (so good!)

Mango Kumquat Magic Cake with Tropical Jelly & Coconut Glaze

Coconut Pie

Maharani Cupcakes
Toasted Coconut Cupcakes with Curry Lemon Curd and Sweet Basil Cream (mine - quite delicious if I do say so)

Kona Mango Cream Pie

Tutti Frutti Ice Cream

Atlantic Beach Pie with Calamansi

Macadamia Fudge Torte with Coconut Caramel Sauce (mine)

...and the winner was...
White Chocolate Key Lime Cake

Dessert Club - American Regions

Alright, jokers.  There are procrastinators, and then there's me.  Time to belly up to the counter here in the kitchen and get some posts knocked out.  Since we just had a killer Dessert Club tonight, and now I am THREE months behind on posting those, let's start there.

In April, our DC theme truly rocked.  It was "American Regions."  Each member was delegated a different part of our great country to represent through a dessert.  The variety was beautiful, but I think the conversation was the real winner.  As we ate, we told the stories we'd discovered about our regions, or the story behind our dishes, and I think we all learned a few things we didn't know before.  Like, have you heard of Mackinac Island, Michigan, to which tourists flood for the fudge (and other diversions), so much that the locals call visitors Fudgies?  Or how about Tennessee Stack Cake, a traditional wedding confection to which each guests brings a layer to contribute?  We learned about these and more at Regional night.  We're definitely going to have to do that one again. 

(All regions were assigned but not everyone came.)

Northwestern Ice 
Pacific Northwest

Avocado Pound Cake with Lime Crème Fraîche (mine)
California/Southwest

Cherry & Chocolate Fudge
Great Lakes

Rugelach
Tri-State

Martha Washington's Jumble Cookies 
and Buttermilk Cake with Raspberry Sauce
Mid-Atlantic

Apple Brown Betty
South

Mountain Stack Cake
Appalachia

...and the truly, deeply deserving winner...
Vanilla Pain Perdu with Banana Cashew Praline
Bayou

Ode to Dessert Club

Ode to Dessert Club 

By Jeff Y***

3.20.2013

Wednesday, blessed Wednesday,

Usually the third Wednesday, but sometimes the second, of the month.

The weeks and days before, recipe books piled up.  Experiments in the kitchen.  Wrinkled brow.  Please taste this?  It just needs 5 more minutes.  Stay here, I need to run to the store.  Well, I dunno, honey, maybe more chocolate?

Waiting at the oven, thinking, wooden spoon against the mouth, hmm, what are those crafty M's - McNair and McMullin - dreaming up this month?

They are so sweet and nice but they are trying to beat my wife.

And then, 8:20-ish, out the door, carrying her dessert.  Always perfect of course.  But she is still grumbling that it needs something extra.

Daughter is in bed and I wait.  Reading, surfing, exercising, but mostly waiting for the sound of the screen door.  She's home!  It's like Santa, the Easter Bunny, and a Leprachaun appearing.  A cute one with short brown hair and lipstick.

Pour a glass of milk for proper palate cleansing, grab a fork and take a look.  Oh, yum and yum and yum and yum.  And yum.

Mm-hmm, I'll bet this is a Stratton special.  What's this?  Hickman?  Ah, yes, should have known, so creative.  Pause while we all praise Kari Hickman, the genesis.  Okay, done.  Mmm, yum, Jonny Jacobs will like this one.  And this?  Sheri, so perfect as usual.  Ah, yes, Bowman, amazing, but maybe Bowman squared?  Ah, this must be Joelle's, it's as wonderful as her husband.  How about Michelle?  Delightful.

What, you did not win?  How is that possible?  You were robbed.  I'm sure you came in second by maybe one vote, honey.  You'll have to try again next month.

Next third Wednesday, blessed Wednesday.

Dessert Club - Cheese!

I found my headphones I thought I lost on my trip last month.  Which means I'm listening to more music.  Which means I'm in a good mood.  A sassy mood.  A creative mood.  A blogging mood.  Here's last month's Dessert Club.

The theme was Cheese, and we specified this was a sweet cheese challenge.  When I suggested we open it to sweet or savory, everyone exclaimed then they would have to make two things, so we stuck to sweet this time around.  The offerings were truly incredible.  

Pear Caramel Tart with Walnuts and Gorgonzola Dolce

Hazelnut Crunch Chocolate Cake with Orange Marscapone 
(one of my favorites!)

Carrot Cake with Marscapone Lime Frosting
(another of my favs)

Gorgonzola Caramels

Triple Ginger Blue Pear Tart

Brie-Stuffed Dates

Cannoli Pie
(OK, I had a lot of favorites - this was another)

Chocolate Cottage Cheese Cookies

Quark Cookies

Italian Ricotta Cake

Blue Cheese Ice Cream with a Poached Pear Reduction

And amazingly, I actually won this time (!) with my...
Rich Coffee Cake with Sweet Cheese Filling

 I was proud of this win - the pastry for this coffee cake was a several-day affair.

But just as good, if not even better, than all the cheesy desserts we sampled, was a surprise.  DC member Rebecca brought...what shall I call it?...a poetic essay, written earlier that day by her husband Jeff, one of Dessert Club's biggest fans.  It is called Ode to Dessert Club, and it deserves its own blog post.  Watch for it.

Dessert Club - Lit Night

Because February is my birthday month, I get to pick the theme.  I've been wanting to do this one for awhile: a literature night.  Kinda book club-y.  Everyone chose a literary work (no cookbooks!) and brought a dessert mentioned in, or inspired by, their book.  It totally rocked. 

Now take a minute to think.  If you were going to a dessert lit night, what would you make?  What book inspires food for you?  My very first thought went to "Babette's Feast", which is a short story, and a French/Danish film.  But then I thought of a book I'd read more recently; an idea formed, and I couldn't move off of it.  A DC friend emailed me today; she is reading Night Circus, which I loved, and reminded me of all the fun foods that would inspire - d'oh, it would have been perfect!  It's OK, I have a feeling Lit Night is going to happen again. 

Here's what everyone made:

Heaven & Hell Cake

 

 Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

Mrs. Barry's Toothsome Raspberry Tarts

 ...and...
Browned Butter Raspberry Tart

 Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Orange Marmalade Cake

 At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon

Apple Tart with Raspberry Jam

 The Hobbit by J.R. Tolkein

Blackberry Mudslide Parfaits

 Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

We had two winners this time:

Alice's "Eat Me" Custard Cake

 

Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll

 Lemon Pie

 

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

 As you can see, and unfortunately for you, imagine, it was a spectacular Dessert night.  You might be wondering what some of those have to do with their books.  Others, you might be well aware.  I'm going to post some of these separately so you can find out...and of course, get the recipes.  Stay tuned for Dessert Club next month - the theme is cheese!!!