San Francisco’s delightful little bakery, Miette, is getting a whole lot bigger.
The bakery, which sells all manner of lovely cupcakes, homemade candies, princess cakes, banana cream tarts, and yes, fabulous little melt-in-your-mouth macarons, has opened a third location, 2109 Chestnut St. in San Francisco.
As with politics, when you have two opposing viewpoints, you listen intently, weighing both sides to form your own opinion.
Call this then the politics of cupcakes.
When my sis-in-law Jennifer urged me to try the cupcakes at Teacake Bake Shop, I was eager to do so, especially when she heard my teeth were practically disintegrating from all those achingly sweet frosting bombs at so many other bakeries.
But when Single Guy Chef got wind of that recommendation, he cautioned me that he had found Teacake’s cupcakes just so-so.
Hmmmm, hmmm, I thought.
So what was a Food Gal to do except try some for herself, right? So recently, my hubby and I made our way to the Emeryville location (Teacake also has branches in Corte Madera and Lafayette). Each day, about nine or so different cupcakes are available.
We toted home a Pink Velvet with cream cheese frosting, a Chocolate Sour Cream with dulce de leche buttercream, and a Peanut Butter with peanut butter buttercream.
The cupcakes ($3 each) are pretty, decorated simply with a clean, modern sensibility. I took a bite of the Pink Velvet. My sis-in-law was correct that the frosting was not overly sweet, and actually had a nice tang from the cream cheese. The cake itself was not super strong in cocoa-flavor, and the texture a little dry.
The chocolate cupcake was fudgy tasting, and the frosting was thick, creamy, and tasted dreamily of caramel. But again, the cake was a little on the dry side.
If you’re used to dainty, bite-sized chocolate confections, then Sterling Truffle Bar will come as a shock.
It’s a veritable log of chocolate. Triangular-shaped and spanning 4- or 8-inches in length, these hand-painted truffle bars are meant to be served in slices. They make for a great, simple dessert to have on hand for last-minute parties.
Made by Sterling Confections of Redwood City, the bars come in seven flavors, including Rocky Road, Pineapple Ginger Macadamia Nut, and Banana Honey Caramel. The small version is about $14; the larger size about $25.
I’ll use my patented scale of 1 to 10 lip-smackers, with 1 being the “Bleh, save your money” far end of the spectrum; 5 being the “I’m not sure I’d buy it, but if it was just there, I might nibble some” middle-of-the-road response; and 10 being the “My gawd, I could die now and never be happier, because this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth” supreme ranking.
How do I love thee recipe for “10-Minute Mocha Pots de Creme”?
Let me count the ways:
I love that thee is dark chocolate, of course.
I love that thee is a show-stopping dessert that looks like it required a ton of effort. (Not!)
I love that thee comes together with so little cooking, making you a godsend for fancy dinner parties or even last-minute casual get-togethers.
I love that thee is hands down truly the easiest dessert on the planet.
And I love that thee is as devilishly rich as sin.
OK, enough with the lame attempts at a sonnet. You get my drift that this recipe is one of my all-time favorite desserts. It’s my go-to goodie. It’s the one I always turn to when I’m pressed for time, but still want to serve something impressive.
I’ve been making the pots de creme since the recipe came out four years ago in Abigail Johnson Dodge’s “The Weekend Baker” (W.W. Norton & Company).
You warm heavy cream, then pour it into a blender with chopped chocolate, sugar, expresso powder, vanilla extract, and a dash of coffee-flavored liqueur. Whirl till blended, then divide amongst four ramekins or other individual containers. Chill for at least 45 minutes in the fridge. And that’s it. Did I say this was easy?
It’s a perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day. It serves four. But even if it’s just the two of you that leaves you with leftovers to enjoy the next night. After all, whomever you spend this romantic holiday with has got to be worth spending the next day with, too. (wink, wink)
10-Minute Mocha Pots de Creme
The confections at Luis Moro Chocolate of Scotts Valley are annointed with the names of cities, regions and countries from around the world, reflecting the provenance of their ingredients, and proprietor Luis Ellisos Dinos Moro’s love of travel.
Born in Madrid, Moro was once a travel agent. But a trip with his wife to a chocolate boutique and lavender farm in France changed his life. After training at the Notter School of Pastry Arts in Orlando and with Jean Pierre Wybauw at the French Pastry School in Chicago, he set out to make chocolates with plants, herbs, and fruit.
A four-piece box is $10; an eight-piece box is $18; and a 16-piece box is $35.
I’ll use my patented scale of 1 to 10 lip-smackers, with 1 being the “Bleh, save your money” far end of the spectrum; 5 being the “I’m not sure I’d buy it, but if it was just there, I might nibble some” middle-of-the-road response; and 10 being the “My gawd, I could die now and never be happier, because this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth” supreme ranking.