My first experience with truffles was at a fancy department store when I was much younger. I remember passing the candy counter filled with bite-sized morsels that were as elegant as an Imperial Faberge Easter egg. I also remember thinking the truffles were a bit pricey compared to the size….a couple of good bites at best. But after I enjoyed one, well, I haven’t been the same since. The flavor intensity was like nothing I had ever tasted.

A few months ago GourmetStation was contacted by French Kiss Desserts. The people at French Kiss saw a possible marriage between their line up of exquisite truffles and GourmetStation dinner gifts. After sampling their truffles not only did GourmetStation agree about the marriage, but saw the potential to sell French Kiss truffles on the GourmetStation website. And so the story goes.

Now you can buy 3 & 4 course dinner gifts, soup gifts, dessert gifts AND truffle gifts from GourmetStation. My suggestion? Without hesitation the sampler packet. Each truffle gift contains between 60 and 66 truffles and with the sampler packet your gift recipient (or you if you treat yourself) will receive six varieties. Razz Mojito – raspberry & mint, Tropical Splash – coconut & lime, Beurre de Noisette – hazelnut, Peanut Eclipse – creamy peanut butter, Cherry Caramel – cherry caramel, Dulce De Leche – Argentinean Dulce de Leche.

There are several different methods of making truffles – American, European & Swiss. Fred Quenzer at French Kiss tells us they have their own special process with each truffle being hand dipped and made from only natural ingredients - no preservatives. I could write all day about this new dessert gift, but the best way for you to get my message is to try a sampler packet for yourself. And don’t forget to share!

If I had to think of one dessert that has to be the best-loved treat in
France, it would be chocolate mousse – or, as we call it here, mousse au
chocolat.

Mousse au chocolat was the first dish my au pair employer decided that
even a kitchen-challenged American student might be able to handle. The
beauty of this chocolate addict’s dab of nirvana is that it really can be
easy to prepare.

Strangely enough, I never make the dessert when I’m stateside, but when I
get back to France,  I seek out the familiar Nestle’s Dessert Chocolat
Noir bar which you can find in any supermarket.  The recipe for mousse au
chocolat has always been (and hopefully will remain forever) on its
outside wrapper. Here are the five easy steps – which even I can follow,
while reading in French.

The ingredients are simple.  200 grams of bittersweet chocolate (luckily,
the entire chocolate bar is exactly 200 grams – so I don’t have to worry
about converting grams to ounces. (and I only sometimes steal a square of
chocolate before it gets into the pot).
6 Eggs and a dash of salt.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  Then, let the melted chocolate sit
for a moment while you separate the yolks from the whites of the six eggs.
Whip the egg whites with a dash of salt until the egg whites look like
Mont Blanc in Switzerland.

Take the melted chocolate and drizzle it over the mixed egg yolks,
blending the chocolate in bit, by bit.  Then mix more energetically.

Now comes the tricky part.  Incorporate 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg
yolk and melted chocolate mixture, using a spatula to fold in the egg
whites.  Then add the remaining 2/3 of egg whites, continuing to fold them
in without losing the ‘airiness’.

Mousse needs at least three hours refrigeration time which can be a good
thing - you can always put those three hours to good use while getting the
rest of the meal prepared.  Meanwhile, your dessert is sitting pretty.

Whenever I make this dessert, I think of Michele who taught me this
simple, so very French dessert. By now, her son for whom I babysat is
grown up and certainly has kids of his own.  Michele’s home cooking was
always good, never fancy, and always satisfying.
She taught me one recipe that’s stood the test of time.

This is the kind of treat you share with friends who you don’t need to
impress. Instead, it’s the smile at the end of the meal and the way they
scrape the last bit of chocolate from their bowls that will leave you
impressed.

When you’re in France, you can pick up bars of Nestle Dessert Chocolat
Noir in almost any regular grocery store (Monoprix or Champion or Franprix
for example).   Looking for mousse au chocolat on a restaurant menu?  You’re
most likely to find this favorite at your local brasserie or café.  (And,
yes, even at the Ritz Hotel room service!)

Chris Card Fuller

www.parislogue.com

GourmetStation provided hundreds of turkey dinners around the country this Thanksgiving and we’ve received excellent reviews. Was it the turkey most commented on? Well, no – it was the Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake & the Amaretto Cookies! Without fail the desserts leave the lasting, and in most cases, most powerful impression.

French Kiss Desserts instructs us to “do what comes natural.” I know exactly what they mean – just like our turkey dinner recipients, what comes natural is the proverbial sweet tooth. Hail the sweet tooth and may it live on! (Actually French Kiss Desserts was referring to all natural ingredients, but I took some liberty here.)

I personally had the opportunity to sample truffles from French Kiss Desserts and my sweet tooth hasn’t been the same since. I did share a few, mind you – and the feedback from my co-workers was similar. Exquisite.

Mint Delight, Crème de Noisette, Peanut Eclipse, Dulce de Leche & Raspberry Truffles are all available online at French Kiss Desserts. We sampled Peanut Eclipse, Dulce de Leche & Raspberry and it’s difficult to say which was the winner. They were all winners. Although not the most elegant of the truffle samples, I favored the Peanut Eclipse – made me feel like a kid. Truffles are a sophisticated treat in addition to being intense. When you bite into these round buttery balls, there is a sensation like no other dessert can provide. So I invite you to share the fun we experienced and see for yourself. You can also contact French Kiss Desserts for special orders for weddings & other special events. A great way to impress your guests.

Of the month programs are the rage these days. They’re gifts that keep giving throughout the year like the Energizer bunny. Our Dinner of the Month program was introduced a few years ago and was an immediate hit. Earlier this year we introduced the Soup of the Month program, but the best has been saved for last. Now introducing the GourmetStation Dessert of the Month club.

So why are these monthly clubs so popular? We’ve found that adult families are purchasing them for their Mom’s and Dad’s….the folks that have everything. have been there & done that. Our patrons are looking for experiential gifts and our taste buds can give us quite an experience. Mom’s and Dad’s have something to look forward to every month – for 3, 6, 9 or 12 months. Bottom line – these clubs are fun food gifts.

The Dessert of the Month program allows recipients to choose from five categories, chocolate cakes (my favorite), marvelous mousses, white cakes, cheesecake heaven and homemade pies. There are over 45 selections so whether a gift recipient has a 3, 6, 9 or 12 month program, there is a choice bound to please.

Now for the fun part. My favorite? Red Velvet Cake – “As seen in O magazine as one of Oprah’s favorites – a southern classic…smooth as velvet, mild flavored cake…rich & topped with thick cream cheese frosting…almost too pretty to eat. Enjoy!

Can a story so sweet as a fairy tale be real? Can a passion be so intense that an 11 year old’s dream becomes a reality as big as life? Yes it can…Kathleen King’s dream….Tate’s Bake Shop. When you purchase handmade cookies, pies, dessert squares and other delights from Tate’s Bake Shop you’ll be delighted by the quaint and attractive packaging. The sweet story reads something like this:

“If you’re in the Hamptons and walk around the charming little Atlantic coast town of Southampton, you’ll see a primrose yellow Victoria structure with turquoise shutters, framed in flowers, that seems to attract people like bees to a hive. It’s Tate’s Bake Shop, the fairytale culmination of a dream that got started when 11-year-old Kathleen King began baking cookies to sell at her family’s farm stand not far out of town. Today, those amazing cookies have attracted a loyal following from coast to coast. Crispy and buttery, rich but not overwhelming, they simply melt n your mouth….and just one is never enough!”

Reviewing fine food, especially desserts, is a delightful part of hosting Delicious Destinations. For this review I put together a team of three dessert loves, Charlotte, Julie and me. We reviewed cookies and dessert squares, and I assure you…I’ll try the pies personally for our next spring event.

Charlotte sampled the plain brownie square. The only thing wrong with this delight is the name….nothing “plain” about this treat. The squares are five ounces…what this means is that the portions are so generous, one brownie can be shared….especially if served a la mode with ice cream. Charlotte’s comment was…”it tastes like fudge” (her favorite). No wonder..the square is made from high quality Belgium chocolate and AA butter.

Julie sampled the White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies…..because Julie loves Macadamia anything. She is usually a fan of thicker, chewy cookies, but found Tate’s Macadamia Nut cookies excellent. She said the white chocolate was subtle – not overwhelming. And like me, she enjoyed nibbling on the crumb morsels from the delicate cookies.

I sampled the Oatmeal Raisin and Chocolate Chip cookies. There is an art to cookie baking that is known by few. The skill involves balancing high quality, rich ingredients….with a thin crispy cookie. Tate’s has mastered this skill. While I LOVED the chocolate chip cookies, I favored the Oatmeal Raisin. There was a childhood memory that popped up…the eating experience made me feel like a little kid in my Aunt Velma’s kitchen….waiting on her delicious desserts to come out of the oven.

We’re not the only ones who loved Tate’s product. Rachael Ray picked Tate’s products as one of their Overall Favorites in October 2006. Rachel was very creative about other way’s to use Tate’s products:

1)      Turn crisp cookies into chewy: Bag them with a slice of bread overnight.

2)      Make an instant piecrust: Combine cookies, sugar & melted butter in a food processor.

3)      Cook up s’mores: Place a marshmallow between two cookies & microwave for about 10 seconds.

4)      Decorate a cake: Press whole cookies around the side of a frosted cake.

5)      Form ice cream sandwiches: Spread ice cream between two chewy cookies and freeze

Congratulations Kathleen – job well done!

It’s almost February. Has the guilt of eating too many luscious sweets over the holidays faded? If the answer is yes (it is for me) let’s look at a few yummy options.

Atlanta’s “The Sunday Paper” wrote about their 25 favorite desserts – “better than sex.” Yikes, that’s a tall claim. From Napoleone at Veni Vidi Vici to Almond Croissant at Alon’s, the list is quite impressive. The winner was almost Mount Everest Cake form the Metrotainment Bakery. Standing at eight layers and comprised of twenty pounds of chocolate and fudge, any chocolate lover should pay attention. But my pick was a little more conservative.

My winner of the 25 finalists? Old fashioned carrot cake comprised of four layers of moist, cinnamon cake studded with walnut and raisins…..available from OK Café at 1284 W. Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta. Go for it if you’re in town. The Sunday Paper calls the “lust factor” “the impossibly smooth cream-cheese icing pulls the whole package together.”

From where and how do you think carrot cake came into being? According to food historians, our modern day version probably descended from medieval carrot pudding enjoy across Europe. During the Middle Ages sweeteners were scarce and very expensive. So carrots were used to sweet cakes and desserts. (Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson). So there you go – a little history with your sweet passion. In the event you’re in the mood to whip up your own carrot cake, here is a great recipe.

For unique gourmet food gifts, dinners delivered for gifts or personal use, or gourmet meals delivered, visit GourmetStation.

Growing up as a child, one of my strongest recollections about desserts was the tart taste of rhubarb pie. My grandmother made them, my father had a liking for them and he continued the tradition. Unfortunately, living in tropical, Mediterranean and desert climates as I have for the last 15 years, is not terribly conducive to growing rhubarb, which likes damper, wetter and cooler growing conditions.

So I had to forget that wonderful dessert taste sensation, until I discovered that a friend from Ohio, living in sunny California would stalk the grocery stores looking for rhubarb to make its annual appearance.

Her name is Barb …her mission rhu-Barb. Actually the word rhubarb dates back to early Latin times and referred to an area where the plant grew and on the other side of the river, no man’s land as it were, where the “barb”- arians lived. Not meant to be disparaging about the taste of rhubarb!

Now Barb and I go back “aways” …what with us being lifeguards at the local Greene Valley Recreation Club in Beavercreek, Ohio, back in circa “never mind”. She had that Midwest – upper Midwest up bringing and pies were a natural part of her baking heritage.

Barb is a purist, she doesn’t fuss up her rhubarb pie with other fruits as many other recipes do, masking the tart flavor with, of all things strawberry infusions. She also reminded me that she has a rhubarb pie in her freezer, just waiting for me to drop by her greater LA home.

That and a recent reference to rhubarb pies in the “Prairie Home Companion” movie by “Rhonda and Yolanda” , fictional characters played by Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin, sparked my interest in sharing this wonderfully tart treat. So nice to eat in the summer, if you have a friend with one in the freezer for you!

So here it goes…Barb’s version of rhubarb pie!

Rhubarb Pie

4 cups rhubarb stalks cut into 1/2" pieces
1 1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1-2 tablespoons butter
Unbaked pastry for 2-crust 9" pie (recipe follows)

Mix the rhubarb with the flour, sugar and orange rind. Turn into
pastry-lined pan. Dot with butter. Trim the edge of the pastry to within an
inch of the edge of the pan. Top with second crust, trim the edge and crimp
the top and bottom edges together. Cut slits in the top for steam to
release. Brush milk or half and half on the top crust and sprinkle with
granulated sugar. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 350
degrees and bake an additional 25-30 minutes or longer. You may want to
cover the crimped edges with tinfoil to prevent over-browning. If so, remove
the tinfoil for the last 15 minutes of baking.

Pie Crust

The original recipe for this crust used only unbleached white flour; I have
adapted it to use part white, part whole wheat, which gives the crust a
nuttier flavor.

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1/4 cup very cold water (approximate*)


Stir the flours and salt together. Add the shortening and cut it through the
flour with a pastry blender until the mixture is in pea-sized pieces. Add
the water a few tablespoons at a time, and mix with a fork to combine
evenly. The dough should be moist enough to hold together in a ball. Note
that the addition of the whole wheat flour will tend to make the crust a bit
more crumbly and hard to handle, so a few extra sprinkles of water may be
required.
Divide the dough in half and roll each piece out on a floured surface. Turn
the first crust in to the pan, trim, add the filling, then the top crust and
crimp.

* the amount of water required depends on the type of flour, the temperature
of the mixture, and even the ambient humidity. If the dough seems too soft,
chill it in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

And Barb says, “That's it -- go ye forth and bake! “
The base recipe for this pie came from "James Beard's American Cookery".

And remember…you always have the option this summer of turning to GourmetStation to come up with some excellent dessert choices for your afternoon or evening soirées. My favorites are the Chocolate-raspberry cheesecake, Crème Brule cheesecake and Praline Pecan cheesecake.  So take a look and find your favorites, there are many other options sure to catch your imagination and provide that special summer memory.

I once heard someone say that the best meal they ever had was at a little league baseball game, at the end of a long summer day after they had not eaten all day..a hot dog & soft drink. Food memories are funny that way – the best ones have very little to do with gourmet, long prep times or elaborate presentation. I’d say it’s more about association with something that makes us feel happy, safe or both.

In the case of Easter I wish I could say my best food memory was of a southern brunch – perhaps with a spiral honey glazed ham and potato salad. But it’s not. My fondest food memory is of a day dominated by a big blue sky, a bunch of kids playing on a lawn of new green grass, and an Easter egg hunt. Along with the pastel decorated eggs were none other than “Peeps.” That’s right – those cute little bright yellow chicks made of marshmallow and sugar.

Most of us should remember Peeps – their manufacturer, Just Born, claims the brand is 50 to 70 years old. It seems there is a little fan club around these adorable eats. If you’re so inclined, join me in a trip down memory lane as you visit Peeps most popular links. Happy Easter.

Guest writer Mark Stine is on a roll and is back to share with you his perspective on having your cake and eating it too. As the winter chill continues we have a natural tendency to want to eat more and hybernate, much like our animal friends. Mark has found his system to keep things in balance and have that indulgence from time to time. My favorite part of this post is his "sweet" childhood memories. Read and enjoy!

While house sitting for a friend near Palo Alto recently, I was
suddenly surrounded by something that I have not kept in the house for
months.....desserts! I have taken it unto myself to lose some weight,
what with a 50 something birthday looming in the near future and a
friend referring to me recently as looking "settled", well in
actuallity I was referred to as a "fat-"pick your political party
affiliation".  Ok, so the person making this reference is in terriffic
shape and my other more kind friends agreed "settled" was a more
accurate description for me.  Still my sensibility had been challenged
and my inner voice awakened...ME SETTLED or worse..referred to as a
fat-"name your political party"!

In any event, I took up the gauntlet and in only one month or so lost
12 pounds through sensible eating and more exercise. What I have
discovered though through sensible eating and exercise is that I can
now eat just about anything, in reasonable portions and I am not
gaining any of the weight back.

To test this theory further I have, while house sitting in this
fabuously outfitted kichen, been eating cheesecake and truffles and
chocolate...lots of chocolate! Yummm..I am in heaven. And you know
what? I have not gained any addiitonal weight. Working out in the home
gym and walking the hills of Los ALtos Hills has kept the exercise
regimen up, allowed me to enjoy nature and the early spring that is
bursting forth in the surrounding countryside and indulge myself with
the things I  have enjoyed since childhood..... desserts.

I am an admitted dessert afficianado. I remember my Grandmothers home
made pies, cakes and best of all her cinnamon rolls. We are talking
pre-Cinnabon cinnamon rolls made with yeast dough, allowed to rise in
old ceramic bowls.Then rolled out with an  old fasioned rolling pin
made of wood and real butter. Lots of butter. And the smell that arose
from the old oven once the rolls hit the right temperature have been
indeliably enscribed on my mind. There is after all a huge connection
to olfactory stimulation and memories. Well ...just like me, let your
memory slide back to those smells and desserts that provide you with
great memories.

GourmetStation has the means and the way to transport you back to
some of those great dessert memories.  You can order their specialty
desserts for parties, to remind someone that you love them, as a
special treat for yourself or to celebrate with your family just how
special they are, when no special occasion is required.

And if you have discovered like I have, that a little exercise goes a
long way..and with exercise you can" Indulge" those dessert
cravings....then have at it! After all aren't we worth it...and haven't
I earned the right to be as happy as I was as a child, when I
discovered that sugar and butter and cream were pretty darn nice
combinations.

Desserts the quintessential way to my heart...and grinning in an all
knowing way...probably yours too!

The word cookie comes from the Dutch koeptji or koekje, which means a small cake. For many families a cherished holiday tradition is baking these delicious delights. The minutes are quickly ticking down to Santa's big day. If you haven't pulled out your cookie sheets it might be time for a little help to ensure that your holiday dinner includes some of your favorite small cakes for dessert.

A Cookie Exchange can turn a few batches of one cookie recipe into a dozen different treats and a very sweet surprise for your guests. Betty Crocker, Kraft Foods and Gold Medal Flour provide some tips on how to host and organize your cookie swap.

Of course, you want to make sure your cookies are the very best. Susan at A Taste of Carolina provides 20 tips for holiday baking. If you're not feeling creative and need a few recipe suggestions the blogosphere has some great ideas.

Technorati Tags: Cookies, Cookie_Exchange, Holiday_Cookies

The weather is cooling. Ice cream has temporarily lost it’s appeal. So I’m off in search of the perfect cool weather dessert. Let’s see. I adore chocolate. I love coffee. And I wanted a dessert that could be served room temperature or warm. Those were the recipe parameters and off I went. After hours of searching I found perfection. And I’m happy to say that the end result was also perfect.

Kona Coffee Choco-Macadamia Bread Pudding Recipe. Now that’s a mouthful – figuratively and literally. The description spoke as if it knew me personally. “A rich, velvety chocolate-espresso tasting bread pudding. Made with sweet bread, macadamia nuts and coffee…all the best foods from Hawaii. Plus the always essential chocolate. Great warm, cold or with whipped cream on top. Wonderful for both coffee and chocolate lovers.”

If you’re not up for kitchen work, remember the GourmetStation collection of international cheesecakes, including Cappuccino Cheesecake and Coffee Brownie Cheesecake. Delicious!

Technorati Tags: Dessert, Coffee_Chocolate, Desserts, Hawaii

I'm not sure who decided it was best to serve desserts at the end of dinner. A disciplinarian I suppose who wanted to make a point about patience. If I were making up the rules, desserts would always be served first.

What's your favorite dessert? Mine is cheesecake - usually some variation of chocolate because we all know that chocolate works. The perfection of the cheesecake was most likely a top priority for Adam & Eve, but first recorded history is not until 776 B.C. when athletes were served cheesecake during the Olympic Games.

These days there are hundreds of cheesecake recipes. Cream cheese, Neufchatel, cottage cheese or ricotta are the essential ingredients and determine the final quality. Here's what Linda Stradley with What's Cooking America has to say about the New York Cheesecake. "The New York cheesecake is the pure, undulated cheesecake with no fancy ingredients added either to the cheesecake or placed on top of it. It is made with pure cream cheese, cream, eggs and sugar. Everybody has a certain image of New York style cheesecake. According to New Yorkers,only the great cheesecake makers are located in New York, and the great cheesecake connoisseurs are also in New York. In the 1900's cheesecakes were very popular in New York and New Yorkers say that cheesecake wasn't really cheesecake until was cheesecake in New York."

Whether you're a minimalist favoring New York style or a flamboyant seeking Cappuccino Chocolate, you'll find a wonderful selection of desserts at GourmetStation to satisfy your gourmet food gift shoping list.