This year only nine desserts qualified for my “best desserts Miami 2017”, but do they ever qualify! Also included are a few from my travels. If you’re going to a holiday party, you might consider bringing two of these which you can order. Seriously yummy!
A delicious riff on Smores – burnt marshmallow, ice cream with chocolate fudge, chocolate chunks and graham cracker bits. Quality Meats.
Baklava ice cream with salted caramel and couscous praline. Byblos.
Imperial Torte. Light cocoa crème is filled in between six layers of delicate almond wafers. Finally, fine chocolate glaze covers the sublime marzipan beneath.The Sacher Torte gets all the press, but for my tastes, the Imperial torte is the best. Click on the link to see how to order it. Imperial Hotel, Vienna, Austria.
Brutal chocolate cake. It was moist, deeply chocolately, multiple layered, and served with house made vanilla ice cream. The apple tart with ice cream also scored high. Tatel
Cinnamon cake donut — dense yet light, coated with cinnamon sugar and served warm. Federal Donuts.
Mandorla gelato made from almonds with pieces of fresh figs. Gelateria in Ostuni, Puglia, Italy.
And speaking of ice cream, a standout is the pistachio ice cream at one of my new fave restaurants in Miami, Forte dei Marmi (watch for an upcoming review). It’s a swirling tower of creamy lusciousness, more like an ice cream custard. The pistachio flavor shines, thanks to small chunks and the quality of the nuts themselves — direct from Sicily.
Monkey muffin. It’s actually a sticky bun but instead of being made with a leavened dough, it’s made from croissant dough (from the leftover pieces of the dough for their croissants). OMG is it ever delicious. It is denser than the usual bun, and has the perfect amount of “goo” both on the top and sides, and sometimes has a “tail” of the “goo” that’s like eating candy. And of course there are the requisite nuts for crunchy goodness on top. Grand Central Bakery, Portland, Oregon and Seattle
Nutella donuts filled with dulce de leche and accompanied by hazelnut ice cream. They sound overly sweet, but not so. Alas no photo. The Deck (now closed).
One Response
Wow, these all look and sound so yummy. You must try the café gourmand at Otentic (5th and Washington). It’s a selection of mini-desserts – tarte tatin, crème brulee, chocolate mousse and 2 or 3 more – enough to share and so delicious!