By: Laurel Harrison
If you forgot to make reservations, buy flowers, or write your S.O’s name in the sky today, don’t fret. Instead, head to Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, located on 18th and L. Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates features signature and seasonal creations sure to satisfy any sweet tooth, and is holding extended hours today from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. SacFoodies decided to stop in and ask Alison, the executive pastry chef, a few dessert-related questions to help us hone in on the perfect Valentine’s dessert. Valentine’s Day procrastinators – this one’s for you!
If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Ice cream. There are endless possibilities for flavor combinations and textures you can add. I will never tire of eating it.
If someone was having Ginger Elizabeth chocolates for the first time, what would you recommend they try?
Our bon-bons and macarons. We have 24 flavors of bon-bons, and always have special flavors rotating. The bon-bons are my babies and we have spent years perfecting them. The macarons are delicate, not overly sweet and are an extra special treat as well. We have 7-8 different flavors at a time.
What’s your favorite dessert to make for Valentine’s Day?
I love making our Valentine’s Day entremet cake every year. It is a different flavor each year, and the recipe developing and testing is one of my favorite things to do. This year it is a salty caramel cupcake entremet that has a caramel custard, salted butter caramel, devil’s food cake, and 62% Valrhona bittersweet chocolate mousse.
You can see more dessert options at Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates.
Need more sweet treat ideas? Check out past SacFoodies Valentine’s features below:
Where to Get Something Sweet for your Sweetie in Sacramento
Sweets for the Sweet
More Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
It’s a Macaron Renaissance
Can’t afford to take your Valentine to Paris this year, huh? Why not create a little Parisian romance with a bite-sized French cookie that’s all the rage – the French macaron. Not familiar with these sweet little confections? From simple ingredients like confectioners’ sugar, almond flour and egg whites emerges a dainty dessert that will impress your Valentine. These are definitely a step above a ho-hum box of chocolates!
You can make your own macarons, and there are a number of easy-to-follow recipes, but it’s the technique that makes the cookies light and chewy and the filling flavorful and lush. This Martha Stewart video does a nice job of breaking down the steps to create an authentic macaron experience.
However, if you’re more of a “pick it up at the bakery” kind of person, you’re in luck. Estelle’s Patisserie in downtown at 9th and K has delicious macarons (the pistachio one is unbelievable), as does Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates at 18th and L (the salty caramel one sounds amazing – hint, hint). Even Trader Joe’s carries macarons in the frozen section, and if you’re on a budget this Valentine’s Day, these are perfect – $4.99 for 12 chocolate and vanilla macarons (and, yes, they are good!).
Happy Valentine’s Day!
La Bombe Ice Cream & More
After playing tennis with some friends yesterday at McKinley Park, nothing sounded better than some chilly ice cream after a heated match. Fortunately for us, we discovered one of the most delicious spots in Sacramento nearby: La Bombe Ice Cream & More.
La Bombe is a European-style ice cream parlor that serves over 20 different flavors of locally made Gunther’s ice cream, as well as salads, sandwiches and more. Their specialty, however, are their Les Bombe Glacés. The Les Bombe Glacés are domes of layered ice cream dolloped onto cookie wafers and topped with something sweet. You can pick a variety of flavors that will satisfy any craving.
(Image courtesy of La Bombe Ice Cream & More)
I decided to purchase the special of the day: the Salted Caramel Affogatto. This creation was made with two scoops of their special salted caramel ice cream drenched in a shot of hot espresso. This treat melted in my mouth and was the perfect end to a long summer day. I plan to come back to La Bombe Ice Cream & More soon because I couldn’t get enough!
For more information on what La Bombe Ice Cream & More has to offer, make sure to check out their tempting menu (please note this link opens up a PDF version of their menu).
La Bombe Ice Cream & More
3020 H Street
Sacramento, CA 95816-4416
(916)-448-2334
Peppermint White Chocolate Bars
Looking to add 18 ounces of delicious white chocolate to your life? Look no further than this recipe. White chocolate, vanilla and peppermint combine into a rich, creamy not quite brownie- yet not quite fudge-textured bar. Layered with mini chocolate chips then topped with a powdered sugar creation that includes sour cream (yes, you read that right) and you’ve got a veritable pantheon of delicious decadent flavor.
Peppermint White Chocolate Bars
Ingredients
Bars:
12 ounces white chocolate, chopped
½ cup butter
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup mini chocolate chips
White Chocolate Peppermint Frosting:
6 ounces of white chocolate, chopped
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
¼ teaspoon salt
Garnish:
Crushed peppermint candies
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Melt white chocolate and butter over a double boiler over simmering water. Take off of the heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Whisk until smooth. Add flour and stir until combined. Pour batter into a 9” x 13” pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Cook for 28 to 30 minutes.
As soon as you take the bars out of the oven, sprinkle with chocolate chips. Cool completely (don’t rush here as your frosting will never set on a hot surface).
To prepare the frosting, melt white chocolate in saucepan over medium heat; set aside to cool. Meanwhile, cream together the butter and powdered sugar (this can get messy until they combine, start on the lowest setting of your mixer). Beat in sour cream, vanilla, peppermint extract and salt. Beat on low until combined. Add the cooled white chocolate and beat until smooth.
Spread white chocolate frosting all over cooled bars. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.
Recipe courtesy of Baked Bree
Grasshopper Pie
Since the SacFoodies 5th Anniversay Potluck was at my house this year, I needed a recipe that I could prepare in advance and not have to fret over. With the theme of “colors” for this year’s potluck, I chose green and the first recipe that popped into my head was Grasshopper Pie.
It’s been years since I’d had this icy minty dessert, and who doesn’t love the chocolate-mint combo? I read more than a dozen different recipes and decided to go out and try my own concoction. I made a few twists on the classic recipe that I think may have actually worked. The first was substituting the traditional cookie crust for brownies. I loved the richness and texture it brought (it’s especially good if the brownies have chocolate chips in them). The second change I made was doing individual servings. At a potluck, it’s very easy for a frozen treat like this to fall apart on the countertop, so I opted for individual containers so that I could put out a couple and once those were gone, a few more went out. Overall, definitely a recipe I’d make again.
Grasshopper Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
1 box fudge brownie mix, prepared according to directions on box
Filling:
1 7-ounce jar of marshmallow cream
¼ cup Crème de Menthe liquor
Green food coloring, as necessary
2 cups whipping cream
Prepared whipped cream
Cool Mint Oreos, crumbled
Directions
Prepare brownies according to instructions on the box and let cool. Once they are cool, cut brownies and crumble into large bowl. Place crumbled brownie on the bottom of individual bowls or cups and press down lightly. Freeze for 15 minutes.
To prepare filling, use an electric mixer to blend together marshmallow cream and Crème de Menthe. The mixture will be a very light green color, so if you want it darker, add food coloring (note: I added about 4 drops). In a separate bowl, whip cream until slightly stiff. Fold into the mint marshmallow mixture and then spoon blended mixture on top of brownie crumbles in each individual bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or lid and freeze overnight.
To serve, leave on countertop for about 5 minutes to soften. Top with whipped cream and Cool Mint Oreos.