Grand Petit Gateau!

Why is chocolate cake called Petit Gateau? Well, I don't actually know and it doesn't really matter, what does matter is that it is delicious! That's all you need to know.

This was from a coffee shop in a mall in Santos, Brazil. The brownie was ok, could have been a little warmer, to give a melting in your mouth feeling that would have pushed this dessert out of this world. However I had to be content with the fact that it came with flocos ice cream (stracciatella), and big chunks of milk chocolate, which weren't too sweet (just like I like it). All in all this is one for the books!

So Fresh!

There is nothing quite like a fresh fruit from a street vendor to sate that sweet craving everyone gets now and then. Fruits make the best snacks, they are full of energy and relatively healthy. However, in The US (at least Texas...) it is very hard to find fresh fruits (maybe in California...). I will say, that you don't know what a mango is until you have eaten a fresh one from a sub-tropical to tropical climate like Brazil, or India. Nothing beats the sweet juices and soft consistency.

The grapes are just for extra show, in the US you can find pretty good usually imported grapes.

Bolo de Rolo!

Traditional to the northern regions of Brazil, this sweet treat is unique in appearance and taste. The idea is pretty simple. Make a large thin cake, spread some filling on top, and roll it all into a "bolo de rolo" literally meaning a rolled cake. This paticular one was also from O Camarada restaurant (twas my dessert...) called Delicia Pernambucana.

The filling is a type of guava jam, the ice cream is plain vanilla, and the sauce is also made from guava. This type of cake is usually pretty dense and not too airy. It is also pretty sweet due to the high proportion of filling to cake volume. It's very moist and not crumbly, but also spongy absorbing the ice cream and sauce. Thankfully you tend to burn a ton of calories during your day to day routine as a dive instructor, so this type of indulgence was allowed.

Chocottone!

As far as I know, chocottone is a Brazilian invention, taken from the Italian panettone. It replaces the traditional crystallized or dried fruits with chocolate nuggets. It is a sweeter more appealing to kids version of the old traditional sweet bread. Both are suave, airy, light, and to me absolutely delicious. My first post about it was about panettone and nutella. This time I had it for dessert after lunch and decided to accompanied it with some 'carioca' ice cream (chocolate and vanilla). Results below.

Now that Easter is rolling around, Panettone is a traditional eastern treat. Now you can add to it, and make your eastern all the merrier!

Yogurt Fad, It's Everywhere!

The Brazilian summer heat is good on the beach, but bad on your daily schedule. Lucky for us the frozen yogurt fad has come here as well. Frozen yogurt by the pound is dangerous for the wallet, but so so good on the tongue.

Ok so here we have some cream and chocolate flavored frozen yogurt as a base, some granola and strawberries to complement and a little chocolate syrup to finish it off. I don't think I need to say it, but I will... It was delicious.

Panna Brownie

I was making panna cotta, but used a new type of gelatin and it didn't quite solidify. To make the best of a somewhat disappointing dessert, I took a piece of brownie and put it on a bowl, which I filled with the panna cotta. Then after putting some strawberry sauce it was ready for eating. Turned out pretty good. It was like having strawberry whipped cream with the brownie. Just because things don't look like they are working doesn't mean you should give up! You never know when something good will come out of it.

It's Acceptable to Drool

Oh My French Toast!

26 Beach Restaurant, thank you so much. This place has one of the best Brunch menus that I have ever seen. The restaurant is quite small and if you plan on enjoying their wonderful brunch selection it is recommended that you make reservations, especially if you are one to wake up kinda hungry. Their portions are huge. I got the Caramel Macchiato French Toast. Heavenly stuff.

This thing is everything you expect it to be. The toast is soft as a sponge, and yet not soggy. The espresso sauce is a decently strong coffee liquor so I suggest you try it before pouring it on. The hardest part of this post was holding myself back from devouring this beauty long enough to take a picture.

Best Chocolate Cake Ever!

That is vanilla bean ice cream on the background, while up front we have The Cake. This is the best version of the brownie I have ever tasted. Its a soft cake shell filled with chocolate fondue. I am not entirely sure what the cap is made from, seemed like a cheese of some sort. It mostly melted into the fondue and the browned part was pretty chewy.

To summarize the lesson of the day is if you ever make a brownie, hollow it out and fill it with chocolate fondue.

Crème Brûlée

Here it is, the much anticipated dessert from the Yucatan taco stand. The white chocolate crème brûlée.

There isn't much to say, the creme is sweet and the berries are just the right amount of tart. The crisp crust is hard and provides the crunch to keep your teeth working. All in all a great derivative of the classic dessert.

The Devil's Food

This cake, more commonly known as Red Velvet comes from the esteemed Cheesecake Factory. It was consumed in celebration of a good family friends birthday. The thick cheesecake layer is suave and delicious with just enough cream cheese. The cake is just moist enough to crumble effortlessly in your mouth. Finally, to be a little critical I found the white chocolate shavings a little too sweet.

If you are wondering red velvet is a chocolate cake. Traditionally the acidity of buttermilk and vinegar mixed with cocoa makes the anthocyanin pigment of the cocoa more apparent giving the cakes its reddish color. Now food coloring makes the red tone even stronger, giving it a stark contrast with the common cream cheese layers. It'll taste good if it looks good, right?

Cold as Ice

The newest old trend in self-proclaimed healthy desserts is frozen yogurt. These places are popping up everywhere, and I'm not one to complain. The pay by the pound style is great for limiting your consumption to a decent amount. It's true, I tend to get carried away sometimes, but usually I keep my head and get a great dessert for a great price.

The condiments are what makes the dessert. Here I have a mix of red velvet (almost chocolate) and cheesecake frozen yogurt as a base, with strawberries, cheesecake bites, and some yogurt sprinkles on top. This time I forgot, but I usually also add some condensed milk to keep things deliciously sweet.

Cold Stone!

Ice cream is a treat I don't treat myself to enough. If you don't know, Cold Stone mixes ice creams on a cold marble counter top as you order. This gives you the opportunity to be creative and blend flavors together while adding diverse toppings. I try to keep my creations simple.

This here is a blend of chocolate (would have preferred dark chocolate) and sweet cream ice cream, with frozen strawberries mixed in. During a hot Texas afternoon nothing feels better then slowly letting a sweet ice cream concoction melt in your mouth, and that's exactly where Cold Stone put their money.

Bitter Sweet Love

Lemon tarts, what a tease. You think its sweet, but it's just slightly bitter. Words just don't do you justice, my love...

A little dessert never hurt anyone right? Not if you been exercising daily! Sometimes, you walk into a bakery and you just can't resist the sweet treats under the flashy lights, it's ok, we have all been there. Just try to keep those bakery visits after hitting the gym.

Sweet and Sweeter!

Sometimes you just need a little sugar rush, and nothing does it like a sweet peach with ice cream.

This time I diverged from my standard vanilla and peach combo to shake things up. Serve up some strawberry ice cream and throw that peach in there. This combo was great, two distinct tastes that share a sweet... well sweetness.

That's Just Fruity

I love the presentation that a good fruit assortment will give to your dessert. Just take in this vibrant display of color.

A simple fruit tart. The fruit assortment not only make this a great looking dessert, but also gives it just enough variety to keep it from being a monotone dessert. The glaze works with the cream to ward off any bitterness from the fruits. Go ahead, judge it by the way it looks.

Nice Rice

Rice pudding or arroz doce was one of my favorite desserts growing up. Now it's still one of my favorites. It is easy to make, easy to garnish, and tastes like delicious with a little of awesome on top. It is not too sweet and its very light, which means it can be enjoyed in moderate portions after just about kind every meal.

If you are wondering that is cinnamon on top, gives it a good contrasting garnish, and changes up the taste enough to keep your taste buds guessing.

PSH... Place the Strawberries Here?

Ever since I can remember I have loved strawberries, probably because they were red, I like red foods. Anyways, strawberries aren't all that sweet, especially the mutant giant monstrosities, but there is hope for your sweet tooth. I find that a great combo is strawberries and caramel ice cream...

Some complain that caramel ice cream is too sweet, some that strawberries aren't sweet enough. Well please everyone by mixing the two together. And if you belong to that special category of "I like both of them", just remember that two good things mixed together have to taste good. If you have doubts, just ask a kid who just mixed all the sodas from the drink fountain into his cup.

What's Your Favorite?

I don't like it when people ask me what my favorite food is. Why do I have to have only one?! Though last night I can safely say that I had a dessert that is certainly up there.

The creme brulee custard brings a lively natural taste to your sweet after meal debauchery, and the sugar crisp adds the little crunch that keeps it interesting and gives it a unique presentation.

Perfect, or should I say Parfait!

I'm not going to lie. My brother introduced me to the deliciousness of yogurt, but since that fateful day I have made my fair contribution diminishing dairy stocks all around the world. Mostly in the form of parfait consumption. This is my most recent venture into "perfection".

Two peach halves, lots of granola, and a healthy serving of honeyed Greek yogurt. This is a very satisfying breakfast meal, and takes no time at all to prepare.

Merci, Bon appétit!

Why is There no STRACCIATELLA?!

OK... So growing up as a kid in Brazil I loved Flocos ice cream, or as know in most of Europe Stracciatella gelato. They need to bring this ice cream to the USA stat... Wait is that... YES!!!!

Ok Ok so it is not exactly identical to the Brazilian Flocos or the European Stracciatella, but it is the next best thing in the USA. The Phoenicia specialty foods market has created its own version, available in pints. This is my favorite flavor... In fact I just might make a trip over to the fridge.