#OMGDessertGoals 2017: The Yays and the Nays

Big thanks to my friend Daisy for the heads up about Dessert Goals! 

Dessert Goals!

In sum, Dessert Goals is like Smorgasburg but for sweets specifically and with a time stamp. For $15 you gain entry to Dessert Goals for 90 minutes and the 20 or so vendors selling goods there. Yes, you still have to pay for items even after paying an entry fee. (Worth it for the price of admission.) There were also some classes (photography, how to brand yourself) for a higher price tag that included entry to the overall event. There were freebies at the Dylan's Candy Bar station, the Salt Bar (with salty snacks such as pretzels, chips, tortilla chips, and cheese balls), and some free coffee by Bodum and Intelligentsia. Plus they gave out free boxed water (they planned ahead well in this case). 

Now, you know me and I love me some dessert. So when I heard about this and saw the price I was all in. About a dozen vendors were announced before the event and all 21 were housed indoors on Dobbins Street. A good thing since it was 40 degrees on the 2nd day. 

Since my 2016 Dessert Places post is still pending (and pretty long) I did want to make sure to post about the hits and misses at Dessert Goals I experienced. I'm a person who loves substance over style. So I'd prefer a well executed sugar cookie to a razzle dazzle dessert with too many elements and not enough follow through. That said there were a handful of vendors at Dessert Goals who suffered from the latter and a few who succeeded. I didn't taste all 21 vendors for various reasons but I think I made a good dent in terms of what was there.

YAYs

Silk Cakes: Anyone who has been following my Instagram knows my love of this local bakery knows no bounds. And may I say they might have been one reason why I moved to the area I did 2 years ago. Silk Cakes offered thai ice tea mini cupcakes, neopolitan bites and their strawberry chiffon petal cake (pictured). My friends Daisy and Ko loved the strawberry chiffon and it was quite popular at Dessert Goals. Light, well executed, the perfect strawberry flavor it all melds together and is a standout particularly among much heavier fare. If you have been to a fair and have seen Silk Cakes you need to get it. Don't think about it just get it.

How pretty is that chiffon cake?

Stache of Goods: French Macarons in fun shapes! Kitties! Burgers, Pokemon! In flavors such as black sesame, nutella, and chocolate. The black sesame was subtle and delicious and the macaron texture perfect with the slight crispness on the outside and the soft and chewy nature on the inside. Super good and one to watch.

United Colors of Benetton (with Macarons)! 

Boananas: Banana pudding time! I was near my end point but I had to get this because banana pudding! I had the matcha banana pudding which they were kind enough to let me try first. Not a matcha/bitter overload. They did a good job of having it be part of the banana pudding but compliment and not overwhelm it. Good stuff.

Matcha Banana Pudding folks! 

Ring Ding Bar: This was a bit heavy but well executed. She had a variety of ring dings from PB&J (which I had and enjoyed), strawberry, raspberry, matcha, white chocolate, and so on. I'd recommend sharing one and not consuming a whole (especially one with peanut butter) but it's a good investment and more home grown so not as processed as the typical Ring Ding. 

NAYs

Boqueria: I was super excited for their churros s'mores but man was that a let down. I had 1.5 bites and threw it away. This was way too sweet and the churro is rock hard. Essentially they call it a "churro cookie" but for me a cookie should be a cookie and have essence of churro. Eating a tightly wound churro that is rock hard between some super sweet Hershey's like chocolate and a burnt (yes burnt) marshmallow does not a good mix make. And this is part of why I say substance over style wins out. Boqueria had one of the longer lines in the beginning due to gimmick, but I have to wonder how many people would come back?

Rare Bird Sweets: This was one of the last items I had because it looked interesting. I got the Blood and Sand (based on a cocktail of the same name). Again, two bites and I was done. The flavor profile was all over the place. The eclair was okay but the filling was butterscotch, there was a boat of vanilla mousse on top that had been out and was somewhat rubbery, there was a vial of cocktail that overwhelmed when you squeezed it in with the dessert, and there was a super salty and grainy cookie that was between the eclair and the mousse, as well as a candied cherry on top. (A) The design did not stand up well literally, (B) it was a salty, alcoholic, semi-sweet mess in my mouth and not at all appetizing put together. I guess deconstructed it may have worked but as a whole not good, hard to eat, but pretty cool to look at. 

INTERESTING

Call Me Caramel: This was a gruyere caramel. If you like gruyere this may be for you! It's definitely there in flavor and doesn't assault the senses or have an after taste. But it's not something I would buy in bulk, though I think everyone should try it.

The Brick Boutique: Based on traditional Taiwanese cookies that's a moister shortbread with a kind of preserve fruit filling (pineapple, lemon, etc) it was cool, solid and something that may take some back to their childhood. For me it was an interesting treat. 

SOLID RECOMMENDATIONS (These are places I've had before so didn't try again at Dessert Goals)

Underwest Donuts: Good stuff. Had them last year and they do mainly cake (not yeast) doughnuts with various flavors and a good moisture that keeps the next day. 

Taiyaki NYC: I had this on my birthday and I enjoy it. But it's also quite filling and has ice cream. Due to cold I purposely stayed away from ice cream which meant I didn't get to have 5 vendors food.

CoolHaus: Ice cream sammies! And big ones at that. So, again, this is pretty darn filling stuff. Their flavors range so I'd say see what combos you're into and go from there. Can't go wrong and I haven't yet.

Van Leeuwen: One of the first and most popular artisanal ice cream trucks in NYC and it stays visible. I'm a simple person for ice cream so their strawberry does it for me. And with the warmer months creeping up you may see their trucks a lot in the city.  

Girl in the Little Red Kitchen: Cookies, pies, and other treats from Susan Palmer a local baker spreading her name and treats farther and farther. If you like homemade goods hers are some to get. Especially her cookies. 

So all in all a good time and lots consumed in 90 minutes with some breaks. Had it been 20 or more degrees warmer it would've been ON with the ice cream (especially Mochidori 'cause I dig mochi in the summer time). I'd definitely recommend keeping tabs on Dessert Goals for next year. Bring some cash (or have your cards ready), eat light beforehand, go for one of the earlier sessions before vendors run out of food, and stay hydrated. It's a cool event and a nice way to spend an afternoon, especially if you have the balance of good vendors around with uniquely tasty and well executed treats. 

#NYCBakeSale 2014: Back at Brooklyn Flea

This counts as the one month (or specifically the 29 day) mark before the NYC Bake Sale strikes again! In previous posts from 2013 and 2012 I have volunteered and baked desserts. While I may not be baking this time around I will definitely be behind the scenes helping and this blog post is just one way of advertising. The NYC Bake Sale, and other bake sales around the nation, make sure all proceeds go to No Kid Hungry's campaign to end child hunger in America. Last year NYC's bake sale raised over $4,500 for this mission and we hope to raise that much more in 2014.

Food bloggers and culinary professionals are donating freshly baked goods that will include gluten-free and vegan items as well as lactose-filled deliciousness. The spread will be amazing and remember all monies raised go to a great cause.

You can visit the NYC Bake Sale's Tumblr site for updates on raffle prizes (win Le Creuset cookware or cookbooks from King Arthur flour!) and on who will be donating goodies. The bake sale will run from 10am to 5pm on May 3rd or whenever we sell out.

If you want to be part of the Twitter discussion and further publicize the event please use the hashtag #NYCBakeSale. You can also get updates and show support by attending via the Facebook event page.

Hope to see you there in May!

@IvyBakery Closing March 9th, Bake Out Event March 7th-9th

Sadly, one of my favorite bakeries in NYC Ivy Bakery will be closing its doors on Sunday, March 9th. However, you can still get the delicious goodies (savory and sweet) that owner and baker Daniellan Louie makes via private catering or personal orders. I interviewed Daniellan last fall for Ivy Bakery's 13th anniversary and learned more about the what items Daniellan would like Ivy Bakery to be remembered for (buttermilk pie) and the vast menu she makes (includes paleo desserts and dinners with the baker!). I'm saddened that another great business in NYC is closing but I am glad that Daniellan's goods will still be available, feel free to contact her at ivybakery (at) gmail.

As Ivy Bakery sets to close there'll be all-day Bake Outs on March 7th, 8th, and 9th where visitors can get their hands on the goods Ivy Bakery is known for or should be known for. Daniellan's Bake Out will be just that, baking until she's all out of ingredients so definitely get there while you can if you have any preferences for goods. There'll be live music and on Saturday, March 8th the monthly Bakery Lockdown will happen starting at 8pm where you can get all-you-can-eat goods for a flat fee of $20. And I'm sure there'll be many goodies available on the last day as well.

I hope you'll come out in droves to send Daniellan off in style and get to enjoy the laid back atmosphere that Ivy Bakery has offered for the last several years.

#NYCBakeSale in Pictures

On Saturday, May 4th the NYC Bake Sale kicked off again at Brooklyn Flea. Here's a summary of the event in pictures. We're still taking donations online to help the NYC Bake Sale surpass this year's goal of $3,000. Thanks to all who helped us get there and big THANKS (and many bows) to organizers Lillian & Ken for doing a great job of getting this together and supporting a wonderful cause.

2011 Wrap-up! My year in baking...(part 1)

As is the norm, I am scribing this year's baking hits (and misses). It's a fun thing to look back at the year and see review. And now that I have annual goals I write for myself it's good to hold myself accountable for some of the many things I exclaim with excitement that I want to do. This year I got to do a good amount of baking although I went on a bit of a hiatus after my return from my residency. Here are some pics and assessments of my baking this year and also where you can find the recipes. I have to admit the first half of the year was somewhat sparse.

Here goes:

Perish the thought but I did no 'from scratch' baking in January even though it's the month of my birthday. This year I threw a brownies vs. blondies competition and enjoyed many sweets though. :-)

February

I bought oatmeal via the Target Marketplace brand and decided to try out the recipe for oatmeal cookies on the canister. This was a good recipe for the old school oatmeal cookies you may be used to (sans raisins of course, bleh). They were of the chewy variety and stayed as such for a few days. I brought these in on a really gross, slushy, cold, windy day at work and received heaps of praise. It may have been for the cookies or just because of the weather. Who knows. These things just bring smiles on people's faces.

An original recipe I did for February was coconut chocolate chip blondies! I had coconut and coconut extract from a recipe I tried last year and these things keep well. I decided to try and spice up a blondies recipe for a co-worker who'd gotten another job and they turned out delicious. I used a base blondie recipe from Bon Appetit since it proved to help with the moisture and have more of a slightly dense texture (it helps to melt butter and add the sugar while it's still warm in a sauce pan). Coconut extract is not over powering so it added a nice sweetness with the shredded coconut to the blondies and frankly chocolate can never do wrong so these were a hit with my, now former, co-worker.

March

Unfortunately more co-workers left my job, and soon I would too. But before they did I made cookies and cream cupcakes courtesy of Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor.

These were a cool experiment in utilizing one baked good in another and in the case of "stacking." By that I mean that there's half an Oreo at the bottom of the cupcake, crushed Oreos in the batter, and crushed Oreos on top of the frosting (as you can see). I used reduced fat Oreos for the first batch I made and people loved them.  I mean loved them. I was told "This is the best cupcake I have ever had." And while I cannot take credit for the inventiveness of the recipe at least I can take a bow for the proper execution.

These cupcakes have a lot, but not too much going on. I think the added crunch of the cookie inside it and atop it make it stand out and they look pretty darn tasty I have to say. Oreos are a good cookie to bake with as they don't become soggy when baked (or fried) but retain a somewhat crispy texture that is a nice contrast to moist cake. I may have to play around more with Oreos when I bake.

April

After the success of the cookies and cream cookie and as a native New Yorker I decided to make a black and white cupcake around the Cake Mix Doctor's recipe.

I liked this cupcake okay, and co-workers enjoyed it enough, but I feel I have to play with the cake mixture more to enhance the moistness. I may add sour cream or pudding in the mixture. I added mini chocolate chip morsels and did chocolate and vanilla frosting a la New York City's Black and White cookie.

While in Wyoming I did some baking. Some fave repeats. But as we often ate meals together many of us residents found that we had extra items left over that we wanted to use. Karen had left over sour cream so I looked up a recipe and found one for sour cream chocolate chip cookies on allrecipes.com.

Wow. Whatever I knew about chocolate chip cookies was obliterated once I tried this recipe and added sour cream in the mix. I am a fan of the cakey type cookie and seek to create more recipes like this so trying this really opened my eyes to the possibilities. Delicious and they stayed moist for days. And as I learned when stale you can nuke it and eat chewy again. Always learning.

That's it for the first half of the year. In part 2 I'll cover July-December which includes gluten-free baking month.

As a side note I was watching ABC's Up Close with Diana Williams this morning and see that places such as The New York City Food Bank are in need of donations. Both monetary and produce-wise. Having been part of this statistic in my youth and being blessed with not currently being afflicted by hunger during this bad economic turn it's great to help those in need while we post about our successes with food.

Please consider donating since as many as 1.5 million New Yorkers are going hungry these days and up to 3 million are on the cusp. Encourage your employer or school or friends & family to donate if you have the ability to do so. And if you are in need of their services definitely contact them. I know I will.

See you in part 2!