’Tis the season be gluttonous, and I’ve been devouring desserts with abandon. Three I tried recently have been real standouts:
The Firehouse’s vanilla crème brûlée – elegant, silky, and topped with a juicy, sweet strawberry compote – was one of the best I’ve tried in the region. Sweet tooths will want to investigate the rest of talented pastry chef Nichol Santisteven’s winter dessert menu – her spiced pumpkin cheesecake (served with a pumpkin seed and cocoa nib brittle and tiny shot of pumpkin pie milkshake) and playful “CherryMisu,” (vanilla bean Bavarian cream with sour cherry compote and dark chocolate-cherry truffles) are terrific excuses to visit this iconic Old Sacramento restaurant.
Shady Lady Saloon offers a pretty and unusual warm almond pear cake – the top of a poached Bosc pear pops up from the palm-sized almond cake, and the ensemble is complemented with a vanilla-eggnog crème anglaise and caramel sauce. Comforting and delicious, it’s a great cold-weather treat.
The Waterboy’s apple crostada is an old fave: encased in flaky dough and topped with a generous scoop of ice cream, the scrumptious dessert is drizzled with warm caramel sauce and is guaranteed to warm your toes (and heart). Share it with someone you love.
