Seasonal Sensations
Seasonal Sensations
Seasonal Sensations
Local eateries step it up with special holiday season confections
For most, the weeks leading up to Christmas – and indeed, Christmas itself – conjure up fond memories of holidays spent in grandma’s kitchen, helping prepare delicious apple and pumpkin pies on chilly December evenings spent in the comfort of a warm kitchen, or carefully assembling packages of freshly baked cookies for the neighbors.
There’s just something comforting about a hot dessert infused with cinnamon, pumpkin or chocolate on a cold evening.
These five local restaurants have taken that concept to heart, developing and featuring their own twists on beloved holiday favorites or coming up with their own, new winter staples.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Frugatti’s Italian Eatery
600 Coffee Road,
(661) 836-2000
About five years ago, propelled by the idea that everyone loves pumpkin during the holidays, Frugatti’s owner Ralph Fruguglietti and his chefs set out to create a unique twist on the restaurant’s signature cheesecake desserts. The result, perfected after only a few attempts, was the now popular Pumpkin Cheesecake.
Regular cheesecake filling is enhanced by the addition of pumpkin puree and spices, and then set in a gingersnap crust. The dessert is served with fresh whipped cream and caramel sauce. “If you love pumpkin pie, then you’re really going to love this cheesecake, because it basically tastes like pumpkin pie but is really creamy,” Fruguglietti said.
Although the dessert has proved to be very popular with close to 200 pieces being sold each week, it is only available Nov. 1 through Dec.
31. “We only sell it at this time of the year, not because we wouldn’t want to sell it throughout the year, but because I think people get their fill of pumpkin during the holidays and then they’re done with it,” Fruguglietti said.
A single slice of the dessert costs $5.59. And for those who love this winter staple, 10-inch cheesecakes are available for $36. Each whole cheesecake yields about 16 slices.
Chumkin Torte
T. L. Maxwell’s Restaurant and Bar
1421 17th Place,
(661) 323-6889
Three years ago, in preparation for a special Halloween themed wine lovers event, owner Terry Maxwell found himself searching for a new dessert to fit his theme. He settled on revamping an old favorite – chocolate oblivion truffle torte, a flourless chocolate dessert – with the unusual combination of pumpkin and chocolate.
To make the new dessert, he substituted the liquid parts of the chocolate torte with pumpkin pie filling. His first attempt at the Chumkin Torte “turned out absolutely spectacular.” But it was missing something. So Maxwell added a base of whipped cream made from Bailey’s Irish Cream to complete it.
The result has proven to be one of Maxwell’s most popular seasonal desserts, requiring chefs to make about 10 tortes each week to keep up with the demand (each whole torte yields about 24 pieces).
Chocolate and pumpkin aren’t necessarily a natural combination, but Maxwell says it’s a dessert that is good enough to grace the pages of Bon Appétit and Gourmet magazines, and others agree. He said people like it because it’s not too chocolate-y and the pumpkin isn’t overwhelming – actually, pumpkin is the last thing you’ll taste.
Those interested in this dessert should act now: T.L. Maxwell’s only serves its Chumkin Torte until sometime in January, after “the dessert has run its course.” A piece of Chumkin Torte costs $6.95, and whole pies cost about $40 to $45.
Tiramisu
Sorella Ristorante Italiano
7800 McNair Lane,
(661) 396-8603
Make no mistake: Nancy Cristallo’s Tiramisu is the real deal, not some cheap imitation. “I make it my own way – the way I like it,” she said. And like many of the dishes served in her restaurant, Cristallo’s Tiramisu was developed from a recipe passed on to her from her mother and brought with her when Cristallo, her parents, her five sisters and her brother immigrated to America from Bonito, Italy – a small town near the southern port city of Naples – in the late 1950s. (See? She really is the real deal.)
Her unique take on the classic begins with fresh mascarpone cheese, to which she adds egg whites and her special, not-so-secret- now ingredient: cognac. The addition of the liquor seems natural to her, since “all of us Italians like to put a little liquor in our desserts,” Cristallo said. Plus, people love the hint of orange provided by the cognac. Next, she dips cookies in espresso – but not too much espresso – chocolate and coffee liqueur. The cookies and cream are then stacked in two alternating layers.
The result is a “wonderfully rich and light dessert that complements any entrée,” Cristallo said. And the alcohol is especially comforting in the winter, since “it just makes you warm,” Cristallo noted. The dessert is also an ideal pick-me-up – tiramisu literally translates to “pick me up” in Italian – on those days you may be feeling sluggish (days which, for many, seem more prevalent when it’s colder outside).
A piece of Tiramisu at Sorella costs $6.50. But don’t worry: Each portion is a big enough for two; they don’t dole out skimpy portions.
Apple Crêpe
Valentien Restaurant and Wine Bar 3310 Truxtun Ave., (661) 864-0397
What do you get when you fuse together the very American apple pie with perhaps the most quintessentially French food, crêpes?
At Valentien Restaurant and Wine Bar, the answer has come in the form of a newly introduced dessert: the Apple Crêpe, a hot dessert served with caramel sauce and house-made cinnamon ice cream. “It’s an American take on a French dessert, since there really is nothing more American than apple pie,” co-owner Jennifer Sanderson said. And as such, it is meant to be “a warm, comforting dessert – something that will be great in cold weather,” she said.
Valentien first introduced this item to the menu in early November, and the plan is to continue serving it until mid-January (though that’s subject to change, as the menu – and the dessert menu especially – changes frequently). Although chefs have prepared dessert crêpes for special parties in the past, this is the first time the restaurant has served a dessert crêpe.
Sanderson said patrons should expect to taste the tartness of the apples, creamy caramel, cinnamon, brown sugar and “just a hint (of apple liqueur), not enough to get you drunk or anything. It really is a nice balance of flavors and is great for getting into the holiday spirit. It’s the perfect ending to a chilly evening.” The dessert costs $8.
Chocolate Mousse Cake
The Gourmet Shoppe by Cafe Med
4801 Stockdale Highway, (661) 834-5522
Pastries truly are Jonelle Cleveland’s passion. For the past eight years, Cleveland has worked as the pastry chef at The Gourmet Shoppe, the often-overlooked wine shop/bakery/deli attached to, and inextricably linked to, Cafe Med. Cleveland also makes all desserts for Cafe Med’s restaurant and catering service.
She also continues to receive additional training at the Culinary Institute of California in Napa, where she learned how to make the bakery section’s newest addition: mousse cakes.
Each cake consists of layers of cake, various fillings and mousse. Flavors include raspberry, strawberry, lemon, pear, or really, whatever filling a costumer requests. Cleveland’s personal favorite is the Pear Mousse Cake, “because the flavors just burst in your mouth.” Each cake also acts as a canvas of sorts for Cleveland, who adds decorative chocolates and fresh-cut fruit to the top of each cake, and joconde stripes (think: chocolate in a crisscross pattern) to the base.
Since introducing the dessert about a month ago – just in time for the holidays – they have really taken off. “I don’t care when I put them out there, they’re gone by the time I leave,” Cleveland said.
The mousse cakes will be featured mostly in the latter part of the year, though if they do well, Cleveland says she doesn’t really see an end to them.
At $24.99 for a nine-inch cake, Cleveland said the cake is also affordable during the holiday season.