(a bit of an autobiography)
Having dessert is avoided by some, a special occasion for others, and a food group for the rest of us. In my family having dessert wasn’t a question asked, because the answer was always “YES!” We like to claim that the Wolf Family was born with an extra stomach, just for dessert. We can be incredibly full from dinner, no worries; there is always room on our ‘dessert stomach.’ This might be seen as a problem in the eyes of a nutritionist, but I assure you that my family does an impressive job of eating well aside from our desserts - we love our fruits and veggies! But back to desserts, there is a difference between a great dessert and any ole dessert and a great dessert also differs from a great restaurant dessert.
Going out to a fine dinning restaurant is a luxury or an indulgence; it usually happens for gatherings, celebrations, events, or special nights out with friends or family. There is a sense of allure, elegance, and excitement about getting dressed up and going out to a restaurant; the food holds some of the same characteristics. Customers want to be impressed; they want the ‘wow factor’ and the sparkle that they left their own kitchen for, and what they are paying for. From the moment they walk into the restaurant they are looking to order foods they don’t get regularly, foods they can’t make themselves, many customers are willing to try something new at a nice restaurant, and they definitely want the food to be tasty. From the drinks, to the appetizers, entrees, and finally the desserts - they want the entire experience to be delicious and enjoyable.
Thus a great restaurant dessert has it all, it is the full package; it has depth of flavor, variety in texture, perfect levels of sweetness, and creativity and elegance in the plating and presentation. For example, a peanut butter cookie would not get the title of a great restaurant dessert. However, a hot peanut butter cookie with chocolate ganache and fresh vanilla bean gelato, a light drizzle of warm caramel and sprinkled with crushed salted toasted peanuts presented artistically could be titled a great restaurant dessert. It goes above and beyond the home kitchen. It combines many flavors, temperatures, and textures. A great restaurant dessert takes the customer to a different place.
Being a part of the family with the extra ‘dessert stomach’ I have tried many desserts and being the middle of five kids means I have really tried a lot of desserts. The traditional birthday cake became redundant and boring when we were eating seven times a year at my house growing up. My Mom moved on to more challenging desserts like angle food cakes with homemade whipped cream and when that got overly done cheesecakes with Oreo crusts were requested and then on to rich chocolate cheesecakes with powder sugar and cocoa powder decals.
There was also a smorgasbord of other desserts in the Wolf House. My Dad loves homemade fruit pies and cobblers so those were made when he was baking. Thanksgiving’s traditional pumpkin pie was changed in my house to a double-layered chocolate and pumpkin cheesecake, though my little sister still loves to make pumpkin pies when she gets the chance. During Christmas time my house was filled with dozens of Spritz and Snowballs cookies as well as Dad’s fresh crushed peppermint ice cream. My older sister makes the best carrot cake I have ever eaten. Grandma’s chocolate fudge sauce is always a staple of a family vacation up to Breckinridge, Colorado. With the addition of Jim, my brother-in-law, to the family Key-Lime Pies got brought into the picture and I’ve come to enjoy those as well.
I believe it is all this dessert making and eating that I have done throughout of life at home has influenced my high expectations for desserts out at restaurants. It is a choice based on value and experience. I am not going to pay money for a dessert that I can make in my own home, as a customer I demand a skill level and is fitting to a nice restaurant in their desserts as much as I do their entrees. A great restaurant dessert for me is one that impresses me. It is a dessert that is magical and memorable in its presentation, technique, and taste; it is the full package. Dessert is the finale of a meal and it should be just as good as the opening act. Thus, a great restaurant dessert is a dessert that leaves the customer grinning in bliss as they sign the check, leaving a gracious tip; leaving the restaurant to go back to their home- content and already wanting to return.
