Heart-shaped cakes are ho-hum. Try something new this Valentine’s Day and tempt your sweetheart with an assortment of mini-desserts. You won’t be alone. Miniature versions of standard-size desserts are turning up in restaurants and pastry shops all around town, and they are winning the hearts of diners. Think tapas with a sweet tooth. Think petit fours with flair. Think love bites. “People say ‘wow’ when they see them; they are just amazed,” said Geoffrey Alexander, general manager of Vong’s Thai Kitchen, or VTK, in River North, where what the restaurant bills as “the world’s smallest dessert menu”debuted last year. “This is a new way of doing desserts, and it has caught on.”
Mini-desserts come in styles from plain to fancy. At Tru, Gale Gand cooks her “collection” of small desserts and serves them in five courses; Ed Debevic’s, the ’50s-style diner, caters to the inner kid in all of us with “the world’s smallest ice cream sundae.”
VTK offers seven mini-desserts at lunch on weekdays, and displays all seven on a tray that is carried to each table for inspection. For just $1 or $1.50 each, customers have their pick of such small treats as Valrhona chocolate cake the size of a tartlet, served warm with a tiny scoop of coconut sorbet on the side; mango rolls that look like sushi; and a passion fruit souffle kissed with passion fruit ice cream and served in an espresso cup.
“Every one has its own personality, that is what is so good about them,” says VTK chef de cuisine Arnulfo Tellez. At one sitting, diners can mix tangy with sweet, puddings and pastry.
According to Alexander, 70 percent of VTK’s customers order mini-desserts, and most take at least two varieties. Five Frenchmen recently went even further. While in town for three weeks on business, they lunched at VTK every day, and all of them ordered five desserts on each visit.
“The idea is to get a little something sweet to finish off the meal. People don’t want to go back to work in a food coma,” said Alexander, speaking for most of his customers, though obviously not the Frenchmen. “This way is healthier.”
Peter Rios, pastry chef at Cafe des Architectes in the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, also is big on mini-desserts.
“Most people are in a hurry at lunch, they want to eat lighter, and they enjoy a little sweet treat for $1,” Rios says. “Mini-desserts tempt people who would not otherwise indulge.”
Rios tempts Cafe lunch patrons with six selections, drawn from a master list of 19 possibilities. All have a French accent, befitting the dining room of a French-owned hotel.
Choices include a petite chocolate pot-au-creme, silver dollar-sized baked clafouti studded with berries, and a bite-sized square of apricot almond cake topped with apricot compote.
For Valentine’s Day, he thinks diners will say oui to his milk chocolate and passion fruit dome with coconut tuile chocolate and mango-passion fruit sauce, and the raspberry and bittersweet chocolate tart with raspberry coulis and chocolate nougatine.
As at VTK, most diners can’t eat just one; they take at least two mini-desserts. At lunch not long ago, a guest liked Rios’ tropical fruit parfait so much, he ordered the kitchen’s entire supply, and finished all six servings at a single sitting.
Although mini-desserts are new to the menus at VTK and Cafe des Architectes, Albert Wolf has been offering what he calls his “miniature pastries”–actually his take on French petit fours–for 20 years at his Albert’s Cafe and Patisserie in the Gold Coast. He considers them “the perfect pastry,” and says they have become increasingly popular as customers have come to appreciate their appeal.
“If you find out you don’t like one so much, you are not stuck with a big serving,” Wolf says. “That’s the beauty of it. You have three or four different pieces.”
Variety is not all these small sweet treats have to recommend them. Because they are generally finger food, Wolf says, they are especially suited to large gatherings where guests often eat standing up: “Nobody drops forks, so nobody gets embarrassed.”
On any given day, the glass display case at Albert’s contains five or six varieties of small pastries. These include eclairs (his biggest seller), assorted small cakes layered with vanilla buttercream and covered with melted white chocolate, cheesecake tartlets, and choux pastry swans puffed with whipped cream and custard.
“The choices are unlimited; there is no end to the things you can do,” Wolf says.
Making mini-desserts is well within the capabilities of the home cook, the experts agreed. While some small desserts are more labor-intensive than their regular-size version (it obviously takes less time to make one tart shell than six), they do cook faster. Rios’ tiny tarts and custards, baked in a convection oven at the same temperature at which he bakes the full-sized versions, are ready in just seven minutes.
Wolf suggests that cooks begin with a favorite recipe: Almost any one will work. Cut it in half, quarter it, or make the entire portion and freeze what you don’t need for later.
If a recipe calls for fresh fruit or custard, which do not freeze well, prepare it to that point, freeze it, and finish it off just before serving.
Most important, when trying a recipe for the first time, make a sample before cooking the entire batch.
“Watch it, test it, then write down how long it takes so you will have it the next time,” Wolf advises. And don’t be discouraged if your first efforts are not perfect.
“It’s like anything else. If you do it a couple of times, you’ll get better,” Wolf promises.
When planning an array of mini-desserts, aim for what Alexander calls “the wow! factor.” Mix flavors, textures, colors and shapes for the best effect.
A variety of cooking and serving equipment is necessary, but easy to come by. Some miniature desserts are baked in full-size cake pans or cookie sheets, then cut into bite-sized portions and served on bread and butter plates.
Brownies make fine mini-desserts, Wolf says, and so do single-layer cakes, sliced and individually decorated.
Other desserts call for mini-muffin and tartlet tins that are inexpensive and widely available, or miniature ramekins, madeleine pans and gratin dishes that can be found at food specialty shops at reasonable prices.
Some equipment may already be in the kitchen cupboard. An oven-proof espresso cup can be transformed into a souffle dish and a melon baller does double duty as a mini ice cream scoop.
Rios uses shot glasses to present mini-parfaits that resemble English trifle in a glass bowl. Apricot compote, covered with almond streusel and topped with whipped cream, is just one of the possibilities of parfaits that mix colors, tastes and textures.
“Let your imagination guide you,” Wolf says. “Instead of thinking Texas-size, think petite.”
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Cookbooks to try
These two cookbooks, which focus on itsy-bitsy indulgences, are available online at amazon.com and ecookbooks.com, or may be ordered through your local bookstore:
Gale Gand’s Just a Bite: 125 Luscious Little Desserts
by Gale Gand
Clarkson Potter, $32.50
Sweet Miniatures: The Art of Making Bite-Size Desserts
by Flo Braker
Quirk, $22.95
Bittersweet chocolate cream with raspberries
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Cooling time: 8 hours, 15 minutes
Yield: 20 miniature or 10 regular servings
This simple dessert, adapted from a recipe by Peter Rios at Cafe des Architectes, is made a day ahead, then assembled just before serving. For larger servings, spoon more of the dessert into custard cups.
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup each: milk, whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
Raspberries:
1 1/2 cups each: sugar, water
1 bag (12 ounces) frozen raspberries
1/2 pint fresh raspberries, optional
3 mint sprigs, optional
1. Place chocolate in a large bowl; set aside. Combine milk, cream, sugar and yolks in medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring with a rubber spatula, until cream coats the back of a spoon and thermometer reads 175 degrees, about 12 minutes.
2. Pour custard mixture through a strainer placed over the chocolate. Stir the chocolate and custard until completely smooth. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate.
3. For raspberries, heat sugar and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; set aside to cool, about 15 minutes. Stir in frozen raspberries; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 8 hours.
4. Spoon a generous tablespoon of raspberry mixture into a 2-ounce shot glass or cordial glass. Fill glass with chocolate mixture; top each glass with one fresh raspberry and mint leaf, if desired.
Nutrition information per serving:
187 calories, 45% of calories from fat, 10 g fat, 5.4 g saturated fat, 68 mg cholesterol, 26 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 13 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
Mini date-nut bars
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 64 bars
Adapted from Vong’s Thai Kitchen.
12 dates, pitted, chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup pecan pieces
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together dates, brown sugar, salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon in medium bowl. Stir in honey and eggs; mix well. Stir in bread crumbs and pecans.
2. Spread mixture evenly in an 8-inch-square baking pan lined with greased parchment paper on the bottom. Bake until brown and firm, about 25 minutes. Set aside on wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 1-inch squares.
3. Mix together sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in pie pan. Coat squares in mixture to coat.
Nutrition information per serving:
21 calories, 26% of calories from fat, 0.6 g fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 3.6 g carbohydrates, 0.5 g protein, 28 mg sodium, 0.2 g fiber
Rich chocolate molten cake
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 9-12 minutes
Yield: 8 small or 4 large servings
These elegant cakes with a liquid chocolate center are adapted from Vong’s Thai Kitchen.
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon flour
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler over boiling water until chocolate is almost melted, about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, beat egg, egg yolk and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer until light and thick, about 8 minutes. Add chocolate mixture; beat just to mix. Add flour, stirring just until combined.
3. Divide the batter among buttered and floured 2-ounce mini-muffin tins, filled almost to top, or 6-ounce custard cups, filled three-fourths full; place cups on baking sheet. (Filled tins and custard cups may be refrigerated up to 2 hours, and brought to room temperature before baking.) Bake until sides are set, but the center is still soft, about 5 minutes for muffin tins, 8 minutes for custard cups.
4. Run knife around inside of each ramekin; invert each onto a dessert plate; let sit about 10 seconds. Unmold; serve hot.
Nutrition information per serving:
115 calories, 72% of calories from fat, 10 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 67 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 50 mg sodium, 0.5 g fiber
Tropical fruit parfait and bittersweet chocolate cream with raspberries
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Yield: 15 miniature or 8 large servings
This light, colorful dessert is adapted from one served at Cafe des Architectes. For larger servings, you can use martini or parfait glasses.
1 kiwi, peeled, diced
1/2 pineapple, peeled, diced
1 mango, peeled, pitted, diced
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 table- spoons toasted coconut, see note
1. Combine fruit and lime juice in a medium bowl; toss. Set aside.
2. Place cream in bowl of electric mixer; beat on medium-high speed almost until soft peaks form. Add sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Fold in 1/4 cup of the toasted coconut; set aside.
3. Spoon fruit into liqueur glasses or, for larger servings, custard cups; top with coconut cream. Garnish with remaining toasted coconut.
Note: To toast coconut, heat oven to 350 degrees. Place coconut in a single layer on a baking pan. Bake until golden, about 8 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
90 calories, 65% of calories from fat, 7 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 22 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrates, 0.7 g protein, 13 mg sodium, 0.7 g fiber
Cheesecake with warm pear compote
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Standing time: 45 minutes
Chilling time: 8 hours
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Yield: 8 small or 4 large servings
Adapted from a recipe from Vong’s Thai Kitchen, where it’s served with spice bread ice cream.
Pears:
3 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
4 ripe pears, peeled
Crust:
20 gingersnaps, ground in food processor
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
Cheesecake:
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup each: ricotta cheese, sour cream
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
2 eggs
To finish:
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1. For pears, heat water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pears; cover. Cook 5 minutes; remove from heat. Cool in liquid to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Cover pan; refrigerate at least 8 hours.
2. For crust, place gingersnap crumbs in medium bowl; set aside. Heat brown sugar and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat; pour mixture evenly over gingersnap crumbs. Mix, pressing crumbs with fingers, to moisten evenly. Divide equally among 8 buttered 4-ounce ramekins or 4 larger 8-ounce ramekins; press crust into bottom of cups.
3. For cheesecake, heat oven to 300 degrees. Beat together condensed milk, whipping cream, ricotta, sour cream, cream cheese and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 5 minutes; pour batter evenly among custard cups. Bake until just set in the center, about 40 minutes.
4. To finish, remove pears from liquid; dice pears into 1/4-inch cubes. Melt butter in a medium skillet; stir in sugar and cinnamon. Add diced pears. Cook, stirring frequently, until pears begin to caramelize, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat; spoon pears over cheesecakes.
Nutrition information per serving:
585 calories, 47% of calories from fat, 32 g fat, 18 g saturated fat, 143 mg cholesterol, 69 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein, 319 mg sodium, 2.5 g fiber
