Though I've been eating around south Florida with abandon, I've only had a handful of desserts: oreo gelato at D'Angelo, a slice of cheesecake at Dig, and a delicious biscuit topped with homemade whipped cream and mangoes at O-B House.
I enjoyed all three for different reasons, but I must confess: I do not have much of a sweet tooth. My idea of dessert has been the chalkiest Ecuadorian dark chocolate I can find and a glass of tawny Port.
And just like that, last night
I was seduced by a key lime cheesecake flan. I was sitting at an outdoor table for two, dining with a DC friend at Michael's Genuine in Miami.
At the third course, the server glided over to our table. I smelled its tropical perfume before I saw it. There it was: a b-cup of flan that barely shimmied as the server set it down. Dressed with a quenelle of coconut-lime sherbet, local fruits, a sprig of mint, and a pair of macadamia shortbread cookies, I was reminded how feminine dessert can be.
I liked the juxtaposition of tart from local key limes and the silky custard enriched with cream cheese and condensed milk. I was wooed by mangoes, kumquats, and passion fruit that are grown right in the city. Pastry chef Hedy Goldsmith's dessert-a bestseller at Michael's Genuine-served as a delicious reminder of where I live now. It is one of the most memorable things I've eaten so far.
Goldsmith, whose cookbook will launch in October 2012, joins the ranks of an elite group of the country's most renowned pastry chefs, a niche that seems attract more women than, say, butchering or working the line.
I often wonder why more women gravitate toward pastry cheffing: is it the early-and perhaps more humane-schedule, a less rough and tumble culture than the line, or the precision of baking?
What says you, readers? Are Broward's pastry chefs and bakers dominated by women? And what are your favorite desserts around town? Fill me in.
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