Gourmet Gift of the Day Blog » Gourmet Desserts

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

admin — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:00:26 +0000

Last week-end we were at our cabin up north and I found a large rhubarb patch. That reminded me of the delicious rhubarb pies that my grandma used to make when I was younger. We would bring her grocery bags full of rhubarb and she would turn them into delicious blueberry-rhubarb, raspberry-rhubarb and especially strawberry-rhubarb pies! The slightly tart flavor of the rhubarb blends wonderfully with the sweet berries and produces a flavor-filled dessert that is worth sharing! The only thing that makes these pies better is a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which is exactly what we added to the Strawberry Rhubarb pie we received from Vermont Trade Winds. While it wasn’t the same taste I remember from grandma’s kitchen many years ago, the pie was still juicy, tasty and delicious! Tubby’s Homemade Fruit Pies still had the rich melting of flavors but the berry flavor was a bit stronger than the rhubarb flavor. I could still find the tart addition of rhubarb, but I almost wish it would have been a little more pronounced. In any case, the pie was a great throwback to younger days and I will certainly order it again! We received 8 – 3 1/2″ pies for $48.95 plus only $6.95 for 2nd day air shipping.

Deep Dish Wildberry Crisp

admin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:00:01 +0000

With berries in full season, we love to incorporate them into every meal. Not only are they great tasting but their great mix of anti-oxidents are good for our health. Here we found a light and buttery crumb topping covering a delicious mix of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries with a hint of citrus. The thick berry filling is a great match to the light topping and is delivered in reusable ceramic containers. When they arrived for my sister’s birthday dinner last week I only had to pop them in the oven and finish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the perfect ending! We received four large (8.8 oz) desserts for $41.95 plus shipping.

Neapolitan Cheesecake

admin — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:00:56 +0000

My co-worker’s mother has a soft spot for cheesecake. She is an excellent cook and makes a decadent NY Cheesecake, so this year for Mother’s Day my co-worker wanted to get her mom something she wasn’t able to make better herself. This Neapolitan Cheesecake was the perfect gift – it cured her mother’s craving for cheesecake but also gave her a new combination of flavors that she had not tried before. The chocolate cookie crust is topped with a layer of chocolate fudge, then raspberry cream and finally creamy vanilla cheesecake.

To ensure that the dessert arrived fresh and delicious it was only available for overnight delivery, but the shipping cost of $34.95 was still reasonable. The 3 lb cheesecake is enough for 10-12 people and is priced at $39.

Zalabia

admin — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:00:59 +0000

When I first saw this Middle Eastern Gourmet Pastry, I thought of a funnel cake that we buy at our local fair in the summertime. While this pastry is similar in some ways, the taste is more refined and it is created a bit differently. The traditional Mid-East Zalabia starts with a yeast dough that is deep fried, then soaked in a sweet lemony syrup and sprinkled with a cinnamon-sugar mixture. The result is a mix of flavors – from the sweet sugar coating to the slight lemon in the syrup to the light and fluffy dough. We ordered a large tray for our office and they disappeared before our morning coffee break was over! The pastries can be shipped via UPS Ground, but the company recommends upgrading so they arrive at your door as fresh as possible. The large tray cost $30 and UPS 2nd-day air shipping to our office was $21.85.

Strawberry Layer Cake

admin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 12:00:21 +0000

I’m really excited for fresh strawberries this summer – I get together with my sisters and we make strawberry pies, strawberry jam and strawberry shortcake, but we’ve never made strawberry layer cake. However, with a cake as delicious as the one you can order from Very Vera, why bother making it yourself! The decadent 3-layer cake is covered with sweet pink icing and finished with a simple floral design on top. The layers are thick, moist and filled with genuine strawberry flavor! Very Vera’s cakes can be seen in Oprah Magazine, and they are sure to be a hit for this Mother’s Day. Order one for your mom for only $50 (shipping cost varies by destination zip code).

Sticky Toffee Pudding

admin — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:00:55 +0000

Featured in Oprah’s signature magazine, the Sticky Toffee Pudding Company is owned by Austin businesswoman Tracy Claros – who was born in England and began creating desserts at a very early age. A traditional British dessert, hot puddings have become a favorite of many American diners and the desserts offered by the Sticky Toffee Pudding Company have won national tasting awards!

Tracy’s signature dish – Sticky Toffee Pudding – is a combination of a light, moist chocolate cake baked with sticky dates, vanilla and espresso. The pudding is then soaked in a buttery toffee sauce and can be served warm, chilled, or at room temperature – although it is most authentic if served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A 6 pack of individual puddings can be ordered for $30 plus shipping.

Homemade Cherry Pie

admin — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:00:45 +0000

Some of the world’s tastiest cherries are grown in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. So you would expect that some of the world’s best cherry pies would come from the same place – and you would be right! The pies offered by the Grand Traverse Pie Company combine locally grown Montmorency cherries with a flaky made-from-scratch pie crust. The pies are then flash frozen to preserve their full flavor, and shipped via overnight or 2nd day air to ensure that it tastes as if you baked it yourself.

These tasty pies have gained nationwide recognition by being featured on both CNBC and The Food Network, and their popularity has grown by leaps and bounds since the company was founded in 1996. Try a signature “Old Mission Cherry Pie” for $24.99 plus shipping.

Chocolate and Mint Whoopie Pies

admin — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:00:19 +0000

A simple combination of cake and cream, the whoopie pie is a family favorite of many – including my family. Wicked Whoopies in Freeport, Maine has turned this childhood sweet treat into a fun and lucrative business venture. Their website invites visitors to stop by one of their bakeries and visit, so when my sister and her husband were in Maine last fall – that’s just what they did! They were able to watch the whoopie pies being created – from mixing the cake batter, to creating the creamy filling, to the assembly of these delicious sweets! They were even able to sample some new flavor combinations – and of course they left with a case of whoopie pies to bring home to their kids! My sister’s favorite flavor was the chocolate and mint – which has a chocolate shell and a super light, fluffy mint filling. One dozen of these mint wonders is available for $24.

For those of you who like to experiment with flavors, Wicked Whoopies offers 15 combinations – including the classic chocolate with vanilla cream, chocolate chip, maple, pumpkin and banana cream. Try a variety pack if you can’t decide on one flavor!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

admin — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:00:35 +0000

One of my niece’s favorite treats are fresh strawberries – she could eat them by the bushel! She is also a huge chocoholic (it runs in the family), so I thought these enormous chocolate dipped strawberries would be a perfect treat for her birthday! She holds a special place in my heart so I wanted to find something memorable and enjoyable for her special day. I am sending her a dozen fresh giant strawberries, dipped in chocolate (white, milk, and dark), then decorated with coconut, chopped nuts and more chocolate. One dozen of these chocolate-covered wonders is available for $50, and must be shipped overnight ($34.95) to ensure freshness. All About Gifts & Baskets also recommends that the strawberries be refrigerated immediately upon receipt, so don’t send them to an address where they may end up sitting outside for a while.

Fire and Spice Brownie Collection

admin — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 12:00:20 +0000

When I bake brownies, the entire family fights over the edge pieces. Luckily there are 4 corners in the pan, so each of lays claim to one. We love the crispy edges and corners, especially when they are dunked in a tall glass of milk. If you are the opposite of my family and love the chewy middle section, then the brownies offered by Sugardaddys are just what you are looking for! They bake the brownies, then cut out the chewy middle and send them to you in a 3″ round shape – the perfect size for sharing.

With rave review from dozens of websites, magazines, and The Food Network’s own celebrity chef Bobby Flay, I had to try the new “Fire and Spice” brownies they are highlighting for Valentine’s Day. Even without the crispy edges that I love, these brownies were to die for!! The flavor combinations weren’t something I would normally think of for a brownie, but they actually made for a deliciously decadent treat. My favorite was the Chai Spiced blondie – probably because I am a huge fan of Chai tea. The other flavors in this collection are Fiery (chocolate and chili pepper), Zanzibar (chocolate, cloves and ancho chiles) and Masala Blondie (curry, brown sugar and toasted coconut – my husband’s top pick).

Sugardaddy’s Signature 8 gift bag contains 2 of each flavor and sells for $55. You can choose the Fire and Spice Collection, or pick up to 8 flavors from their current offering of 14 gourmet selections.