Sweet Temptation
San Joaquin's favorite desserts
//February is the month of love, romance, and sweet treats, so we've decided to write about our favorite course: the last one. These desserts are served at some of the best restaurants in San Joaquin, so this Valentine's day, you'll know just where to take your date for some sugar.
Tiramisu
Mezzo, Stockton
This lovely Italian restaurant beckons with its romantically lit interior, chic décor, and large windowed walls, but what keeps diners here is the menu, and the promise of ending the meal with a huge square of Mezzo's tiramisu, an Italian cake made fresh daily by chef Richard Hyman. The cake is made with lady fingers (sweet sponge cake) soaked in a mixture of coffee, espresso, marsala wine, and sugar, and then layered with homemade cream made with mascarpone, more marsala wine, sugar, and eggs. After the cake and the cream have been layered in a pan, the dessert is well dusted with cocoa powder and cinnamon to finish off this Italian favorite. The slight flavor of the wine, the smooth robustness of the coffee, and the bitterness of the raw cocoa powder meld with the sweetness of the rich cream and moist cake to harmonize and create a dessert that's packed with flavor, but not overbearing. This creamy and filling dessert is sure to please coffee lovers, Italian foodies, and dessert lovers alike.Mezzo, 3499 Brookside Rd., Stockton,
(209) 473-7300 www.mezzostockton.com
Coconut Cream Pie
Papapavlo's, Stockton
This dreamy, creamy confection will have you singing Papapavlo's praises. Finally, a coconut cream pie that doesn't taste like sugar and Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil. This dessert is 100 percent made from scratch, and its homemade goodness envelopes you with every bite. You can taste the heavy cream in the filling, which is loaded with real coconut shavings that give it plenty of texture and a delicious, natural coconut flavor. The filling is topped with a heavy, homemade whipped cream and sprinkled with toasted coconut. And, of course, it's all held together by a flaky crust. The ingredients balance each other, so you're never overwhelmed by the sweetness or the coconut. When you take a bite, this cool pie might make you feel like you're floating on a cloud, but don't let it fool you-it's quite rich, so do yourself a favor and make sure you save room. Then again, it tastes just as good out of a to-go box, so don't be afraid to take this beauty home if you have to.
Papapavlos, 501 N. Lincoln Center, Stockton
(209) 477-6133, www.papapavlos.com
Lemon Zabbaione
Stockton Joe's, Stockton
In order to enjoy the lemon zabbaione at Stockton Joe's, you'll need to give the chef a little leeway time, because this dish is made from scratch for each order. The ingredients are extremely simple: egg yolks, lemon, sugar, and marsala wine, combined in a traditional copper sauce pan that has been in commission at Stockton Joes for thirty-seven years, used solely for the lemon zabbaione. The copper pan is part of the dessert's tradition, but copper also heats more quickly and evenly, cutting the wait time down for guests. On the burner, the chef whisks the ingredients rapidly, the rigorous beating filling the zabbaione with tiny bubbles until it becomes a thin, frothy pudding. For dessert lovers who won't compromise the last course, this extremely light and airy dessert is a perfect treat to enjoy after a heavy dinner. The zesty flavor of the lemon and wine give it a little punch, but the simple ingredients won't make you feel gluttonous. And if you'd like to try it, you should know it's available nowhere else but Stockton Joe's, where they're lovingly committed to this traditional Italian dish.
Stockton Joe's, 236 Lincoln Center, Stockton,
(209) 951-2980 www.stocktonjoes.com
Bread Pudding
The Dancing Fox Winery,Bakery and Eatery, Lodi
When you walk into The Dancing Fox you can smell their freshly-baked bread on the shelves, each loaf made in-house, from scratch, right down to the kernels of wheat ground by the baker himself. So it's no surprise that when it comes to anything bread-related, this place takes the cake, and dessert is no exception. The Dancing Fox's bread pudding is simply decadent. You can taste the freshness of their soft, flavorful ciabatta bread, baked in custard and then soaked in a sweet sauce made of vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar. The porous bread absorbs the flavors, making each bite chewy and luxurious, giving you a mouthful of sticky sweetness. The dish is finished with fresh local fruit which changes seasonally, but is always a heavenly combination with the caramel sauce. Despite its doughy richness, you won't be able to stop sneaking bites until the bowl is empty.
The Dancing Fox, 203 School St., Lodi,
(209) 366-2634, www.dancingfoxwinery.com
Tres Leches Cake
Revolución 1910, Stockton
In Spanish, Tres Leches means 'three milks,' and there really isn't any simpler way to describe this dessert, made daily at Revolución 1910. The classic Mexican confection soaks plain white cake in three types of milk overnight: evaporated milk, which has had the water cooked out of it and is therefore thicker and richer; condensed milk, which is thick like evaporated milk but has sugar added to it, making it sweet and syrupy; and heavy cream, which tastes creamy and buttery. After the cake has soaked in the three milks, it's covered with a layer of homemade whipped cream flavored with cinnamon. Because the cake is soaked in milk, it is extremely moist, but does not become soggy or lose its shape, giving it a tempting texture. The simplicity of the recipe is also the secret to its deliciousness. It tastes slightly sweet, cool, and creamy, making it fresh and easy to indulge in. The hints of cinnamon are reminiscent of a cold glass of horchata. The cake is served in a large square slice drizzled in chocolate, the perfect ending to a spicy meal.
Revolución 1910, 296 Lincoln Center, Stockton,
(209) 955-0100, www.rev1910.com
Chocolate Decadence
Rosewood Bar & Grill, Lodi
Make no mistake about it: the chocolate decadence is not for the faint of heart. Chef Iradh Herrera didn't hold back when he designed this dense dish of fudgy goodness. He begins with a round form of hardened dark chocolate ganache, which is then placed on a chocolate tart, creating what appears to be a giant truffle. Then, the form is drizzled with more ganache, this time melted, and when evenly glazed the result is pristine and shiny. The dessert looks like something you'd find at the Museum of Modern Art, served on a plate drizzled with, you guessed it, more chocolate, plus a delicious caramel sauce made in-house. Even though the sauce looks more like decoration, make sure you enjoy it. The caramel is slightly toasted and extremely tasty. Then, the dish is finally garnished with strawberries soaked in 100 year-old Grand Marnier. General Manager Scott McLeod says he's never seen anyone finish the dessert by themselves, but it's a perfect dish to split, especially if you and your date are chocoholics.
Rosewood, 28 S. School St.,
(209) 369-0470 www.rosewoodbarandgrill.com
Dixieland Crepe
Midtown Creperie, Stockton
There's something special about watching the chefs at Midtown Creperie ladle their batter onto a perfectly circular griddle, spreading it out with expert precision. The batter bubbles and steams until it's flipped over, creating a homemade crepe, a paper-thin pancake, which can then be stuffed with anything and folded into a warm treat that's satisfying for any meal of the day. When it comes to dessert, the Dixieland Crepe has a reputation. Stuffed with a smooth mixture of cream and powdered sugar, the crepe is rolled up and then generously drizzled with ripe, red strawberries, warm, dark Ghirardelli chocolate and fluffy whipped cream. Chocolate and strawberries have long been a favored combination, but with the addition of a warm buttery crepe and the creamy filling that's not overly sweet, it's satisfying to the point of perfection. Perhaps the magic comes from combining so many dessert elements: buttery crepe, decadent chocolate, juicy strawberries, creamy filling-it's like four desserts in one. What more could you want?
Midtown Creperie, 2311 Pacific Ave.,
Stockton,
(209) 941-9070, www.midtowncreperie.com
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