Vanilla Panna Cotta with Berries

I had this dessert last night at Doppio Zero in Rosebank.

It is listed as “Vanilla Panna Cotta with Berries” on their dessert menu and is priced at *R34.00 per portion. It is described as cooked cream with vanilla berries.

My Thoughts
My first bite of the panna cotta alone left me wanting more. Usually it is decadently sweet and creamy but this version was quite tasteless. When paired with the berry coulis served on the side however, the dessert took on a different taste altogether. The berries sweetened the deal while also leaving you with a tang that tickled your tastebuds. It is the perfect size for those that ate too much during main course, and just sweet enough for those who aren’t big dessert eaters.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Try it and let me know what you think!

Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles

*The price is correct at the time of publishing

Kahlua Crème Brulee

I shared this dessert with Louisa on Tuesday night at The Green Peppercorn in Morningside. We had decided to get together for dinner so we could get to know each other better out of the “Twitter-sphere”.

It is listed as “Kahlua Crème Brulee with honeycomb tuiles” on their dessert menu and is priced at *R55.00 per portion. It is served with a sugar biscuit dotted with pieces of cherries.

My Thoughts
The first bite was the best as my sweet tooth first tasted the creamy sweetness of the mixture. My sweet tooth’s happiness ended there though… As I am not much of a drinker, the Kahlua in the mixture was very strong when a hint would have been much better and tastier. The mixture was also very runny which I can only assume is because it wasn’t left to set properly. The part I did really enjoy though, was the sugar cherry biscuit that was placed on top of the ramekin. It was crispy and the right side of sweet.

Rating: 3 out of 10

Try it and let me know what you think!

Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles

*The price is correct at the time of publishing

Green Tea, Strawberry & Rose Petal Panacotta

I had this dessert last night at Koi Restaurant in Rosebank when I met up with some ex work colleagues for a catch up dinner.

It is listed as “Green Tea, Strawberry and Rose Petal Panacotta” on their dessert menu and is priced at *R42.00 per portion. It held no description so I didn’t know what to expect.

My Thoughts
On first tucking into this dessert I realised how I had geared myself up for a sweet dessert based on this similar dessert I had had. It may seem difficult to comprehend, but this dessert tasted more on the savoury side of things than sweet. It’s great for someone who wants dessert but doesn’t want to feed their sweet tooth. I however was left wanting more…

Rating: 4 out of 10

Try it and let me know what you think!

Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles

*The price is correct at the time of publishing

Hazelnut Meringue

I shared this dessert with Eliza last night at Espresso Cafe & Bistro in Parkhurst. We had decided to get together to catch up on what’s been happening since we last saw each other.

It is listed as “Hazelnut Meringue” on their dessert menu entitled “Revenge is Sweet”, and is priced at *R39.00 per portion. It is described as whipped cream sandwiched between 2 meringues drizzled with Frangelico and hazelnut syrup and sprinkled with mixed nuts.

My Thoughts
This dessert is the perfect size to share with someone, or if you’re really hungry, to eat alone. The meringue’s sweetness was perfectly combined with the plain tasting cream. The hazelnut syrup, Frangelico, and mixed nuts really gave the dessert a great taste that left me wanting more.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Try it and let me know what you think!

Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles

*The price is correct at the time of publishing

Meringa

I shared this dessert with Serena on Thursday night at Col’Cacchio Pizzeria in Benmore along with this dessert. She is out from Iraq at the moment and it was our chance to catch up with what has happened over the past few months.

It is listed as “Meringa” on their dessert menu and is priced at *R35.00 per portion. It is described as a delectable jumble of crushed meringue, fresh berries, cream and berry coulis.

My Thoughts
I really am in love with the berry-meringue-cream combo at the moment. And this one was just as yummy and delectable as all the others I have tasted. The cream was infused with berry coulis, small pieces of strawberries and pieces of meringue. It was the perfect mix of sweet but not too sweet. And a lot easier to eat than the others I have tried. The only disappointing thing was that there wasn’t a lot of meringue included in the cream mixture.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Try it and let me know what you think!

Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles

*The price is correct at the time of publishing

Lindt Chocolate Panna Cotta

I shared this dessert with Serena last night at Col’Cacchio Pizzeria in Benmore. She is out from Iraq at the moment and last night was our chance to catch up with what has happened over the past few months.

It is listed as “Lindt Chocolate Panna Cotta” on their dessert menu and is priced at *R40.00 per portion. It is a double layer of Lindt white and milk chocolate smothered with a Lindt chocolate sauce.

My Thoughts
The first bite (or two…or three) was fabulous but after that each mouthful needed to be finished off with some water as it was so rich. I think my sweet tooth was not on it’s best behaviour because this dessert was just a little too rich for me… This must be a first!

Rating: 4 out of 10

Try it and let me know what you think!

Hugs & Kisses
Jessica Giggles

*The price is correct at the time of publishing

Peppermint Fridge Tart

Many of you know this easy-to-make dessert, and possibly even how to make it. I made this dessert for a family lunch we are attending tomorrow and thought I’d share the recipe with you.

Ingredients:
1 x tin caramel (R15.99 each)
1 x 500ml cream (R25.99 each)
1 x bar mint chocolate (R17.99 each)
2 x packs tennis biscuits (R6.49 each)

Method:
Grate the chocolate. Beat the cream until stiff. Add in the caramel and mix again. Gently mix/fold in 3/4 of the grated chocolate. Then find a suitable dish and layer some tennis biscuits on the bottom. Then spoon on some of the cream/caramel/grated chocolate mixture and smooth over. Then sprinkle some of the extra grated chocolate over this mixture. Repeat the layer of biscuits, layer of mixture, etc until the mixture is finished. Then garnish the top with crushed tennis biscuits and the grated chocolate, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate.

*You can substitute the mint chocolate with flake for a more chocolatey taste.
*For more decadence, buy an extra tin of caramel and melt it slowly over a low heat in a saucepan. Then spread it over the cream/caramel/grated chocolate mixture before sprinkling over the grated chocolate and then layering the biscuits to repeat.