The campaign season may have concluded for a certain pair of weary politicians, but for the rest of us, some debates will never end. For example, is the crafting of the perfect pastry an art, a science, or like jazz a beautiful fusion of both? Mark Sopchak and Jenna Park of
Whimsy & Spice have dedicated their considerable talents to uncovering the answer, and fortunately for the rest of us, the culinary runoff from their Brooklyn kitchen has been sufficiently delicious to render the question moot. Take the
Espresso Brownie with Dulce de Leche, for instance. Theoretically, we could try to describe the perfect brownie: firm but springy, dense but a little cakelike, glisteningly moist and chocolate-sweet yet not quite as rich as fudge. Or, for time’s sake one could just take a bite of the aforementioned espresso-laden variety, because clearly
this is how a brownie is supposed to taste.
Against the canvas of Sopchak’s passion for spices, the picture of what this company is all about becomes even clearer as concoctions tagged with irresistibly complex monikers such as
Honey Lavender Shortbread Cookie and
Chocolate Chili Cashew Biscotti reveal Park’s stylistic paradigm and set our minds to wondering what they’ll think of next. Meanwhile, the layered delight of the
Hazelnut Chocolate Whisky Sandwich Cookie appeals to our multi-tasking instinct by combining multiple flavor favorites into one, while the marshmallows…well, let’s just say that anyone who knows how to make
Homemade Caramel Marshmallows to perfection ought to have a cabinet post in the new administration. The Kitchen Cabinet, anyone? But whatever your persuasion, we don’t need a pollster to tell us you’ll love this: The winner of today’s giveaway will receive a package of Espresso Brownies, courtesy of
Whimsy & Spice. To qualify, visit
Whimsy & Spice, then come back here to tell us about your favorite product. Tell us in a second post if you happen to subscribe to Wishing Willow, since our subscribers receive an extra entry in the contest. To post without a Google account, just click “anonymous.” Be sure to also leave your email address. The winner will be chosen randomly. Contest ends 11/13/08.
**We have a winner! Aisling who said, "I can't pick a favorite, but I'd love to try the Chocolate Orange Cardamom shortbread cookies."**
When it comes to desserts, I like to think of moderation not so much as an angel on the shoulder reining in our lower nature, but figuratively as a prudish aunt rationing out her cake in wafer-thin slices and serving each with a tiny dollop of whipped cream. If you can more readily identify with the uncle who carves up for himself a colossal wedge of the same cake, buries it in a mountain of ice cream and tops off the formless mass with a cascade of hot fudge, the ethos of Delectable Delights is for you. Located in Kansas City, Missouri (an underrated venue for gourmet sweets), this is one business that puts the devil in delicious, tempting us with, among other vices, a patented line of one-pound-weight Sundae Cupcakes in drool-inspiring flavors like Cherries Jubilee, Cinnamon Apple, Boston Cream and something called El Pastel de Reyes that looks like it fell right out of the ecstatic three a.m. vision of some raging chocoholic with a culinary license.
For those of us who eat and drive at the same time (not recommended, by the way), this dream factory of desserts also offers a number of more easily handled treats such as Red Velvet Cookies, traditional Sugar Plums, Russian Tea Cakes and Chocolate Pecan Bars. Lest you think these goodies are served up on the end of a pitchfork by someone hell-bent on destroying every dietary resolution you’ve ever made, rest assured there’s a very real human behind these amazing creations, who humbly profiles herself as “a young single mom” (but fails to mention her supernatural ability to make mouths water). We’ve sampled a couple of the products made in her kitchen, and we can vouch for the fact that they’re every bit as tasty as the names would suggest. Next step: figuring out how to keep my family’s car from heading in her bakery’s direction this weekend…
