Desserts - Desserts in Houston

The Facebook group that is administered by Houston legend, Cleverley Stone, Houston Foodie Friends, from time to time gets recommendations from its members for places to have great desserts in Houston. I have compiled them here. How many have you been to?

85C (multiple locations)

Carabba’s  (for Italian cream cake)

The Chocolate Bar (multiple locations)

Central Market on Westheimer 

Cleburne Cafeteria (go to the takeout counter for pies and cakes)

Dessert Gallery Bakery and Café

Dolce Neve Gelateria

Epicure Café (River Oaks Center)

Flo Paris

Fluff Bake Bar

House of Pies Restaurant and Bakery

Jungle Café on Bellaire Boulevard

Kenny and Ziggy’s (cakes and eclairs)

Moeller’s Bakery (known for their petit fours)

Ooh La La Dessert Boutique

Phoenicia

Red Dessert on Studewood

Six Ping Bakery (multiple locations)

Sweets by Belen on Hillcroft

Three Brothers Bakery (multiple locations)

Tout Suite (multiple locations)

Marshmallows - Home-Made (A Recipe)

Marshmallows by Jay Francis

3 envelopes of Knox gelatin 
1/2 cup cold water 
2 cups granulated sugar 
2/3 cups corn syrup 
1/4 cup water 
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (1 ½ tbs Mexican vanilla if a more intense flavor is desired)
In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for 10 minutes. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and bring to 240 F checking with a candy thermometer. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed in your Kitchen-Aid. Beat for 8-10 minutes. Add vanilla and incorporate into mixture. Scrape into a 9 x 9-inch greased pan (or, you can line the pan with plastic wrap and grease the plastic wrap, and this may help get the marshmallows out when they have set)and spread evenly. (Note: Lightly wet or grease your hands and spatula or bowl scraper to help spread the “batter” in the pan, don’t press it down, just smooth your hands over the top to spread it evenly).
Let mixture sit for a few hours. Make a mix of ¼ cup confectioners sugar and ¼ cup of corn starch and mix well together. Sift a light coating of the mix over the top of the marshmallows and then flip them out of the pan.  Sprinkle a light coating of the mix on the flip side and then cut into 12-20 equal pieces with scissors (the best tool for the job) or a chef's knife. You’ll need to use your judgment on when to wash off your knife or scissors or dust them with the mix.  Alternatively, wetting the knife of scissors helps prevent sticking too.
This is a fool proof recipe. The trick is to have a strong enough mixer to do the beating. The sugar syrup temperature should be 240 F. Use corn syrup with the sugar, the reason for the two sugars is to prevent crystallization. You shouldn't have to do much stirring, but stirring shouldn't affect anything. The original recipe calls for mixing in the Kitchen-Aid for 12 minutes but I’ve found that 8-10 is good enough.  You are looking for the consistency of thick marshmallow cream with lots of air beaten into it.
This recipe goes well into a greased 9" x 9" or 8" x 8" pan.  I have found that a solid vegetable shortening like Crisco works better than an oil for greasing the pan. 
Also, for cutting the marshmallow pieces, I have found that wetting the hands and the cutting blade really helps keep things from sticking. 
One packet of Knox gelatin is 1.8 grams of gelatin so three packets would be 5.4 grams of gelatin.

Desserts - Peruvian Lucuma Cake at Sweets by Belen

I was on my way to check out some thrift stores and I came across Sweets by Belen on Hillcroft near 59. What a fantastic stroke of luck to discover this Peruvian pastry shop. My wife, Greg and Yanni had just been dining the night before at Aji Peruvian Grill and having a conversation about Peruvian and South American desserts.

What blew me away completely, so much that I am in all seriousness telling you "YOU MUST GO HERE AND TRY THIS CAKE IMMEDIATELY" was their Lucuma Cake. Their particular riff on it was an assembled cake consisting of the lightest, most delicate white cake layer, a lucuma mousse, and a center of dulce de leche.

I think it is the best dessert I have taste so far in 2018. And their alfajores cookies were some of the best I have ever had, possibly the best in Houston. Perfectly executed shortbread with a filling of dulce de leche.

What is lucuma? Here is a link that talks about this tropical fruit. Just ignore the pseudoscience aspects of the article.

Lucuma Article in Culture Trip

And here follow, photos of Desserts by Belen.

Candies in Houston - Las Delicias Mexicanas on Airline Drive

Las Delicias Mexicanas, a wholesale/retail store on Airline Boulevard just up from Teotihuacan, is selling traditional Mexican candies. 

There's the variety made by cooking fresh fruits and vegetables (pumpkin, for example) in sugar syrup, and also ate, a fresh-fruit puree in bar form, hard candies, chocolate-covered peanut marzipan, and the famous goat's-milk dulce de leche known as cajeta.

The word "cajeta" is interesting -- it actually means "little box." Made in Celaya, cajeta originally was packaged in little souvenir boxes for travelers returning to Mexico City. Over time, when people wanted the candy, they would just ask for "cajeta," and the name became synonymous with the candy.

Definitely try the obleas, a dulce de leche caramel sandwiched between two wafers. Obleas date back to Spain but took on a new popularity in Mexico.

If you're looking for tasty candy to fill a piñata, your first and only stop should be here. But even if a piñata isn't involved, you are sure to find something to enjoy.

Among the novelty items Las Delicias carries are paletotas(oversize lollipops) and a few adults-only products, including tequila and Kahlúa-based candy.

If you don't speak Spanish, no problem - the staff at Las Delicias is bilingual.

Website: Las Delicias Mexicanas