Extraordinary Desserts
1430 Union Street
San Diego, CA 92101
619-294-7001
www.extraordinarydesserts.com
I think I finally got Extraordinary Desserts out of my system after several more visits. Not that it doesn’t still taste yummy, but I’ve finally tried almost everything I wanted to try. My previous posts on Extraordinary Desserts can be found here and here and here. Here are the treats I picked up on my last visit:
Here is the Devonshire Pavlova. Filled with a beautiful variety of berries and flowers. The bottom is a light pudding, and the shell is a meringue. It came with a side of syrup which wasn’t really needed because the dessert was sweet enough. It was kind of like a berry fruit tart with a meringue crust. Light and sweet. Yum!
I also got the macadamia nut shortbread cookie which I have been eying for a while. I like the triangle shape.
The cookie was disappointing though. it was very crumbly and buttery. Not much flavor and not sweet enough for me. And I didn’t like how it fell apart so easily.
I also got a Toasted Coconut torte, which I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of. It was pretty tasty with lots of toasted coconut flakes. Still not as good as the passionfruit ricotta torte though.
Here is a slice of the Tiramisu. It was delicious. Just the right amount of alcohol, and the mascarpone cheese is light and creamy.
Here are some additional pictures of the bakery:
I recently picked up Karen Krasne’s book Extraordinary Cakes and read that she is based in San Diego which made me think of you so I hopped on over to your blog to see your take on her cakes from the original source. Sure enough, you’ve satisfied my curiosity with posts about her cakes left, right and center.
I have her recently released book and in this, Chef Krasne’s cakes are the same kind of complex and amazing compositions that she stocks in her shop.
The recipes are well laid out so that while lengthy, she sets out all the steps in a clear and logical progression. That said, all the recipes are still Masterclass and I imagine a single cake would take me 3-4 days and a lot of luck and skill to reproduce.
Hers is definitely a very sophisticated collection of cake recipes and reminds me in technique of The Art of Cake by Bruce Healy and Paul Bugat.
You’re so fortunate to have Chef Krasne and her team make them for you – and only a few blocks from where you work too!
Great posts and again you make me think that I’m still in the wrong city, wrong country. You have all the fun over there!
I am very happy that Chef Krasne is right here in San diego! I love her cakes. They are so beautiful and rich and you can taste the high quality ingredients. They are on the pricey side but then I can’t imagine ever attempting to make one of her cakes myself so I’m okay with paying $9 for a slice. I take all my friends from out of town here. I was considering them for a wedding cake but it’s quite pricy and they charge quite a hefty some just to do a cake tasting so I couldn’t even consider using her. Oh well. I did get a birthday cake here one year and it was very nice.