They create the stuff that sweet dreams are made of, from a simple slice of chocolate cake to a sublime Grand Marnier souffle. This time of year, pastry chefs are busy making masterpieces to dazzle our palates.
This story originally appeared in the November 2015 issue of Living Northside magazine.
They arrive as early as 6 a.m. at Alpine Bakery, the sugar wonderland adjoined to Trattoria Italian restaurant in Alpharetta that serves more than 30 cakes, cheesecakes and pies, in addition to cookies, truffles and other treats. And by mid-December, a line usually extends out the door for orders, manager Matt Ward says.
"The most popular dessert we sell by far is the strawberry Swiss roll," he says. "We sell out almost everyday. It's amazing and one of my personal favorites.
The decadent dessert is a vanilla sponge cake with fresh strawberries and vanilla custard topped with fresh whipped cream and more strawberries.
While strawberry Swiss roll may be the most in demand, the Million Dollar Cake is another bakery favorite. It's three cakes in one with a flowerless chocolate cake at the bottom, a layer of cheesecake in the middle and a chocolate mouse on top.
Another hard-to-resist delight is the Oreo cookies and cream cake. It's made with two layers of chocolate cake and a layer of white cake in the middle, separated by Oreos and mousse. "On top, Oreos dipped in milk give it a little bit of a softer taste, as well as Oreo crumbs and mousse surrounding it," Ward adds.
"We have pretty much everything you can imagine flavor-wise," he says. "Ladies love the raspberry white chocolate mousse cake."
The moist white cake is filled with white chocolate mousse and raspberry, with white chocolate sprinkles on top.
Pastry Chefs Tell All
As pastry chefs shine this holiday season, two explain their style and what they enjoy about playing in the kitchen this time of year.
Brooke Linderman
Brooke Linderman, the pastry chef at Empire State South in Midtown Atlanta, grew up south of the city and was a home baker before starting out in the restaurant and bakery at Cakes & Ale in Decatur.
"I think my desserts are really approachable," Linderman says. "But I like to add something a little more interesting."
To nudge things in a different direction, she's paired dark chocolate brownies with passion fruit gelée and toasted coconut cream.
Linderman thinks of Christmas as a time for cookies and Southern-style peanut brittle. "Right after Thanksgiving, my mom goes out and buys 10-pound bags of peanuts to make her famous brittle," Linderman says. "It's the gift she always gives to family members and coworkers, and they expect it, so during the holidays the house smells like a candy factory."
Linderman's yearly homemade specialty is the bourbon pecan pie she makes for her father. But for the restaurant's cafe, she's more likely to bake gingerbread men or decorated sugar cookies. And she makes the ESS Candy Plate a dessert menu fixture full of possibilities for holiday flavors.
"I'm looking forward to playing around with that this year," she says. "Maybe there will even be some of my mom's peanut brittle."
Kirk Parks
Kirk Parks, one of Atlanta's most beloved pastry chefs, partnered with chef Kevin Rathbun to create some the city's most popular restaurants: Rathbun's, Krog Bar and Kevin Rathbun Steak in Inman Park.
At all three places, Park's desserts are menu highlights, and he's considered a pioneer of the "dessert sampler," offering selections of mini-sweets such as peanut butter banana cream pie and gooey toffee cake.
"I think my style is sort of homespun with a twist," Parks says. "I relate to homey desserts but I like to try new flavors and ingredients in them. That's just who I am. I'm from the Midwest and I grew up going to my grandma's farm."
At home during the holidays, Park cooks the whole meal, including the turkey and stuffing. For dessert, he favors the flavors of eggnog, pumpkin pie and gingerbread.
"Those are my favorite flavors of the fall and winter," Park says. "At the restaurant, I take traditional gingerbread and toast it and elevate it by floating it in some pot de creme. Then I make some hand-whipped Chantilly cream to top it off. I have to have that on gingerbread or pumpkin pie. With the spices in the warm gingerbread, it just makes me think of Thanksgiving."
For More Information
Alpine Bakery Trattoria, 12315 Crabapple Road, Alpharetta. 770-410-98883. alpinebakeryandtrattoria.com
Empire State South, 999 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-541-1105. empirestatesouth.com
Also visit Rathbun restaurants at kevinrathbun.com.
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