Dessert

They loved the soups and sandwiches and salads, but two regular Wednesday customers of the Souper Freak truck, Erik and Jill, asked and asked every week, "Why don't you have any dessert?" Now, finally, the Souper Freak does -- Chocolate Cowboy Brownies with potato chips, gluten free carrot and sweet potato bars, seven-layer vegan bars, all made by Liz Smith, whom the Souper Freak's Irene Smith calls the "dessert goddess. " It's hard to see in the window drawing, but it says, How the Souper Freak Got Desserts . Erik and Jill are, of course, the Baltimore Sun's own Erik " Midnight Sun " Maza and Jill " Unleashed " Rosen.

Watch Four Seasons Baltimore executive pastry chef Chris Ford in the first episode of the Chicago Restaurant Pastry Competition, a web-based video series. Ford competes against three other chefs in the competition, a single-day event where finalists are asked to make eight servings of an original, creative, plated dessert. The chefs also compete in a mystery challenge where they are asked to push the envelope of frozen, plated desserts. This is the second year for the competition and web series, which focused on Chicago-based chefs the first year.

A reader writes: "I had an unpleasant experience at ______ recently when the waiter cleared the dishes in front of my two dining guests who had finished their meal before my wife and I had. " His letter continues: "While we continued to eat our entrees, the waiter brought out desserts to our guests.  When I questioned him on the propriety of doing this, he gave us a lame excuse. About 5 minutes later, he cleared my dishes and proceeded to bring my dessert before my wife had completed her meal.

Baltimore County Restaurant Week starts Friday and runs through Jan. 27. Chefs and owners from some of the 44 participating restaurants were expected to join Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce President Keith Scott on Thursday morning at Patrick's of Cockeysville for a Restaurant Week kick-off event. The county's version, unlike the city's, allows restaurants to set the fixed-price for their menus anywhere from $10 to $35 for anywhere from one to four courses.

Well, if you’re making limoncello, you’ll have a few lemons on your hands. Score. I don’t know about you, but around this time of year, I’m impatient for spring produce and begin craving fresh flavors. Lemon is bright and does just the trick. Fortunately, there are many many recipes to use lemons in. One of my favorites from my childhood is lemon bars. Sweet, tart, with a rich buttery crust, lemon bars are a quintessential spring dessert. The recipe I’m usually use is somewhere in Arizona, so I searched around to find a new one, and found this recipe by David Lebovitz, whose food blog I love.

Gertrude Lyles of La Plata said she wanted a recipe "for a dessert served in the employees' cafeteria at the Greater Southeast Community Hospital. It had apples, and cranberries with oatmeal, I think. It is similar to a brown Betty dessert." Gail Ellis of Westminster responded with this version. "This recipe was given to me over 25 years ago by Carolyn Roeth, a friend and Catonsville neighbor. It is simple to make and great as a side dish or as a dessert with Cool Whip or ice cream." Cranberry-Apple Bake Serves 4 3 cups chopped apples, unpeeled 2 cups raw, whole cranberries 1 cup uncooked quick oatmeal 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1 stick margarine, melted Mix apples and cranberries and put in the bottom of a 2-quart greased casserole.

A favorite springtime dessert in France is a light strawberry savarin. One of the most elegant of classic cakes, this ring-shaped dessert is created from an easy-to-make batter.The cake gains its lightness from yeast, but is different from other yeast-leavened cakes; savarins are moist and delicate and not chewy. Thus they are served for dessert rather than as breakfast pastries or coffeecakes.In addition, the dough requires no kneading -- the batter is beaten. At a cooking school in Paris, I was taught to make the batter by beating it with a wooden spoon, but I prefer to make it with a mixer or a food processor.

One night in Paris, two friends of mine took me to a tiny, modest cafe in the Sixth Arrondissement. It was one of countless dimly lighted establishments with battered chairs, tiny tables and a chalkboard menu. Wine and water arrived in unmarked glass decanters, and the waiter got up from his own aperitif to grudgingly take our orders. We'd had a large midday meal with family, so we ordered only salads, which were nothing exceptional, except that in France the lettuce actually has flavor.

Gary Pushkin, a Baltimore area physician and weekend cook, shows the world how to make dessert with a blowtorch on a segment of "Ultimate Kitchens" airing today at 12:30 p.m. on The Food Network. Pushkin removes a cake from a mold with the blowtorch, then coats the cake with chocolate sprayed from a paint gun. Pushkin says he learned many dessert-making techniques from the late Eric Goldschmidt, a well-known Baltimore cake-maker who operated shops on Park Heights Avenue and in the York Plaza shopping center.

Choosing a dessert is really the battle of little voices. You know, the devil-you on one shoulder rhapsodizing over chocolate tortes and creme brulee while the angel-you murmurs about low fat, heart health and freedom from cellulite.But no matter how the angel tugs at your conscience, sometimes you gotta have it: the richest, nastiest, most sinful dessert that ever wrapped itself around a thigh. A dessert where cream and butter, like price, are no object.In these body-conscious times, people will give up cream sauces, bread and rich soups, "but they want to have a great dessert," says chef Emeril Lagasse, author of "Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking" (William Morrow and Co., $23)

Akis Anagnostou is in the zone. Anagnostou, the pastry chef at Ouzo Bay, Harbor East's new Greek hot spot, holds a saucepan at an angle, rapidly stirring its contents with a metal spoon. Every few seconds, he lifts the spoon, pulling with it a long tail of sugary blue liquid that extends back into the pan. After several minutes, he deems the sugar ready, dropping a dollop of the liquid on a nonstick mat. Dipping a small funnel-like tool in the sugar solution, the chef leans over, blowing gently into the funnel as he carefully and slowly draws the tool, and attached sugar, upward.

When it comes to holiday desserts, going gluten-free doesn't require hours in the kitchen. "Baltimore is a haven for those who require a gluten-free diet," says Kate Hudkins, the editor of the Gluten-free in Baltimore blog ( glutenfreebaltimore.blogspot.com ). "As the years have gone by, I've seen an amazing increase in the number of options available for gluten-free desserts on menus at local restaurants and bakeries. " So put down the spatula and pick up the phone. Bakeries all over the Baltimore region are whipping up delicious gluten-free desserts that will look great on any holiday table.

Add some personality to your meals with these oven-to-table cocottes from the Martha Stewart Collection, a fun way to personalize dishes from baked puddings to casseroles. Each lidded ceramic dish holds eight ounces. Sold in pairs, choose either the green cow/blue duck combo or the red chick/yellow rabbit. The cocottes are oven-safe to 450 degrees and dishwasher-safe. Each box also has a sample recipe. Set of two, $34.99 at Macy's stores and macys.com. — John-John Williams IV , The Baltimore Sun .

Baltimore County Restaurant Week runs through Sunday. The county's version , compared to the city's, is either a model of democracy or sheer anarchy, depending on how you look at it. Participating restaurants can offer lunch and dinner menus ranging in price from  $10.12 to $35.12 for one, two or three courses. That makes comparing menus kind of tricky.  Here, at least, you can see the special menus grouped by price. Dinner $35.12 Artful Gourmet Bistro -- Entree, plus two of the following -- appetizer, soup or salad, dessert The Bowman -- Soup or salad, entree, dessert Linwoods -- Soup or salad, entree, dessert Manor Tavern -- Appetizer, entree, dessert Michael's Cafe -- Appetizer, salad, entree, dessert Milton Inn -- Appetizer, entree, dessert Patrick's Fine Food & Sprits -- Appetizer, salad, entree, dessert Peppermill -- Appetizer, entree, dessert Ruth's Chris Steak House -- Salad, entree, dessert Strapazza -- Appetizer, entree, dessert $30.12 Barrett's -- Soup or salad, entree, dessert Basta Pasta -- Appetizer, entree, dessert Bluestone -- Soup or salad, entree, dessert Cafe Troia -- Soup or salad, entree, dessert Candle Light Inn -- Appetizer, entree, dessert Christopher Daniel -- Appetizer, entree, dessert Costas -- Appetizer, entree, dessert Havana Road -- Salad, entree, dessert Mari Luna...

On Sunday night, Pazo celebrates some of the more memorable operas set in Spain with a Night at the Spanish Opera. The evening includes live vocal performances and a multi-course Spanish-themed dinner. The dinner and live performance are $59 per person inclusive. Jim Harp will direct the vocal talents of soprano Colleen Daly, mezzo-soprano Suzanne Chadwick, and baritone Jim James as they sing selections from "Carmen," "Il Trovatore," "The Rabbit Barber of Seville" and "La Forza del Destino.

From: Elqui Valley, Chile Price: $13 Serve with: Seafood, salads Find it at: i.m. Wine, 8180 Maple Lawn Blvd, Fulton, and other local wine shops Pedro Ximenez is a white wine grape varietal best known for its role in producing dessert wines in Spain's sherry region and in Australia. But this version from Chile shows it can also produce a compelling dry white table wine. The 2010 Falernia Pedro Ximenez Reserva shows a bright range of flavors: mint and other herbs, lime, grapefruit, pear and minerals.

As a way of making summertime lunch or dinner parties a shade simpler, try combining the drink with the dessert.Hundreds of options are available for using wine to upgrade standard cold dessert dishes of American tables. With fresh fruit now in abundance, combinations of all sorts are available to the home chef.Contrary to popular use, the potentials of wine in cooking extend far beyond seasoning occasional soups and preparing marinades, and one of the directions it can take is the dessert.

J. Birosik is big on burritos. Really big."They're inexpensive, they come in infinite variety, there's no frying, so they're perfect for health-conscious people and vegetarians -- you can add some rice for a family meal -- and for entertaining, they're really fast. And inexperienced cooks can get really elegant results on the first try."But it's fun, that's the main thing," the food writer and cookbook author says on the phone from her home in Sedona, Ariz. She says, "It's the Aspen of Arizona.

Frank & Nic's West End Grille is offering something different for Valentine's Day - a beer dinner. Featuring Sam Adams brews, the four-course dinner will be served at 8 p.m. on Feb. 14. The menu begins with a carrot, ginger and crab soup followed by a scotch egg. The main course is veal scallopini with a Boston Lager demi-glace, and the dessert course is hard-cider baked apples with vanilla paired ice cream. A Samuel Adams representative will be on hand to guide the dinner and for beer chats.

Jackie of Baltimore wants the recipe for a red velvet cake: "Two years ago at Christmas, I had the chance to taste this cake but I can't find a recipe anywhere. " — Baltimore Sun recipe finder, 1990 Hang in there, Jackie. If you managed to wait 20 years or so, thousands and thousands of red velvet recipes are now yours for the clicking. But why bake? You can now to grab a red velvet cake in the bakery of your favorite supermarket. And while you're there, you can load up your cart with Ben & Jerry's Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream and red velvet tea from Republic of Tea. Red velvet is thriving on restaurant menus, on and off the dessert page.