Professional Documents
Culture Documents
in the world
NUMBER 10
10. What: Warm Golden Plum
Soufflé
Where: The Waterside Inn;
Bray, England
Price: US$48
Small, yellow mirabelles, grown
mainly in Alsace and considered
a delicacy, are used in this 35-
year-old signature recipe by the
Michelin three-star chef and
owner Michel Roux and his son
Alain. “It’s served á la minute
so the baking is crucial,” said
the younger Roux. “If it’s even
one minute off, the taste and
texture are altered.”
NUMBER 9
9.What: Valrhona Chocolate Sphere
Where: Al Mahara, Burj
Al Arab Hotel;, Dubai
Price: US$48
Warm chocolate sauce is poured over a
very thin chocolate shell, causing
the sphere to implode, which
reveals luscious raspberries and
layers of chocolate inside.
NUMBER 8
8. What: King-size Imperial Torte
Where: Hotel Imperial; Vienna
Price: US$57
Legend has it that this chocolate-glazed
cake was first created in honor of
Emperor Franz Josef I to coincide
with the hotel’s opening in 1873.
Comprised of almond, marzipan and
cocoa crème under a milk-chocolate
glaze, this handmade cake (which
comes in a sugar-free version, too)
is presented in a fanciful wooden
box and shipped to Ottoman lovers
all over the world.
NUMBER 7
7. What: “Entre”
Where: Pierre Hermé Patisserie;
Paris
Price: US$176 each
In an exercise of haute patisserie,
world-renowned pastry chef Pierre
Hermé challenges traditional pastry-
making codes in order to “push the
search for good tastes to the
limit.”,; he said. Take Révélation, a
puff pastry with tomato,
mascarpone cream, olive oil, bits of
black olives and a tomato-
strawberry compote. Or Infini, which
introduces a 20-ingredient
gastronomic interpretation of
ambergris, a scent traditionally used
in perfume. A new series of four
“emotions to share,” each dessert
(which feeds six to eight people) is
available on a made-to-order basis,
and only from Monsieur Herme’s
two patisseries in Paris.
NUMBER 6
6. What: The Madeleine Truffle
Where: Knipschildt Chocolatier;
Norwalk, Conn.
Price: US$250 per truffle, or
US$6,000 per pound
Classic ganache—comprised of 70
percent Valrhona chocolate mixed
with fresh cream and infused for 24
hours with vanilla pods and pure
truffle oil—is shaped around a
Perigord truffle, then dipped in
Valrhona and rolled in cocoa
powder. “The ganache must be
whipped repeatedly to make it as
soft and silky as possible, then it
must be chilled so it’s easier to work
with,” said a company
spokesperson. The product of a long
and painstaking process, these
truffles are not available over the
counter, but made to order and
presented in a silver box with a
personal note from chocolate maker
Fritz Knipschildt.
NUMBER 5
5. What: The Dome’s Truffle Ice
Where: Mezzaluna; Bangkok
Price: US$200
In February, The Lebua Hotel at State
Tower hosted the most expensive
commercial dinner ever organized,
at which 40 guests paid 1 million
baht—or $30,000—each for a 10-
course meal prepared by six
Michelin-starred chefs from around
the world. Mezzaluna carries on the
pricey tradition with the Dome’s
Truffle Ice: Perigord truffle ice
cream layered with gelée and
Manjaree chocolate and suffused in
gold leaves, berry compote and a
rare cognac—Moyet Tres Vieille
Grande Champagne No. 7 (of which
there are only 1,300 bottles in
existence). The restaurant sells up
to 10 every week.
NUMBER 4
4. What: The Sultan’s Golden Cake
Where: Ciragan Palace Kempinski;
Istanbul
Price: US$1,000
It takes 72 hours to make this edible
brick of gold, available by special
request for, say, weddings, parties
or a Sultan’s snack. Spiked with
apricots, pears, quince and figs that
have been marinating in Jamaican
rum for two years, and flavored with
shaved caramelized black truffles,
this 24-carat gold leaf-covered cake
is presented in a sterling silver
handcrafted cake box with a golden
seal.
NUMBER 3
3. What: Golden Opulence Sundae
Where: Serendipity 3;
New York City
Price: US$1,000
This dessert is the holder of the
Guinness World Record for the most
expensive sundae. Scoops of
Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream
infused with smoky Madagascar
vanilla are coated in 23-carat edible
gold leaf, which “leaves a ring of
gold dust around people’s mouths,”
said Serendipity spokesman Joe
Calderone. Suffused with
bittersweet chocolate and rare
chocolate chunks, gold-plated
dragets and truffles, the sundae is
eaten with an 18k gold spoon and a
mother-of-pearl spoon is reserved
for the mini-bowl of sweetened, de-
salted caviar on top. The utensils
stay at the restaurant, but the
Baccarat crystal goblet is yours for
the taking.
NUMBER 2
2. What: Brownie Extraordinaire with
Saint Louis
Where: Brûlée: The Dessert
Experience; Atlantic City, New
Jersey
Price: US$1,000
The priciest selection off the
restaurant’s three-part Crystal Menu
(each of which begins with an
amuse sucrée, followed by the
featured dessert and ending with
petit fours), the Brownie
Extraordinaire comes with a Saint
Louis crystal atomizer, a $750
keepsake filled with a shot of rare
1996 Quinta do Noval Nacional port
wine to be sprayed into the mouth
between each bite of hazelnut-
coated brownie.
FINALLY, THE MOST
EXPENSIVE DESSERT IN THE
WORLD
NUMBER 1
1. What: The Fortress Aquamarine
Where: Wine3 at The Fortress;
Galle, Sri Lanka
Price: US$14,500x
This dessert, which debuted in March,
was inspired by the success of the
restaurant’s other gem-studded
treat, the Bombay Sapphire Martini.
The star of the show is an 80-carat
aquamarine gem that rests on a
sliver of chocolate shaped to
resemble the traditional stilt
fisherman that’s part of the resort’s
logo. Handmade glass utensils (not
included in the price) complete the
presentation. And yes, diners can
pocket the gemstone after polishing
off the dessert. None have yet been
sold.