The Sweet Tooth: Fall treats, L.A.-made

Forget the bagged Halloween candy. Get your sugar fix with these seasonal sweets, all handcrafted in Los Angeles:

Compartes Chocolatier's spicy Mexican hot chocolate skull pops are made from single-origin dark chocolate and infused with spices like cayenne and cinnamon. The pops, hand-painted with gold glitter, cost $5 and can be purchased at the chocolatier's Brentwood location. 912 S. Barrington Ave., Los Angeles, (310) 826-3380, compartes.com.

Pasadena artisan creamery Carmela is making batches of pumpkin spice ice cream, currently on the farmers market-inspired menu. Co-founder Jessica Mortarotti suggests serving the ice cream as a float with a good spicy ginger beer (see below). 2495 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 797-1405, carmelaicecream.com

I Heart Pies is a Los Angeles-based pie company specializing in sweet and savory pies made with simple, fresh ingredients. In addition to the traditional pumpkin and pecan pies, its fall offerings include playful flavors such as purple forest pie, made with Dutch spice cookies and black currants, and cracker jack pie with a rich, salted caramel mousse, a layer of peanuts and chocolate mousse in a cookie crust. Pie prices are $16 to $25 and can be purchased at the North Hollywood farmers market on Saturdays or online at iheartpies.com.

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-- Caitlin Keller

Photo credits: Compartes (top) and Jessica Mortarotti (bottom)

Bouchon Bakery to open in Beverly Hills on Wednesday

Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery is set to open Wednesday in Beverly Hills under the auspices of pastry chef Roy Shvartzapel, an alumnus of Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg, Calif., and Bouley Bakery in New York. 

Bouchon Bakery, on the ground floor of the same Canon Drive building that houses Bouchon Bistro, will offer traditional viennoiserie such as croissants (classic, chocolate and fruit-filled); sticky buns; muffins (banana nut or blueberry); tarts (chocolate ganache or lemon); cookies like the TKO (Thomas Keller Oreo); chocolate bouchons; macarons; freshly baked bread; and sandwiches, salads and packaged goods.

Interior designer Adam D. Tihany aided in transforming the bistro's grand entrance lobby into the small and quaint bakery storefront. The lobby's doors open up onto the garden plaza, where a Parisian-like outdoor cafe-style setting offers a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy with a cafe au lait, croissant and book in hand.

Shvartzapel apprenticed under Pierre Hermé veteran Damien Herrgott at Bouley Bakery and then worked for six months at the famed Paris patisserie. Find six classic macaron flavors including chocolate, vanilla, caramel, raspberry, passion fruit/white chocolate and pistachio inside the bakery's glass display casing. Also look for the kouign-amann, the super flaky-caramelized-buttery pastry that's a specialty of Brittany, France (it means "butter cake" in Breton). Shvartzapel describes it as the love child of an oreja (or palmier) and a croissant.

Bouchon Bakery, 235 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 271-9910, bouchonbakery.com.

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Photo credit: Stefanie Keenan

Birthday fun: The whirling, twirling cake topper

Months ago, my friend Antonia who worked at L.A. Eyeworks at the time brought over a cake topper for another friend’s birthday cake. We lighted it in the dark, outside on the deck, and wow! It shot out some sparkler action, then the plastic petals opened into a lotus flower with a lighted baby candle at the tip of each petal. The flower spun and shimmied, all the while emitting the song “Happy Birthday to You” to the great delight of everyone there.

The cake toppers are back in stock at L.A. Eyeworks and so I bought one (should have bought a case) this weekend for a birthday party. And it still has the same mesmerizing effect: Everyone bursts into giggles at the surprise of the merry, twirling candles. Some twirl less than others, though, for mysterious reasons.

If you want to light one up for an occasion other than a birthday, it's easy to disable the song by clipping a tiny wire. Just pay attention to the instructions: Don’t light the flower candle near something that could catch fire. Keep well away from children. Enjoy.

Happy Birthday Flower Candle, $8, in several colors. Available at L.A. Eyeworks, 7386 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 931-7795; Laeyeworks.com. Or online at HappyBirthdayCandle.com.

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-- S. Irene Virbila

Twitter.com/sirenevirbila

Photo: Happy Birthday Flower Candle. Credit: S. Irene Virbila

Trails Cafe: Grab a bite after your hike

July marks the six-year anniversary of Trails Cafe, a favorite stop for Griffith Park regulars and out-of-town visitors alike. The cafe's ultra-small setting can be a baker's challenge, but this before- or after-hike stop still manages to pull off an efficiently run production. Its baked goods are made in house, from scratch daily. Scones, quiches, galettes, pies and cookies, with daily changing flavors, are on display in the cafe's windows for the indecisive to "ohh" and "ahh" at while waiting in line to order. Stumptown Coffee is a recent addition to the menu, and as of late, weekend specials include homemade ice cream. There are vegan options too. 2333 Fern Dell Drive, L.A., (323) 871-2102, thetrailslosfeliz.com.

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Photo: Trails Cafe sign. Credit: Michelle Youssefzadeh

Back Story: The men behind a really sweet design

Consider this humble sugar shaker, a staple of kitchens and coffee shops across the land.

About 35 million have been sold -- maybe double that if you include all the knockoffs -- and not one of them labeled a work of art.

Yet that's exactly what they are, says design historian Bill Stern, a connoisseur of ubiquitous and unsung objects. "This decanter is iconic," he says, "the very essence of modernism, a perfect meld of function and form."

Stern, the guiding force behind the development of the Museum of California Design, extols the comfortable swell of the shaker's glass belly, which is shaped to be cradled in the palm. And the clean gleam of its smooth, slightly canted metal top, which cues a user's eye to tilt in the right direction. And the placement of the pouring flap, ingeniously engineered "so that when you tip the shaker," Stern says, "the whole weight of the contents is concentrated at the precise point where it has to come out."

Previous models were inferior, he says. They didn't pour easily, and they collected dirt. But this design?

"There's not a whit of unnecessary decoration," he says. "It's made inexpensively but responsibly, so it won't prematurely break or wear out. Viewed at a distance, it is an extremely elegant object." And those are just some of the reasons it's still around. Read more here about the men who designed it.

Photo credit: Los Angeles Times

Culinary Experience for a Cause at St. Joseph's Center

Once in a while, an opportunity to do good, eat well and give back presents itself. This weekend, multitasking karma-seekers can participate in St. Joseph's Center's Culinary Experience for a Cause cooking classes, where they'll learn how to make French pastries from Gourmandise Desserts owner Clemence Gossett.

The funds raised by the classes go directly to the 100% donor-supported St. Joseph's Culinary Training Program,  a nonprofit family services organization in Venice. The training program is dedicated to giving low-income, unemployed individuals a chance to make a career in the culinary world.

Pastry chef Gossett will be guiding guests through hands-on training to prep their pancreas for the holiday seeaon. Students will create desserts such as petits fours, mascarpone tortes and both almond-vanilla bean and chocolate-pistachio financiers — little cakes named for the Parisian bankers who historically favored them.

Thankfully, you don't have to be as monetarily situated as a Parisian banker, as the class costs a modest $85 per person or $150 per couple. The sweetest part? You can hand off 50% of the bill to your accountant. The fundraising classes are tax-deductible.

Read the full article on the Brand X blog>>

-- Krista Simmons

Photo: Strawberry tart made by Clemence Gossett. Credit: Courtesy of Gourmandise Desserts.

Bravo orders 'Top Chef' spin-off 'Just Desserts'

On the heels of news that Bravo has renewed "Top Chef Masters" for a second season comes word that the network has ordered another "Top Chef" spin-off, the sweet-centered "Just Desserts." Read more here.

Photo: The graham cracker chewy bars at Julienne's bakery in San Marino. Here's the recipe. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

 

Celebrate National Coffee Day ... with the largest macaroon in the world?

While you’re drinking your cup of joe today, raise a mug for National Coffee Day, the day in which coffee addicts can rejoice in their brews and refill without shame.

When you order a cup of coffee at participating Los Angeles and Orange County Panera Bread locations, grab a coupon for a free second cup when you mention National Coffee Day and the “Pay It Forward” phrase, effective only today.

Not crazy about coffee but love the delectable desserts that go with it? Settle down with a fluffy New Orleans-style beignet dusted with powdered sugar – find the recipe from the L.A. Times test kitchen here.

And though it’s not in celebration of the best part of waking up, another great highlight of today is happening at Brentwood’s La Provence Patisserie &  Café this afternoon.

Attenders hope to witness the world’s largest Parisian macaroon, as chef and restaurateur Farshid Hakim attempts to break the Guinness Book of World Records title. Hakim and his staff began working early this morning with what they hope to be the world’s largest collection of macaroon ingredients -- almond flour, sugar, butter, cream, etc. – to create the enormous 16-inch egg white and almond delicacy.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to leave your coffee at home: La Provence will be serving Intelligentsia coffees and teas, as well as full-service meals during the record-breaking baking.

La Provence Patisserie & Café, 11677 San Vicente Blvd. For more information, call La Provence at (310) 442-1144.

-- Kelsey Ramos

Photo: Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times

Kiss My Bundt Bakery's Red velvet cake recipe

Our selfless quest for the best red velvet cake led to the acquisition of Kiss My Bundt Bakery's recipe, which has become a favorite with many of our staff. Owner Chrysta Wilson says it's based on a recipe she learned years ago from her aunt, when, as an 8-year-old, she was baking cakes in her Easy Bake Oven.

Her bakery is celebrating its 1-year anniversary, and the recipe (which follows below) will be included in her upcoming cookbook "Kiss My Bundt Cookbook," due out November 2009.

Yup! It's amazing! Almost as amazing as her maple bacon bundt cake. Only wish I'd asked for both recipes....

Taking aim at Alice Waters, Michael Pollan & Co., and rethinking that Diet Coke

From today's Opinion page:

Keep your self-righteous fingers off my processed food: By demanding we all pay more to fund their agendas in these harsh economic times, foodie snobs and lefty social critics may as well tell us to eat artisanal cake.

And Monday's Health section:

America's sweet tooth is growing. Like many other mammals, we are hooked on sugar because it is packed with energy and our bodies have evolved ways of encouraging us to consume more of it.

Photo: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times