Sweet on you

Pastázza's Jennifer O'Neill displays a chocolate pate with apricot sorbet and raspberry sauce (top), lemon tart (left) and honey creme caramel (right). PETE KENDALL HERALD PHOTO

Get your just desserts on Valentine's Day

Stacee Sledge

Feb 14, 2002 — Stolen kisses, construction-paper cards and teddy bears are all familiar mementos of Valentine's Day. But by far, what really sets our hearts astir are chocolate and other sugary goodies. So, in honor of this sweet holiday, I made the supreme sacrifice and tried a handful of desserts at several eateries known for their confections.

Pastázza

Pastázza seems to have the largest dessert menu of any local restaurant I've visited. I was happily looking over the menu, thinking how varied and enticing it was, when I turned the sheet over and discovered another lengthy page of selections.

The chocolate decadence is exactly that. Served with two scoops of Mallard Vanilla Ice Cream, the mound of lavish, warm bittersweet chocolate torte looks innocent enough, until you dig into it with your spoon, and a sinful ooze of chocolate comes pouring out.

The contrast of cold ice cream and warm chocolate brings back memories of childhood hot fudge sundaes. Of all the magnificent desserts my mother, several happy-to-help friends and I tried over the course of a couple weeks, this was my absolute favorite.

Valentine Desserts

Pastázza 2945 Newmarket St. Phone: 714-1168 Menu items sampled: Tiramisu $4.50 Chocolate decadence $4.95   Mount Bakery 308C West Champion St. Phone: 715-2195 Menu items sampled: Chocolate pot de crème $3.50 Chocolate truffle cake $4.25 Apple tarte $3.25   Pacific Café & Patisserie 100 N. Commercial St. Phone: 647-0800 Menu items sampled: Chef's sampler $7.95 Dark chocolate truffle $1.95 each

Tiramisu is an Italian dessert, usually built from ladyfinger cookies infused with espresso and marsala wine. Mascarpone cheese rests between the thin cake-like layers, and the entire thing is drizzled in chocolate.

Depending on the restaurant, you never know what variation you'll be served. One of my friends is on a never-ending quest to find the best tiramisu around, and she was more than pleased with Pastázza's product. It was a large slice, easily more than enough to be shared by two, drizzled in dark chocolate and sprinkled with bits of semisweet chocolate.

Mount Bakery

Perhaps your Valentine plans involve whisking away your significant other for a romantic weekday afternoon. If that's the case, head straight to Mount Bakery for something scrumptious to savor before their doors close at 6 p.m.

Owner Olivier Vrambout creates delectable Belgian treats unlike any I've experienced. With servings ranging from truffles to puff pastry, crème brûlée to brioche, you'll feel you've been transported to a bakery in Europe.

We sampled the chocolate truffle cake, apple tarte, and chocolate pot de crème, artfully arranged on a silver platter and sprinkled generously with confectioners' sugar,

The dense chocolate truffle cake resembled fudge in consistency. Insanely rich, each bite left a layer of granulated sugar on the tongue. If you're a chocolate fan, you can't go wrong with this selection.

The chocolate pot de crème (French for "pot of cream") was topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings. A silky mix of cream and chocolate, this dessert wasn't overpowering, but instead gave a subtle kick as the chocolate hit the tastebuds.

Pulling ourselves away from the chocolate confections, we tried the apple tarte, finished with marionberry sauce and a splotch of fresh whipped cream. I'm generally not a pastry fan, but this munificent wedge of scrumptious tarte made me a believer. I'll be back to try more of Olivier's sweet baked creations.

Pacific Café & Patisserie

All of the desserts at Pacific Café & Patisserie are prepared on-site in what their menu coins "the traditional European style." The dessert menu changes regularly, so the items we sampled may not appear on the Valentine's Day menu. But if the quality and diversity of the treats we tasted are any indication, you'll be delighted with their divine delicacies.

My mother and I chose the dessert sampler plate, made of selections chosen by the chef. Crème caramel Courvoisier, tosca and a flavorful cappuccino ice cream were presented on one large plate.

Crème caramel is a classic French dessert. Pacific Café's version takes this custard baked in a caramel-coated mold one step further, spiking it with Courvoisier cognac. Light and rich, the dessert was topped off with a spoonful of fresh whipped cream.

The tantalizing tosca was a triangle-shaped treat with each corner dipped in dark chocolate.

Thin layers of flaky crust, raspberry, almond paste and a topping of slivered almonds made this distinctive dessert unforgettable.

We also sampled one of the handmade truffles. Biting into one is an exercise in tantalizing textures.

The dark chocolate truffle began with a thick layer of chocolate encasing the smooth center, and was bitten into with a slight crunch. Inside was a pillow of chocolate so soft and creamy it resembled pure butter.

All three places create their confections on-site and go out of their way to use local ingredients when possible. Share one or two with your favorite Valentine, and see why the little details make such a big difference.

The Fine Print: I dine on my own dime. The opinions herein are mine alone, not the Bellingham Herald's. Agree? Disagree? Please drop me a line at StaceeSledge@hotmail.com.