Shackleton's Cookie

Many whisky fans are familiar with the story of Shackleton's Whisky. During an Antarctic excavation, several boxes of unopened Scotch were found in a hut that had been abandoned during Sir Ernest Shackleton's unsuccessful 1907 expedition to the South Pole. The whisky was flown to Scotland where it was tasted by Whyte & Mackay Master Blender Richard Paterson who used it to create a replica whisky that is now on sale.

But did you know there is also a Shackleton cookie? A cookie from the same expedition was recovered and sold at auction for nearly $2,000. Think this is one of my parodies? Think again. They've even made a replica of a similar cookie, but no word on Paterson's involvement.

What other crap can we reproduce from Shackleton's expedition?

Macarons on Larchmont - 'lette Macarons

'lette Macarons, the popular macaron shop with branches in Beverly Hills and Pasadena, recently opened a shop on Larchmont Boulevard. Needless to say, I had to check it out.

'lette (the name is short for the owner's name - Paulette) doesn't just specialize in macarons, the colorful and increasingly popular little French sandwich cookies, it's literally all they sell, though they come in a variety of flavors. I picked up a healthy sampling.

Overall, the macarons were good (it's tough to make a bad one) but a bit too sweet. Comparing them to my current favorite macarons from Bouchon Bakery, the fillings in the 'lette macarons have a heavier cream in the middle, more like traditional sandwich cookies than the light, airy fillings that you find in the best macarons. My favorites were the passionfruit and coconut which had strong flavors and were a bit less sweet.

The pricing at this place is very odd. One macaron costs $1.70 but the price for two is $4 (more than double the price of one?!?). A box of six will cost you $10.50, again, more than the cost of six individual macarons. Someone at 'lette HQ should work this out. It's fine not to give people a savings, but charging more for bigger purchases is downright silly.

'lette Macarons
122 N Larchmont Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 469-3620

Trader Joe's Cookie Taste-Off: Macarons vs. Whoopee Pies

I try to avoid Trader Joe's impulse purchases, but it was hard to resist the French-style chocolate macarons, so into the cart they went. And then I saw the whoopee pies. A taste-off would be an excellent excuse to gorge on cookies. So here they are.

Trader Joe's often has a problem of products that look better than they taste and this was the issue with the whoopee pies. The cookies were dry and flavorless, the filling was ultra-sweet, though with decent flavor and good texture. I couldn't eat more than one.

The macarons on the other hand, were very nice. They were filled with a liquidy chocolate ganache with some good chocolate flavor. They lacked the chewiness of really good macarons, but hey, it's Trader Joe's and they were overall quite tasty.

Both types of cookies are $6 for a package of 6. TJ's also has a frozen macaron, but that will have to wait for a future taste off.

Red Velvet Cookies in Studio City: Xtreme Desserts

After selling their sandwich cookies at Farmers Markets for several years, Extreme Desserts has opened a retail shop in Studio City, in the Trader Joe's strip mall at Ventura and Laurel Canyon.

I reviewed their signature red velvet sandwich cookie back when they were only selling at Farmers Markets and found it quite good. They now have a whole line up of sandwich cookies, brownies and even some small cakes.

The red velvet is still the signature and is about as I described it, like an oreo made of red velvet cake. My favorite though, was probably the pecan pie cookie. The cookies on the pecan pie were more cookie like and the filling was a rich, nutty pecan pie filling. It did a great job of presenting pecan pie in cookie form.

They've only been open for a few weeks, and the shop is still pretty bare bones, so I'm guessing there will be more to come.

Xtreme Desserts
11990 Ventura Blvd. (at Laurel Canyon in the strip mall with Trader Joe's)
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 505-1759

Leave the Cannoli: Vito's Cannoli

I've long enjoyed the New York style pizza at Vito's on La Cienega. Their white pie, with its creamy clouds of ricotta, is one of the best pizzas in LA. Their other pies are also good, though their tomato sauce is a bit on the sweet side for me.

Recently, I ate in at Vito's and ordered a cannoli. Given how good their ricotta is on the white pie, I figured this would be a winner. I was right. The filling was fluffy and sweet and the cookie was crisp. A dusting of sugar and cinnamon makes it complete (and none of those objectionable green sprinkles). It's everything you want in a cannoli. Next time you go to Vito's, order dessert.

Vito's Pizza
846 North La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 652-6859

Good Pesach - Good Macaroons

Homemade coconut macaroons, regular and chocolate (dipped in Scharffen-Berger chocolate). A most impressive Passover dessert that takes no more than 30 minutes from start to finish (plus drying time for the chocolate).

Adapted from the New Basics Cookbook:

1. Beat two egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form; add a tablespoon of sugar and beat until glossy with stiff peaks.

2. In a separate bowl, combine 5 oz. shredded coconut, 2/3 cup of sugar and one teaspoon vanilla extract (warning for the observant: vanilla extract is not technically kosher for Passover, but I can't bear to use artificial vanilla). Fold into the egg whites.

3. Using a half-sphere tablespoon or a mini ice cream scoop, scoop batter out onto a buttered cookie pan covered with buttered parchment paper.

4. Cook for 12-15 minutes at 325. Cookies are done when browned on the bottom and lightly browned on top. Makes about 20 cookies.

5. For chocolate covered macaroons, melt chocolate (I use equal parts Scharffen-Berger 62% and 70%). Remove chocolate from heat to a bowl. Dip cooled macaroons in melted chocolate and let cool.

Put them out and watch these babies disappear.

Good Passover to all!

American Samoas

Among the wonderful foods that remind me of spring are strawberries, cream eggs, Easter ham, matzoh ball soup, and...Girl Scout cookies, especially delectable Samoas. There is really no earthly reason why I should like these little coconut-caramel-shortbread rings, drizzled, as they are, with waxy, flavorless fake chocolate. But there is something about them that I just can't resist, and I go through box after box.

And why are they called Samoas? Do they claim some Polynesian ancestry? Is it because of the coconut? Did they name them by spinning a globe and randomly stopping it with a finger? Ah, but I suppose the mystery is part of their allure.

I buy mine at the Hollywood Farmers Market, where the Girl Scout stand looks strangely out of place with its packaged, mass produced cookies among the organic arugula and varietal strawberries.

Get 'em while you can.