Photo Credit – Alex Mckenzie 

I always save room for decadent desserts or force feed them down anyways when they are worthy. Dessert can often be an overlooked facet of a meal with some restaurants outsourcing or just not putting a ton of love or effort into their post meal confections. The Ritz has gone above and beyond and secured the passionate and talented Chef Laszlo Bollok as the Executive Pastry Chef for the entire Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne property.

Chef Laszlo Bollok’s love for the culinary world stems from his grandmother, a chef and teacher at a local culinary school in Budapest, Hungary. “Pastry is an art form, complete with a rainbow of colors, a multitude of textures and endless possibilities,” states Bollok. The Chef moved to the vibrant city of New York, as the Executive Pastry Chef for world renowned opera singer, Placido Domingo’s Spanish restaurant, Domingo’s. His career continued as the pastry chef for Louis XVI in Long Island, Jean-Georges at The Mark Hotel, The Pierre Hotel and his most recent tenure, Le Cirque.

I visited the Ritz for a dessert tasting and was impressed with the sheer artistry, quality ingredients and light composition that was still dripping with flavors. Chef Bollok whips up desserts that are ALMOST too sexy to devour.

Pistacchio Siciliano (pronounced PistaCKhio by the way 😉 is composed of bavarian cream, ganache, white chocolate and cardamom ice cream. The multitude of layers, textures and flavors swirl into quite a memorable bite. There are even some Rice Krispy pieces hidden amongst it.

The Apple Frangipane consists of frangipane, green tea lime, apple compote and green apple sorbet. It was by far my most cherished dessert of the tasting. The cake is mesmerizingly supple with a crusty exterior and the perfect amount of butter and almonds to seduce your mouth without overpowering it. Pair it with a jovial prosecco to complement it sweetly.

The Raspberry-Lychee Crostata boasted lychee custard, butter sable, raspberry and sorbet.  The lychee melded well with the fresh raspberry mix forming a light, balanced and radiant dish.

 

The Strawberry Soufflé was comprised of farm fresh strawberries, limoncello and a hypnotic basil ice cream. As great as this dessert was I would have traded it all in for just another scoop of the astonishing basil ice cream.

The next time your tooth is craving something sweet or your eyes are desiring to view legitimate #foodporn now you know where to head to.

Enjoy the decadent desserts gallery: