Swimsuit weather may be coming up soon, but so is the time for ice cream and other summer treats. To find out the hottest trends in store, I asked the country’s premier dessert chefs and experts for their top picks.
#1: OUTRAGEOUS ICE CREAM DESSERTS .. “Continuing the trend of outlandish, bigger-is-better mentality, there’s still a large presence of in-your-face ice cream desserts. Clearly, anything goes with ice cream here, including donuts, cocktails and layer cakes. Some of the best places to gobble these calorific desserts include Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer in New York City and Pâtissez in Canberra City, Australia.” —Michael Whiteman, Renowned food consultant and President of Baum + Whiteman
#2: HEALTHIER SWEETS. “I know we are still seeing sprinkles and sugar bomber stuff out there, but I believe we are starting to see the trend in desserts to be less artificial and more nutritious. Think along the lines of the roasted sweet potato with just some condensed milk and salt at Atla in New York City or the Pink grapefruit gelée and granite at abcV. Given how the hot, summer weather can make us want to tone up, this will be a delicious way to eat better!” —Elizabeth Falkner, Chef, Artist and Author of Demolition Desserts and Cooking Off The Clock
#3: MORE SAVORY ELEMENTS . “Although I’m not much of a trend follower, I have been seeing more “chef-style desserts” with savory and vegetal components instead of your run-of-the-mill vanilla crème brûlée and fromage blanc panna cotta. A great example is this Apple crème caramel with burnt apple wood semi freddo at Ink in Los Angeles. Using apple cider as the base for the crème caramel, Chef Michael Voltaggio infuses the cream for the semi freddo with burning wood before freezing it in nitro within a dome. The unique addition of savory flavors and modern techniques make this a perfect summer dessert—Light, flavorful and balanced with contrasting textures and temperatures without being cloyingly sweet.” —Johnny Iuzzini, James Beard Foundation Award-Winning Pastry Chef
#4: CITRUS AND TROPICAL FLAVORS . “It’s hard to imagine summer without lots of refreshing citrus and tropical flavors. Be prepared to see desserts loaded with coconut, Meyer Lemon, Single Estate vanilla, and kumquat—in the form of salads, jellies and sorbets. The key to executing this well is mixing different textures, flavors and temperatures. For instance, at GT Fish & Oyster in Chicago, I particularly like their Coconut Crème Brulee with tropical fruit salad, coconut meringue, passion fruit and mango sorbets; while at Swift and Sons (also in Chicago), there’s a Single Origin Vanilla Cheesecake with Rhubarb-Strawberry Jelly. Both are exotic, uplifting and comforting all at the same time.” —Gale Gand, James Beard Foundation Award-Winning Pastry Chef
#5: ROSÉ-INFUSED TREATS . “Rose wine incorporated in desserts is a big summer trend. Dry, crisp and sometimes with subtle notes of fruit, rosé pairs up perfectly with any savory or sweet treats. Wonderful as it is, bear in mind that rose wine doesn’t have a strong piercing flavor, so it needs to be incorporated into recipes without other competing flavors. White chocolate ganache, pate de fruit, sorbet, ice cream and gummy candies are all items that Rosé wine can infuse well. Some great examples of this trend include OddFellows Ice Cream Co.’s Rosé pop and Sugarfina’s Rosé All Day Gummy Bears.” —Jacques Torres, Master pastry chef and chocolatier
#6: USE OF “ARTISAN GRAINS” . “In place of standard white flour, we’ll be seeing more ‘interesting grains’ such as strains of wheat, rye, or even sorghum this summer. One of my favorites is the Granola at b. Pâtisserie in San Francisco, which uses a strain of red wheat for a distinctly hearty flavor and texture. Other places, like Bien Cuit in Brooklyn, are putting buckwheat in their salted chocolate shortbreads with thyme. The toasty notes of buckwheat bridges with the savory notes of thyme and salt, enhancing the depth of flavors within the cookies.” —David Lebovitz, Food blogger and author of L’Appart and My Paris Kitchen
#7: MIRROR GLAZE . “Like it or not, catching the customer’s attention is still the top priority for many chefs in the Instagram age. Which is why, the trend today is back to colorful, shiny glazes as the final finish for cakes, eclairs and individual petits gateaux. Granted, the best desserts of this trend look as good as they taste. With many chefs honing on glazing techniques to make them shinier and less sweet, some of the best examples of this trend include the eclairs at L’Eclair de Genie. I love how the puffs are freshly filled with cream daily, so everything stays nice and crispy.” —Sylvain Bortolini, Executive Pastry Chef at MGM National Harbor near Washington D.C.
#8: MINI DESSERTS . “Going mini is very popular nowadays—Not just for saving calories, but also for incorporating greater variety of flavors and textures to a dish. Since people are looking for more styles and diversity to the menu, a trend like this provides more room for creativity and more unique pairing of components. Known as Café Gourmand, this trend began in Paris and across cities in Europe, and is now making its way across the globe. Some places like to make the guests guess what they are going to be served, and offer people the chance to sample different desserts without feeling guilty. Among the different patisseries and restaurants, Pierre Hermé and Fauchon in Paris execute this trend particularly well.” —Jean-Luc Daul, Executive Pastry Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas
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