Frozen yogurt became the start of the “create your own dessert” trend, wherein clients should move into shops, dispense hefty servings of cold stuff into tubs, and top it with any toppings they prefer. Then the fashion slowly faded, as we all realized they had, as a substitute, just down a pint of ice cream alternatively.
So, while Memoz Dessert Cafe opened earlier this 12 months, promising customers the danger of building their dessert, it turned into truthful to be skeptical. But upon coming into the crimson-accented, 28-seat cafe, it becomes clear this is a miles-specific revel in.
The brainchild of Seattle local Aaron Allina and his spouse, Julie, Memoz does not emit the homogenous atmosphere of apparentlalmosther eatery promised g a custom de custom-designed experience; the space has a captivating intimacy and, on our go-to, becomes packed with households eagerly indulging in sweets or waiting patiently for their creations over a sport of Uno.
The customizations begin by choosing from various cookies or pastries, many of which are gluten-free or vegan and take the simplest minutes to bake. From there, two tablespoons’ worth of mix-ins is added from a list of over 40 alternatives: mint chips, caramel bits, blue cheese, black pepper, and sweet corn. Finally, you may finish your customized concoction with Baked Alaska, ganache, or flat icing at a further price.
It’s an amusing method, but getting it right takes some experimenting. So, we decided to whip up three peculiar combinations to see if we could replicate Portland’s subsequent tremendous dessert.
Dessert 1: The Tamale Boy from Bedrock
The first dessert started as an uncooked scoop of what was destined to come to be a peanut butter oat cookie. It becomes ferried down the counter to the next section of the operation, wherein blend-ins are decided on. These blanketed M&M’s, Fruity Pebbles, smoked almonds, and Hot Tamale sweets rolled into the dough, forming a vibrant mass that made its way to the oven. After taking the simplest minutes to bake, ice cream was brought to the toasted cookie, and caramel drizzle was made for the final touch, if only as it got here at no similar fee.
The Fruity Pebbles had grown soft and chewy inside the oven’s heat, and the M&Ms dissolved to form a sticky confection of most of the ice cream. The Hot Tamales, though a contentious preference within the second, complemented the candy structure by adding the slightest trace of spice to each bite. Structurally, the smoked almonds gave the cookie a reassuring foundation that ensured it would not melt into a soggy heap.
Dessert 2: Sarah Palin’s Chocolate Explosion
The second dessert was crafted with more foresight, combining M&Ms and peanut butter chips with brownie batter. Poured in a mold and placed in the oven, it was then topped with Baked Alaska, Memoz’s most popular topping, if simplest because of its ‘Gram-worthy look publish-blowtorch.
Unlike the cookie before, the brownie held its shape and proved densely filled with chocolate, just as our servers expected. A cons personal proper, the dollop of Baked Alaska, a conventional dessert of the Gilded Age brownie, disappeared in a flash.
Dessert 3: The Ice Cream Uni-Corn
Our very last creation consisted of cinnamon-and-sugar pull-aside bread. Contained within the bread was a mixture of candy corn, black pepper, orange slices, and peace, and it became townsite vanilla ice cream from the Heartbreaker Neighborhood Kitchen and a coating of coarse sea salt. The mixture of orange slices and peaches made for a saccharine taste similarly matched using the corn and ice cream, and black pepper stood out as a fragrant characteristic. The ordinary union of flavors proved that, at Memoz, you can’t go incorrect, irrespective of your choice.