Café Chatter
A Spoonful of Sugar
Sometimes a small
bite of (more than
one) dessert is all
you need
BY JODI HELMER
"
You might think that shot glasses belong
in fraternity houses, nightclubs and biker
bars, but the miniature glasses are showing up in the kitchens of upscale restaurants, too. Chefs are eschewing Jack
Daniels and Kahlúa in favor of chocolate
and whipped cream, using shot glasses
as the vessels for bite-sized servings of
chocolate cake, tiramisu, apple cobbler
and crème brûlée.
The concept has taken off. According to the annual Chef Survey published
by the National Restaurant Association,
bite-sized desserts were the No. 1 trend
in 2007 and 2008. (In 2009, mini desserts were bumped into the No. 2 spot,
behind locally grown produce).
The trend, which follows on the heels
of the small-plate craze that has made
tapas restaurants and mini burgers so
popular, has been spurred in part by
a growing awareness of portion size.
Many chefs also believe that the slumping economy has helped the trend take
off. Because most restaurants charge
less than $4 for a dessert served in a
shot glass (with some charging as little
as $1), diners are more apt to order dessert than to skip it. In addition to calorie
consciousness and tightening budgets,
choice also has played a major role in
shaping the bite-sized dessert trend.
Instead of ordering one dessert, diners
want to sample a spoonful of several.
Plus, doesn’t a brownie shooter sound
delicious?
Bite-sized desserts, which have
long been a staple on menus in Europe,
weren’t part of the culinary consciousness in the United States a decade ago.
Chefs tip their tall white hats to Cliff
Pleau for introducing mini desserts
served in shot glasses at his Florida-based restaurant, Seasons 52. The executive chef and director of culinary development knew he was pioneering a new
trend when he came up with the idea in
2001. Just hours after the aha moment,
Pleau was in the supermarket stocking
up on ingredients to create sample mini
desserts. He tested 20 kinds—all served
in shot glasses—and let consumers weigh
in with their thoughts. The results were
exactly as he expected: Desserts in shot
glasses were a hit.
Pleau refers to the desserts as “the
real deal, pared down to fit in little
glasses,” and nine years after introducing the miniature temptations, shot
glasses filled with carrot cake, chocolate
