10 Must-Try Winter Desserts Around NYC
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With the winter season comes a new roster of desserts, from warm tarts served straight from the oven to rich chocolate cakes, mousses and more. Below we’ve rounded up some of our favorite decadent treats around NYC to try now.
Chocolate mousse at Ferris
Tucked underneath the MADE Hotel in NoMad, Greg Proechel's Ferris is intimate and eclectic, with Asian influences in many of the dishes and in the space’s sleek design. On the dessert menu is a decadent chocolate mousse that’s light in texture and rich in flavor and topped with shards of tea meringue.
Apple at Le Bernardin
At Eric Ripert’s fine-dining seafood icon, this stunning (and deceptive) treat developed by pastry chef Thomas Raquel takes the form of the fruit it was inspired by. Raquel’s “apple” is comprised of a brown butter biscuit topped with a confit of roasted apples and apples soaked in calvados. It’s surrounded by a brown butter mousse, topped with a shiny apple cider glaze and hand-painted and gold dusted to perfect the finish. A chocolate “stem” and Armagnac sabayon are added as finishing touches.
Cassata at Scampi
Rounding out a modern Southern Italian menu at chef PJ Calapa’s (ex Ai Fiori) Flatiron kitchen, pastry chef Laura Sansone has created a take on a classic Sicilian sweet. The traditional sponge is reimagined as a semifreddo with dried apricots, pistachios, chocolate and almonds.
Daulat ki chaat at aRoqa
Whimsically presented plates lend a playful vibe to chef Gaurav Anand’s (Bhatti, Awadh) contemporary Indian kitchen, and this elevated version of an Indian street food sweet is no exception. The baba au rhum base is topped with a delicate saffron milk foam and blackberries and served in a smoking clay pot.
Toasted oat pot de crème at Otway
At this chic Clinton Hill locale, a rotating ingredient-focused menu with a no-waste ethos incorporates in-house fermentation and a housemade bread and pastry program. On the dessert menu is a warm oat pot de crème made with toasted oats steeped in Battenkill heavy cream and mixed with egg yolks and sugar. It’s topped with lingonberry and crispy oat streusel.
Sachertort at The Eddy
The famous Austrian dessert is the newest addition to the creative Eastern European–inspired menu at this cozy neighborhood locale. The decadent chocolate almond cake features a chocolate ganache and apricot filling, and is topped with a dollop of cream and candied nasturtiums.
Souk sundae at Shuka
Last fall, the Hundred Acres team transformed the neighborhood staple into an Eastern Mediterranean hot spot with chef Ayesha Nurdjaja (Felidia, Hundred Acres) helming the kitchen. The souk sundae is a perfect complement to the dips, meze and kebabs on the menu, and features toasted sesame gelato topped with Medjool dates and crushed hazelnuts.
Lemon ricotta cake at Fausto
Adapted from an old family recipe, chef Erin Shambura’s lemon ricotta cake headlines the dessert menu at Italian-inspired Fausto. Served with a quenelle of whipped crème fraîche, the cake is the perfect follow-up to a comforting bowl of housemade pasta.
Apple tart at Momofuku Nishi
Momofuku Ko vet Joshua Pinsky keeps it simple with a warm, comforting apple tart that’s shareable and baked to order. Inspired by tarte Tatin, a French dessert staple, Pinsky’s version is topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of housemade caramel featuring a touch of hozon, Momofuku’s fermented chickpea seasoning.
Honey zeppole at Don Angie
At Don Angie, Quality Italian vets (and husband-and-wife team) Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli serve up Italian-American classics with a few contemporary creations in the mix, including these honey zeppole which Rito likens to Greek loukoumades. A holiday tradition in her family, Don Angie’s version adds Robiola cheese to the dough and tops the zeppole with ground Sicilian pistachios.
