The bold and the beautiful - Adelaide

Photography by Mark Brake

Dreamy: A plate of loukoumathes washed down with coffee at the Greek on Halifax.

Treats: Gareth Grierson, above, puts the finishing touches on creme brulee tarts at Red Door Bakery

Photography by Naomi Jellicoe

d'Arrys verandah passionfruit souffle

When it comes to sugary treats, Adelaide's best chefs and bakers are sweet talkers, writes Simon Wilkinson.

It's just after 9pm on a Friday and a queue is already stretching down the road from the door of Eggless Dessert Cafe in Goodwood.

Back in the city, the French patisserie Au Matin Calme is doing a roaring trade in creme brulee and lemon tarts; the chocaholics are scraping the remnants from the Indulgence Plate at The Chocolate Bean in the East End; and the bright young things are digging into the crazy, colourful desserts at Gouger St's Sugarbowl.

Adelaide is a city that runs on a sugar high. Even those strange folk who claim they don't really like desserts will have a weakness... their melting moment.

For the true sweet tooth, the day starts early. While others may breakfast on cereal, toast or eggs, they know that the best thing with that first cup of coffee is an Italian-style doughnut, still warm from the fryer, slightly chewy and coated in sugar. For the uninitiated, try the ones at Master of Bread on Goodwood Rd or the zeppole at Nano Ready 2 Go in the city.

That should see you through to morning tea and something more serious from our patisseries. Two of the best start, appropriately enough, with an "mmmm". South of the city is Mulot's, on King William Rd, where the traditional French flans, tarts and gallettes are legendary, and you can order a croquembouche. On the other side of town, on Prospect Rd, Muratti specialises in cakes and biscuits, as well as making macarons in four different and delicious flavours.

Something light for lunch? Meringue should fit the bill, and while we don't have a dessert as famous as Peter Gilmore's Snow Egg seen on MasterChef, there are plenty of pavlovas and even a couple of versions of the classic bombe alaska at Urban Bistro (with red berry salad) and Windy Point (with an orange parfait).

There's plenty of time before dinner to head to the western suburbs and discover some more traditional ethnic delicacies. The Adelaide Lebanese Bakery, just off South Rd at Thebarton, has trays of filo morsels, from baklava and other syrup-drenched treats to crumbly biscuits filled with pistachios or walnuts.

To finish, it must be chocolate - and don't spare the decadence. The River Cafe in North Adelaide has hot chocolate and hazelnut fondant with chocolate sauce and chocolate gelato. Or go the whole hog with Chianti Classico's "Piatto di Cioccolato", a selection of treats comprising torta di caprese (chocolate and mascarpone tart), cocoa nib gelato and dark chocolate mousse.

IT'S ALL GREEK

For a long time, the Greek on Halifax's Mary Galantomos had wondered why the sweets she sold were, well, so damn sweet. Then, on her first visit to Greece last year, she watched as the locals rose from their afternoon siesta and jump-started the afternoon with a plate of syrup-drenched loukoumathes and a cup of their muddy black coffee. That coffee might be an acquired taste, but the GOH's desserts are just as dreamy.

Made inhouse by the experienced hands of a 73-year-old the staff know as "Auntie Nikki", the cream kataiffi - with its layers of shredded pastry, custard and crushed nuts - rivals the best vanilla slices, while the loukoumathes are irresistibly light little honey puffs. Try stopping at one.

* Greek on Halifax, 75-79 Halifax St, city; ph 8223 3336.

PASTRY PERFECTION

Gareth Grierson must have a supply of magic dust to sprinkle in with the flour and European butter for the tart shells at his Red Door Bakery.

How else to explain the way the pastry vanishes when you bite into the creme brulee tart, just leaving the delicious ooze of rich custard and the crackle of burnt sugar in your mouth.

The lemon and choc-hazelnut tarts are also wonderful, or look for buttery danishes with seasonal fruit fillings. This suburban bakery in one of our grooviest eating strips has quickly developed a cult following.

* Red Door Bakery, 22 Elizabeth St, Croydon; ph 8340 0306.

UP, UP AND AWAY

When the first souffle of the afternoon emerges from the kitchen at d'Arry's Verandah, the reaction is as if George Clooney has walked into the room. Heads turn, there are oohs and aaahs.

The passionfruit souffle, with its golden dome rising majestically from the dish, has been on the d'Arry's menus since Peter Reschke and Nigel Rich took over the kitchen six years ago. They've toyed with other flavours but Peter says the intense tang of the passionfruit works best, especially with a splash of the pouring cream that is served in a small jug.

* d'Arry's Verandah, d'Arenberg Winery, Osborn Rd, McLaren Vale; ph 8329 4848.

PRETTY AS A PICTURE

Emma Shearer brings an artist's eye to the striking desserts at The Manse.

The talented chef paints as a hobby and each dessert she designs starts life as a drawing on her sketchpad.

Emma says she is thinking as much about the composition of colours as the flavours she is bringing together when she creates dishes such as her raspberry, white chocolate and rhubarb sorbet creation.

The concoction is delicious, the richness of the balls of white choccy parfait balanced by the refreshing sorbet and tartness of the sheet of raspberry "croquant" and strip of dehydrated rhubarb.

Violas picked from the garden at The Manse complete the picture.

*The Manse, 142 Tynte St, North Adelaide; ph 8267 4636.

OOH LA LA

Walk into Au Matin Calme and you will feel as if you've landed in a patisserie in one of Paris's smarter boulevards.

The aroma of fresh, flaky croissants, the display of beautifully finished cakes and tarts, the little "financiers" - it's all there, down to the French accent of owner Guillaume Blanc who makes everything on premises with partner Chakey Kim.

Try one of the layered cakes, perhaps the choccy mousse, or our favourite, the orangina, with stripes of almond dacquoise, marmalade and orange mousse. Also open late on Friday nights with special desserts such as creme brulee and mille feuille.

*Au Matin Calme, 210 Hutt St, Adelaide; ph 7225 2707.

D'ARRYS VERANDAH PASSIONFRUIT SOUFFLE

Makes 12-ish

375ml passionfruit puree, deseeded100ml Noble Prankster or other dessert wine6 egg yolks1/3 cup sugar1/2 cup plain flour3 passionfruit, extra6 egg whites1/4 cup sugar, extraIcing sugar, to serveCream, to serve

Method:

Warm puree and wine. Slightly cream yolks and sugar. Add flour, stir until smooth, and mix in the warm puree. Whisk/stir over double boiler until very thick. Cool. Add pulp and seeds from extra passionfruit. Whisk whites until stiff and beat in extra sugar. Fold whites into custard gradually. Pour into well-buttered and sugared moulds. Bake at 170C for 20 minutes or until golden on top.Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with cream.

Taste.com.au - October 2010

Simon Wilkinson

View the original article here