Eating Out Reno

DESSERT DINING DIRECTORY  click

Desserts can be decadent treats to intricate crafted  luscious dessert dishes.  Reno is the home of Vienoisserie (Vienna style pastries and baked goods),  Ice Creameries, Cupcakerys , cookie bakeries and Fine-Dining level desserts.

dessert noun
des·​sert | \ di-ˈzərt
Definition of dessert
: a usually sweet course or dish (as of pastry or ice cream) usually served at the end of a meal

The actual word dessert came in use in the 17th. century.  from the French verb "desservir," meaning "to clear the table"
The word "dessert" emerged in the seventeenth century, derived from the French verb "desservir," meaning "to clear the table"
Etiquette service standard dictated that the table will be cleared of all silverware and plates.  Then napkins and tablecloths would be changed before the final course.

Traditional desserts that are served at Diners, cafes, dinner and steakhouses come in a variety and range of dishes.
Being the final course dessert dishes are meant to satisfy any appetite for sweet and/or creamy flavors.

Types of Dessert Dishes
eg.  of  desserts
Cakes
Cupcakes
Brownies
Muffins
Pies
Cheesecakes
Cookies
Truffles sweet
Custards
Ice Cream dishes
Shakes & Floats
In Europe and the UK cheese platters are considered dessert.

European chefs that came to the American West (Reno) in the late 1800s, brought European cuisine desserts to the American West.
American Desserts
1896 Fannie Farmer cookbook has over 50 pages of recipes for cold desserts (custards, puddings, flavored iced and iced creams.)
Menus from the 1940s restaurants in Reno listed pies, cakes, floats and ice cream dishes.

American Desserts that are Traditional
Bananas Foster
Bananas cooked in a warm, buttery rum sauce and served over vanilla ice cream, this dessert originated in New Orleans in the 1950s.
Angel Food Cake
Cloud-like texture of a classic angel food cake, a dessert that dates back to the late 19th century. Serve with fresh strawberries and whipped topping.
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Old Fashioned Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
This iconic fruit-studded cake came out of a 1925 Hawaiian Pineapple Company (now called Dole Company) cooking contest calling for pineapple recipes.

Carrot cake
Chocolate cake
Milkshakes
2018, the US market size for milkshakes was a whopping 238.6 million dollars
According to research group RTA Outdoor Living, strawberry was chosen as the most popular flavor in states including California, Illinois, and Louisiana.Northern climates like Michigan, Maine, and Indiana all chose chocolate.  Other states like Texas and New York said pineapple shakes were the best.  Coming in third place was the Oreo milkshake.

Note: This is a dessert that a large percentage of consumers make themselves.
Current food manufacturer's sell pre- made dough pee- portioned.  Simple place on a baking sheet and bake 10 to 13 minutes.
Making chocolate chip cookies is easy and can be done by inexperienced bakers with positive results.
Commercial high-end bakeries (in Reno and elsewhere) currently sell a $5 plus per cookie chocolate chip cookie.
As an experienced baker and Chef I know what it takes to produce a $5 plus cookie that the public will routinely pay for.
Payren Bakery in Reno, Nevada sells a $5 plus cookie that is definitely worth what you pay for.  The Salted Caramel Chocolate chip cookie is the prime example of a Fine-dining dessert cookie.

Cheesecake
Pie Apple
Brownies
Chocolate Cake

Apple Pie
S'mores
Ice Cream
Cheesecake
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Reno is a city of celebration and special event. Desserts are a celebratory food offering.
Reno has a number of dessert establishments and food service operations unique to Reno, NV.
High Tea Service at a confectioners shop is a unique Reno hospitality food service.
Fine-Dining level baked goods and pastries are available at a number of Casino Resort Hotels in Reno.  The available choices, selection and quality rival any bakery.
The baked goods and pastries are produced by in-house chefs.
Glass display cases featuring a variety of baked goods and pastries are available at the following

pronounced  [krehm broo LAY]
French for "burnt cream"
The dessert consists of portions of cooked custard.
After cooking (in water bath in oven) the custard is chilled until firm and held cold in refrigerator.
The dish must be finished before serving.
This involves applying a layer of sugar (castor sugar best to use) and cooking the sugar layer with a torch (or a broiler, or a salamander, or a hand held iron) until the sugar is caramelized and burnt.  It should be a hard layer of candy.
The creme brulee  (in restaurants) is garnished with berries and or whip cream dollop and or a fruit relish sauce.
Serves elegantly and it is a delightful experience to use your spoon to crack the burnt sugar layer.

American desserts found in Reno Nevada and the USA
Baked Alaska
In America the dessert has been served primarily in restaurants.  The dessert consists of a layer of sponge cake, topped by a layer (thick) of ice cream.
A dense layer of Meringue encases the ice cream.  The cake, ice cream and meringue is baked in a hot oven.  Cooked until exterior is a golden brown.  The layer of Meringue protects the creamy contents.
In spite of having the name of a USA state (Alaska) in it, the dish was not first invented in America.
The dessert dish derived from a French dish named Omelette Norvegienne translates to Omelette Surprise.  Dates back to 1804.
Norvegienne a name given to culinary preparations regarding ice cream.
The term refers to "surprise".  The surprise in the Baked Alaska dish is the custard,pudding ice cream inside of a hot soufffle' or  sponge cake casing.
Recipe for Baked Alaska in the ©1896  Fannie Farmer cookbook.
Baked Alaska
Whites of 6 eggs.   
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 quart brick of ice cream
Thin sheet of sponge cake.
Make Meringue with eggs and sugar.  Over a board with white paper, lay on sponge cake, turn ice cream on cake .  Cover with Meringue, and spread smoothly.
Place on the oven grate and brown quickly in a hot oven.
Boston Cream Pie  - American history states the Chocolate cream pie version that became Boston Cream Pie was created in 1856 for the grand opening of Boston's Parker House.
The pie is so popular with the dining public in Boston it became the state dessert.

Certain desserts have been on restaurant menus for decades.
As an experienced (30 plus years) Fine-dining Chef I have seen the following desserts offered on menus.  They all are strong sellers with appropriate food cost.

pronounced  [krehm broo LAY]
French for "burnt cream"
The dessert consists of portions of cooked custard.
After cooking (in water bath in oven) the custard is chilled until firm and held cold in refrigerator.
The dish must be finished before serving.
This involves applying a layer of sugar (castor sugar best to use) and cooking the sugar layer with a torch (or a broiler, or a salamander, or a hand held iron) until the sugar is caramelized and burnt.  It should be a hard layer of candy.
The creme brulee  (in restaurants) is garnished with berries and or whip cream dollop and or a fruit relish sauce.
Serves elegantly and it is a delightful experience to use your spoon to crack the burnt sugar layer.

Take a Hot Fudge Sundae and insert a fudge brownie as a base.
This elevated Sundae is a money maker when served in a Pub, casual, upscale casual and Fine -Dining restaurants.
The thick fudge brownie base supporting a mound of ice cream  heavily covered and smothered with hot fudge and topped with whipped cream.
A feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
Food costs are great.  Fudge Brownies, ice cream and whipped  cream be made in-house.
Fine -Dining level dessert at a casual dining food costs.

In the Sonoma County wine country almost every Fine-dining dessert menu offered Tiramisu.
Considered a romantic toned dessert dish.  Valentine's Day dinner specials always include the closing dessert course of Tiramisu.  Most popular dessert ordered on a dinner date.
This was discovered after years of working in Fine-dining date level restaurants.  Saw in person how popular Tiramisu is.
Nearly every Italian restaurant offers Tiramisu — an elegant, layered dessert using ladyfingers.  This classic Italian dessert has a custard mixture and is topped with cocoa powder.  Dipping the ladyfingers in espresso instead of coffee makes the Tiramisu more flavorful. The recipe also calls for mascarpone cheese, eggs, and sugar to fill the creamy layers.  An Italian tradition is to order a shot of espresso along with the Tiramisu.

Found in Diners, casual upscale and Fine-dining, the Lemon Meringue Pie is an American favorite.
Lemon meringue pie has a tart citrus flavored filling and whipped cream topping. The pastry crust is flaky and  buttery.
Meringue consists of egg whites, cream of tartar, granulated sugar, and salt.
A proper pie should be properly layered custard and whipped cream.

Mixed berry mousse is ideal for anyone who loves fruit and wants something light and airy. This dessert uses a blend of blackberries, blueberries, and either raspberries or strawberries. No baking is required, and this dessert uses only a few other ingredients.
Add lemon zest, sugar, cream cheese, unflavored gelatin, heavy cream, and a pinch of salt. After eating a gourmet meal, mixed berry mousse is perfect for guests who don't want something heavy.
You can serve this fruity dessert in a small bowl, espresso cup, flute, or martini glass.  Top the aesthetic mousse with whipped cream and a few fresh berries.

Recognized as one of the most creamy lush flavor desserts. Sour cream addition to the traditional cheesecake recipe makes it a New York style cheesecake.
Restaurants will always serve the New York Cheesecake topped with a fruit sauce and or whipped cream and a cherry.
Simple to make and to hold.  Food cost are proper and this dessert feels and eats gourmet.

Desserts are food dishes that can be delicate and or require special handling.  Desserts like cheesecakes, Sundaes, Shakes and ice cream related desserts require special packaging and special handling.
Desserts To - Go Take away versus Desserts for Delivery.  There shouldn't be a difference.  The reality is there is a difference and it was discovered by professional food delivery service drivers.
During  the early days of the COVID pandemic most restaurants closed their dining rooms.  Fast food places with dining rooms closed.To-Go take away and food delivery became the main ways customers were eating out.  Anyone that has patronized a fast food establishment knows how the food items are packaged.  Especially desserts.
Example the Sundae.  A popular dessert found in all levels of American food dining establishments.  Sundaes come in a cup.  Some places serve their Sundaes To-Go  in a cup with an open holed  domed lid.  The staff either hands you the sundae or places the sundae in an open tray.  The same Sundae ordered from the same place but, for delivery was observed as being handled differently.
The Sundae came with a domed lid to encase the contents and completely seal the Sundae.  The domed lid was taped to ensure it stayed sealed in transit.  The sealed Sundae was then placed in a special holder that kept it upright and provided a protective 4 sided barrier.  Then that was placed in its own bag and sealed.  
This practice packaging delivery has been observed by a number of fast food and quick service establishments.  Fast food chains proved that desserts can be properly handled with food quality and food safety in mind and manner.
Unfortunately for the dining public the practice of proper packaging for food quality and safety does not seem to be consistent.  Repeated engagements in the same day with the same food service revealed some interesting realities   The practice of proper sealing and or packaging was not apparent on every delivery order.   Distressing is realizing the ability to provide proper packaging is within the ability of the dining establishment.  Yet, most so not seem to make it a priority practice.
So if you are going to get desserts from a commercial food service operations it would be best to get it delivered.

within the top 10 most popular Desserts enjoyed InHome
Carrot Cake
Milkshakes
S'mores
Cheesecake
Ice cream
Sundaes
Brownies
Chocolate Layer Cake
Cupcakes

Bakery
- a kitchen set up to produce and distribute baked  goods  ( like breads and cakes) and  pastries.
Pastry
- a term for baked goods like Danish pastry or Cream Puffs .
Various unleavened doughs consisting of butter ( or other fat) flour and water.
Types of commonly used pastry:
Puff pastry  (French Choux Pastry)
Pate Bris`ee  (pie pastry)
P`ate Sucr`ee (sweet short pastry)
Patisserie   p`atisserie
pronounced puh-TIHS-uh-ree   pah-tees-REE
French word with three meanings:
Term covering a range of sweet baked goods such as cookies, cakes, cream puffs, eclairs.
The art and craft of making pastries.
A shop food service production kitchen where pastries are produced and served.

Cupcake -  A small  individual cake baked in a cup shaped form pan.  Each cupcake is topped with frosting or icing, candies, sprinkles, fruits and whip creams are also common garnishes for the cupcake.
A cupcake or muffin pan consists of a metal pan with cup shaped forms.  Most pans have 12 cup cake forms to make a dozen at a time.  Paper or foil cups are placed inside each cup form to act as a lining and container for the batter.  The foil or paper acts as a wrapper and serves as a holding area.  The foil or paper cup is discarded before eating the stump.
Cupcake History
The cupcake is an American invention.
1796 cookbook "American Cookery" there is a recipe for a cake baked in a cup.
1896 Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School cookbook list a recipe for Cup Cakes
2/3 cup  of butter  2 cups of sugar
4 eggs     1 cup of milk   3 3/4 cups of flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of mace.
Cream butter and sugar in a bowl.  Add eggs n milk.  Then flour sifted and mixed with baking powder and mace.  Bake in individual tins.  Cover with chocolate frosting.
1919, Hostess manufactured  the first commercial cupcake.  
2000  A cupcake from Magnolia bakery New York is featured in an episode of the HBO series Sex and the City.
This is considered the catalyst for the 21st. Century cupcake craze.
In the following years a number of cupcakeries started popping up in East Coast City locations.
2002
Cupcake dedicated bakeries started appearing in Southern California.
2008 Sift cupcake bakery starts baking in the northern California wine country.
2009 Reno Nevada
Batch Cupcakery opens in Reno

- a dish or delicacy made with sweet ingredients.
A confection is a food is a food dish that has sugar as one of its primary ingredients.
Confection something that is confected put together from several different ingredients.
Confectionery- the basic ingredient for all confectionery is sugar.

High end looking with flavors to match Reno is the home of  chocolate makers and confections creators.

Cookie(s)
Small finger foods sized flour based sweet cake that can be soft to firm to crispy.
Cookie the word derives from the Dutch word
Koekje.  Translates as "little cake".
Historical records reference a reference to a cookie style cake that dates back to 7th. Century Persia.
(Persian culture was one of the first civilizations to cultivate sugar.)

6 are commonly recognized
The types can range in various degrees of firmness and  crispiness to soft chewy to fluffy cake like.
Drop cookie(s)
Named so because of the process of dropping a ball of dough into a cookie sheet pan (a flat sheet with little to no vertical wall.
The famous and most popular (according to Americans) cookie the chocolate chip cookie is a drop cookie.
Bar cookie(s)
The cookie dough is spread onto a sheet pan with a sidewall.  The cookie bakes as one large sheet of cookie.  The sheet is cut into bar shapes.
Mold form cookies
A mold design cookie cutter is used to cut and form the individual cookie.
This involves rolling the cookie dough into a sheet.  Then using the cookie cutter to cut out the cookies.
Press cookies are made using a device that extrudes the cookie dough through a form to shape the dough.  A pastry bag with a tip works.   A device called a cookie press resembles a caulking gun.  A plunger compress and pushes the dough out in whatever shape the tip creates.
Refrigerator cookie(s)
A log of cookie batter is made, wrapped and refrigerated until dough log is firm.
The cookies are cut from the log.

Cookies regularly are reported as one of America's favorite foods and popular dessert.
A vast range and variety of cookies are available at food markets, convenience stores and grocery stores.   As well as large chain grocery stores seem to have in-house bakeries that produce a line of cookie products.  Especially or ornate heavily frosted cookies.  Every holiday compels fancy cookies holiday themed.

Mexican bakery cookie -- An American classic
In Reno there are a number of Mexican bakeries that offer incredible flavored  large portion size cookies  There is even a chocolate chip cookie Mexican style that is worth the journey.
Mexican Bakeries in Reno/Sun Valley/Stead/Sparks

1700s  United States of America  Dutch settlers and immigrants made an oil cake.which was the forerunner of the modern day doughnut.
1803 edition of "The Frugal Housewife" included dough nuts as an American recipe.
1847 an American named Hanson Gregory claimed to have invented the ring shape doughnut with a hole.  The story goes he removed a  portion of  dough from the center before frying.  This ensured that the center of the doughnut would not be raw.  Smithsonian magazine states that the hole was filled with fruits and nuts.
1869 Fannie Farmer cookbook - Recipes for cake, raised and crullers are listed.
1941 Reno, Nevada
Henric's  Doughnuts Shop Formal Opening Special
Hand Made Cake Doughnuts 16¢ Doz
1990s Jelly Donut (formerly Winchell's) opens in Reno, NV
2009 Doughboys Donuts opens in Reno
2015 Dunkin' Donuts open in Reno, NV
2018 Sprinkles Donuts opens in Reno, NV

Doughnuts are small pastries made from leavened dough.  There are two main types of doughnuts.
Raised (dough has yeast and must be proofed before cutting and forming.)
Dough for raised doughnuts is rolled out and  each doughnut is cut with a special design round cutter that cuts the round shape and the hole out of the center.  The rounds created from cutting the holes  are fried seasoned glazed and rolled in various ways and flavors.
Raised dough is also  used to make filled rounds, bars and twists.
The rounds are cut and fried.  After cooled creams and or fruits are inserted into the center of the round.  These rounds are used to make jelly filled doughnuts.
Cake doughnuts are made from a batter.
The batter is extruded with a device (called a hopper) that dispenses the batter and forms it (into a shape) before it drops into hot oil.  The distinct look of the old fashion doughnut is made by the hopper.  Round with a hole, old fashioned style and bars are the most popular cake doughnuts.
French doughnut
French Cruller a doughnut that uses  Choux Pastry (French cuisine recipe) and is formed like a cake doughnut.  Using a device that extrudes and forms the dough into shape before it drops into hot oil.  The Cruller texture is light and fluffy and looks like a  round raised doughnut with an ornate ridged surface that lends to its elegant appearance.
The doughnuts can be served plain.  Or, the doughnuts can be glazed and topped with a range of foods and flavors.

Doughnuts are a food item that is almost exclusively available on a commercial basis.
Rarely do people make doughnuts InHome.
Doughnut production requires specific culinary skills and the proper preparation and Cookery equipment.
Also doughnuts are a perishable food  product.  They are good for a day.  After that food quality is noticeably degraded.  Day old doughnuts are sold at a discount.  Doughnuts are made and sold the same day to ensure freshness and highest food quality.
Doughnuts are available in a number of doughnut shops in Reno.
A doughnut shop is a food service operation that produces and distributes doughnuts.  The operation is set up with the proper equipment necessary for doughnut production.  The kitchen is focused on doughnut production.  There will be food preparation station.  A commercial proofer will be necessary.  Fryer commercial grade for frying doughnuts.  A glazing station will also be set up with equipment for filling and topping the doughnuts.  A stove and oven is also standard equipment.  Some of the doughnut shops in Reno have additional kitchen appliances like a flat top griddle.
The griddle facilitates making breakfast sandwiches.   Doughnuts are a popular American convenience food for breakfast.  Sandwiches are also a popular convenience food dish.  Offering the breakfast sandwich is a great attraction of the doughnut shops of Reno, NV.

Unique Cafe 1940s Reno
Ice Cream or Sherbet  15¢
Pie A  La Model (with ice cream)  20¢
Sundaes   20¢
Strawberry  Chocolate  Pineapple Raspberry

Ice Cream
- is a dessert food dish that is made from milk fat that has been sweetened and flavored.
Ice cream is a very popular dessert in the USA.
Ice cream's history starts a long time ago far away from the American West.
Ice Cream origins in flavoured Snow
History reports Roman emperor Nero  had a hunger for snow flavoured with honey.
Marco Polo reported seeing Chinese men sitting on cushions eating ice flavoured with exotic fruits.

Ice Cream Parlours /Ice Cream Shops

• places that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and/or frozen yogurt to consumers.

Ice Cream Creamery

• A facility dedicated to production and distribution of ice cream and related food items.

Ice cream is made with a combination of milk products  (commonly cream combined with fresh, condensed or dry milk), sweetening agents (like sugar, corn syrup, honey or artificial sweetener) and sometimes solid foods additions such as pieces of chocolate, nuts and fruits.
According to FDA regulations, Ice creams with solid additions  must contain a minimal of 8% milk fat.
Plain ice creams must have 10% milk fat.
French ice cream is made from a cooked egg custard base.  Which makes the ice cream texture lush.
Commercial manufactured ice cream commonly contains additives and stabilizers to improve texture and to help with melt rate.  Many contain artificial colorings and flavors.
Ice creams made with natural flavorings will be labeled as Ice Cream.  eg. Vanilla flavor natural flavorings will be read as "Vanilla Ice Cream".
If the ice cream contains a majority of natural flavorings and a small percent artificial it will read as "Vanilla flavored Ice Cream".
When over 50% of the flavoring is artificial the label will read "Artificial Vanilla Ice Cream".

Commercially manufactured ice creams have an overrun amount.
(Overrun is the amount of air injected into the ice cream to increase volume.pPp0)
Overrun range
Ranges are from ppp0⁰0000⁰
0 (no air) to 200.
200 is the maximum of being all air.
Overrun maximum limit (legally) is 100.
Which would make the ice cream 50% air.
Ice cream needs some amount of air otherwise it would be hard.
100 overrun would be mushy bodied and would melt rapidly.
20 to 50 overrun (10% to 25% air) would make a dense creamier
How to figure out overrun
Overrun is not listed on the commercial ice cream package
Ice cream with 50% overrun (25% air) will weigh out 18 ounces per pint.  Subtract the weight of the container.  Averages about one and a half to two ounces weight of container.
Weight of the ice cream will be proportionally higher with a lower percentage of overrun.

Article by Chefs 10_E  02/13/2023
EatingOutReno.com©2019 to©2024 staff Chefs , decades experienced Food services & Food Safety consultants Hospitality and Culinary professionals
Sources
Dictionary of Gastronomy
Simon &Howe
1870 to 1970
Food Lover's Companion
Herbst 2000
https://www.icecyclecreamery.com
Sources
Accessed
02/12/2024
jellydonutreno.com
https://jellydonutreno.com
Accessed 02/01/2024
Peppermill Reno
https://www.peppermillreno.com ›
Accessed 02/20/1024
Sources
1896 Fannie Farmer cookbook
©1896 by Fannie Merritt Farmer
Simon & Howe ©1870-1970
Dictionary of Gastronomy
Accessed websites   02/17/2024
https://www.britannica.com
Apr 26, 2021  accessed websites
Tasteofhome.com
Accessed
Feb 19, 2023
https://www.omnihotels.com
Accessed Sep. 30,, 2023
https://finance.yahoo.com /www.josefsbakery.com/