Desserts at Fenouil
Hood strawberries and pea sorbet
I do not know what to say except this: The desserts at Portland’s Fenouil are works of art, and the pastry chef, Kristen Murray, is a superstar. Seriously, these are not sweets you come across everyday.
cornmeal crepe with local ricotta, dehydrated and fresh Muscats, heather honey, bitter almond
strawberry and Meyer lemon tart with fromage blanc mousse and lemon balm anglaise
Our friends Jay and Akiko invited us to dessert after brunch at Simpatica, and we are so glad we took them up on the offer. Not every dessert was stellar, but the ones that were–namely, the petite scoops of Hood strawberry and pea sorbet, the cornmeal crepe stuffed with ricotta, the black pepper cheesecake, and the rhubarb parfait with pink peppercorn meringue–were some of the best I’ve tasted.
mango tarte tatin with duck fat puff pastry and salted caramel ice-cream
rhubarb vacherin with pink peppercorn meringue, almond bisquit, celery leaf sorbet
black pepper cheesecake with pickled celery, fennel, grapefruit sorbet, and tarragon frappé
Murray’s desserts were so texturally interesting, so ingredient-driven, and so unique (love her use of herbs, celery, and fennel in the cheesecake!) that even the people in our party who don’t normally care for sweets enjoyed themselves immensely. The favorite dessert of the table was the black pepper cheesecake. We all agreed that the rhubarb vacherin or the cornmeal crepe were contenders for second and third place favorites.
close-up of black pepper cheesecake
an alternate view
chocolate “bar” with caramel stick, local cherries, hop-infused macaron, nibs
chocolate soufflé with mint ice-cream
If chocolate is more your speed, I would recommend the chocolate “bar” with caramel stick over the slightly dry soufflé. Though the chocolate bar was rich and delicious, it didn’t blow us away like her sweet/savory fruit-and-vegetable desserts. Still, we gasped when it arrived at the table. It is clearly architecturally stunning.
I haven’t eaten lunch or dinner at Fenouil, but if you have room for dessert, I’d highly recommend stopping in for chef Kristen’s creations. Her desserts were one of the highlights of our Portland trip, and the black pepper cheesecake was one of the tastiest things I’ve eaten in recent memory.
Posted: June 28th, 2010 under Uncategorized.
Comments
Comment from Valentina
Time June 29, 2010 at 6:35 AM
Oh.my.God Lorna! Those look amazing (the photos are beautiful, too). This will be a stop for us next time we go to Portland for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Comment from Lourdes
Time June 29, 2010 at 8:15 AM
Stop… you had me at “duck fat puff pastry”…
Comment from lorna
Time June 29, 2010 at 8:19 AM
Lourdes, we will have to go to Portland someday once you’re off your food plan!
Valentina: I think you would enjoy these sweets very much!
Denise: Thanks. The desserts were so photogenic.
Jay: So glad we took you up. What an experience. For me, the cheesecake at Fenouil, the Shakshuka at Tasty n Sons, and the Hood River pea/ricotta salad from Olympic Provisions, and the wild boar rags from Tanuki were the most memorable things I ate on this trip.
Comment from shauna
Time June 29, 2010 at 8:51 AM
GOOD GOD! I have to shout. Those look so beautiful. Let’s see, I could probably have the pea sorbet and…well, looking is plenty.
How was the puff pastry made with duck fat? I want to know!
Your photos have become utterly gorgeous, my friend.
Comment from Lauren
Time June 29, 2010 at 8:55 AM
Want. All of it.
The photos are stunning and the food looks absolutely heavenly. Mmm 
.
Comment from lorna
Time June 29, 2010 at 9:10 AM
Shauna: The use 75% duck fat and 25% butter in making their housemade puff. It was incredible. So flaky! I bet the same puff pastry would be incredible on a duck confit pot pie.
Lauren: Thank-you!
Comment from matt
Time June 29, 2010 at 9:16 AM
Obviously not being able to taste them, I can only go by looks and your descriptions – so… HOLY COW. These look (and sound) like masterpieces! Certainly going to check out Fenouil next time I am in Portland.
Comment from LunaCafe
Time June 29, 2010 at 5:30 PM
WOW, what a glorious post! I’ll be back in Portland next week, and you know what my first restaurant destination will be. Thanks so much for showcasing this very creative pastry chef’s work. Inspirational!
Comment from Kausambi
Time June 29, 2010 at 9:20 PM
Ooooo made my mouth water.. Especially the chocaholic in me is crying out for the chocolate bar” & “souffle” …
Mmm mm!
Comment from Mary
Time June 30, 2010 at 10:15 AM
Yum. Lorna, I love the idea of putting pepper in desserts. They put it in cookies, why not cheesecake!
Thanks for the inspiration.
Comment from Paula
Time June 30, 2010 at 6:23 PM
Wow those desserts look heavenly. They look more like art than dessert.
Comment from Kristen D. Murray
Time July 7, 2010 at 1:12 PM
How wonderful to see your blog by chance… It was such a treat to have you at Fenouil and with such open bellies….the photo’s are lovely and your description’s make my heart so happy! Lovely when someone get’s what you do as an artist. Thank you again and hope to see you on your next visit to Portland!
Comment from robert reynolds
Time July 7, 2010 at 2:31 PM
no one thinks like you. you lend an extraordinary cachet to fenouil. brava! don’t slow down.
Comment from bette
Time July 7, 2010 at 3:17 PM
Bliss. Heaven on the half shell. You = star.
Comment from lorna
Time July 8, 2010 at 11:19 PM
Kristen: so glad you found this blog! Thank-you for creating such beautiful and delicious desserts. You are such a gift.
Comment from Jay
Time June 29, 2010 at 6:03 AM
Can’t believe you almost passed up the invite! I knew this would be too good for you to miss. I was glad to get a second tasting of the black pepper cheesecake, which rounded out our fabulous lunch there. Looking back, lunch at Fenouil and brunch at Tasty n Sons were a tie for best meals of this past Portland trip. From the succotash of spring vegetables (with duck egg) to the pomme frites to the English pea risotto to the roasted natural chicken (sounds boring, but tastes amazing) and then on to desserts (and, yes, the cheesecake was probably the best thing I’ve eaten all year), Fenouil delivered big-time, and the setting is gorgeous. I’ll get photos of the lunch on my site sometime soon. (I hope!) Glad we were all able to share the dessert tasting experience together…