Affection for Confection

Scott Hardie | December 28, 2013
After seeing cookie dough candy recently, I was struck by an intense desire for a pancake candy: Soft, fluffy, nickel-sized discs of pancake-like fluff, imbued with a buttery maple-syrup flavor. I'm sure there's room on the market for this product, and for an alternate version with blueberry flavor. Can you think of any other tempting flavors of candy that you'd like to try?

Denise Sawicki | January 8, 2014
I do enjoy desserts that taste like other desserts, for instance birthday cake ice cream and graham cracker ice cream. It's not always done right but it is fun when the ice cream actually tastes like baked goods without having actual noticeable chunks of baked goods in it. So your idea sounds quite nice. A pancake ice cream would be nice, or birthday cake candy...

Scott Hardie | January 9, 2014
One of our favorite restaurants in Sarasota just closed, but we used to go there for good burgers and mix-n-match milkshakes. They didn't use chunks either; they really blended together whatever flavors you requested into a creamy goo. And every combination that I tried was delicious. I like places where I can experiment, knowing that I'll return.

Tangent: Up in the Tampa area, there are two Mongolian grill restaurants, the kind where you collect uncooked meat and veggies and sauce from the buffet line and hand it to a grill chef. One of the restaurants gives you a single big bowl. The other gives you a series of small bowls. I always prefer to eat at the latter, because I don't feel the pressure to make a single perfect bowl to make the most of my visit; instead I feel freedom to experiment. Sure, I'll try some Italian sausage with sweet & sour sauce, or pork lo mein with barbecue sauce, why not.

Hmm, now I want some confections based on Chinese food. Sweet & sour gumdrops? Pecans glazed with hoisin sauce? I'd try that.

I just Googled "dessert sushi" and of course, Pinterest has me covered.