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Just Desserts
Pastry chefs at Salamander properties are creating artistic concoctions almost too beautiful to eat.
Sometimes it's worth saving the calories and skipping the dessert. But sometimes it's not. The artful creations from pastry chefs in the Salamander Collection are so beautiful you're going to want to capture it on IG before digging in. Just try taking one bite, we dare you. Here are some of the standouts.
WHERE: PLATO'S: ASPEN MEADOWS RESORT
WHAT: The Bayer, created by Executive Pastry Chef Aleece Alexander
THE CHEF SAYS: "The inspiration is, of course, the beautiful Bauhaus artwork from Herbert Bayer that is on display at Aspen Meadows," says Alexander. "The dessert features a collection of mini gateaux squares and rectangles, layered with mousse, cremeux, gelee and cake, in primary colors on a black cookie. Developed to celebrate a building opening on campus, it was such an instant hit that it's never left the menu since. It even appeared on the cover of Edible Art Magazine.
WHERE PACKARD'S AT INNISBROOK RESORT
WHAT: The Chocolate Dome, created by Chef Brandy Merola
THE CHEF SAYS: "We created this dessert to provide guests with a fun, interactive and tableside experience," says Merola. "It is a chocolate dome filled with Valrhona Manjari Grand Cru 64% mousse, dark chocolate cake and caramelized hazelnuts, melted with fleur de sel caramel."
DESSERTS
WHERE: LA PÂTISSERIE AT HOTEL BENNETT
WHAT: Chocolate Duchess (old name for an eclair), created by Executive Pastry Chef Rémy Fünfrock
THE CHEF SAYS: This classic French dessert is found in every Pâtisserie (pastry shop) and Boulangerie (bakery) across France. The traditional filling is a chocolate pastry cream. I use a much more creamy chocolate filling from a Crème Anglaise poured over pure Caraibe chocolate from Valrhona. After 24 hours of crystallization, the texture of the cream is incomparable. The Duchess is then glazed and garnished with toasted coco nibs.
DESSERT
WHERE: HARRIMANS VIRGINIA
PIEDMONT GRILL, GOLD CUP. MARKET SALAMANDER, AND ONLINE (SHIPPED NATIONWIDE)
WHAT: Salamander Signature Cake created by Executive Pastry Chef Jason Reaves
THE CHEF SAYS: "At Salamander, our signature cake not only tastes amazing; it lets all your guests know that you have amazing taste," says Reaves. "With six alternating layers of luscious dark chocolate devil's food cake, pumpkin chocolate chip cake and cream cheese buttercream, this utterly indulgent treat is finished with candied hazelnut crunch and dark chocolate glaze"
DESSERTS
WHERE: DELMARE AT HALF MOON
WHAT: Soursop Cassata created by Chef Oshane Robinson
THE CHEF SAYS: "This dessert offers a fusion of Italian and Caribbean flavors. The concept was to take the cassata, a traditional Italian dessert, and infuse a Caribbean flavor into it. In this case, we chose soursop as it has a subtle flavor"
DESSERTS
WHERE: HARRIMANS VIRGINIA PIEDMONT GRILL: SALAMANDER MIDDLEBURG
WHAT: Hidden Stone created by Executive Pastry Chef Jason Reaves
THE CHEF SAYS: "This dessert is inspired by my upbringing growing up on Hidden Springs Farm (family farm) which had a running joke that it should have been named Hidden Stone Farm because of how many rocks and stones were encountered when trying to repair fencing," says Reaves. "The idea with this dessert was to hide it in plain sight by making it look like something that it was not. In this case, the stone is actually made from chocolate that is filled with a blueberry olive oil cake, milk chocolate custard, a crunchy chocolate layer, and blueberry compote."
DESSERTS
WHERE: SALAMANDER WASHINGTON DC
WHAT: Chocolate Moist Cake with Cranberry Compote created by Executive Chef Andrew Roche
THE CHEF SAYS: "What is special about the chocolate cake is that it's the only recipe where the ganache gets baked in the oven. To prepare the dish, the cake and the ganache are each baked twice. Each separately first and then together as one. This is a technique that is not used frequently in pastry. It is also gluten free which makes it extra moist and bursting with flavor.
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