By Steve Jansen
Don’t let the two forks fool you. I ate most of these myself.
I consider myself a pretty healthy eater. Fresh fruits and vegetables, non-packaged goods, and organic when possible. Plus, I always carry around a container of purified water with me to stay hydrated (rarely do I indulge in a soda or sugary energy drink).
But when it comes to desserts, you can forget any semblance of health consciousness. A jumbo piece of chocolate cake? So what. Tiramisu? I’ll have seconds, please. Two bowls of the milkiest ice cream? Gimme three bowls. (Maybe I’m in major denial about my so-called healthy diet, but I don’t care. I just love sweets too much.)
I blame my love for sweet treats on my mother because, in my opinion, she makes the best desserts on the planet. Most Sundays, I drive out to east Mesa where my parents live, lay in my own filth on the couch, and scarf down slices of oven baked pies, Toll House cookies, and fluffy ice cream churned out from a homemade ice cream maker.
For my first installment of SHWEET!, I hit up the Dutch Poffertjes House at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market. It seemed like the perfect starting block since I lived in small-town Holland for part of a summer and got to know the culture – including the cuisine – from the inside.
As you can see, the Dutch Poffertjes House is a mobile pastry/drink station that serves up all sorts of goodies, such as mochas, chai tea, and latte frappes by Mokarabia, a Verrado-located coffee bar that was conceptualized in Italy.
The menu’s food staple is a plate of ten poffertjes for $5. The puffy powdered sugared pancakes are bite-size and soaked in butter. On their own, these puppies are rich and gooey. But add your choice of strawberry, chocolate, caramel, maple, or white chocolate syrup (or all five, if you fancy) and the goodness really soaks into every taste bud. I totally loved ‘em.
The Downtown Phoenix Market, 721 North Central Avenue, is currently open from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays. For more information about the Dutch Poffertjes House, email [email protected].
