Jamie Rhodes - Professional Triathlete

Dessert Heaven

1:46 AM, 8/8/2008 .. 1 comments .. Link

Well i'm sitting here on my bed during what is commonly known as black hour and thought that writing a blog to my most favouritest friends and fans would help to fill in the time. Black hour runs from 6:30 until 7:30, which is the hour before dinnertime here at Les Platanes. During "Black Hour", no food is to be consumed. It's not unlike when you were a child and your mother wouldn't let you eat anything before dinner so that you wouldn't spoil your dinner, but different....

Different how, you ask....?

Well i'm buggered if i know, but that's the rule and we're all sticking to it.

Anyways, back to the point. I've got an hour to kill before dinner and nothing more than a keyboard and two pieces of chewing gum to get me through. So what better way to pass the time than to talk about the one thing that i have black-listed for the next 55 minutes, food..... In particular, desserts.

Here at Les Platanes Hotel & Restaurant dinner is served at promptly 7:30pm every night. We are provided with a buffet meal each night with a variety of combinations dependent on the night of the week. A big favourite for myself and most of the others in Monday night where we are treated to Beef Lasagne and Vegetarian Quiche, easily the two best plates er4ved up all week. Monday is closely followed however by Friday with a spread of vegetarian lasagne and curry chicken. Wednesday is A la Carte night, which is an absolute cracker but cannot be compared to or with any other night of the week. Thursday night's mains are not too great however Thursday is also Crepe night. Crepes are served up after dinner with Nutella and Jam and are a big favourite among the crew.

But on every other night of the week, following dinner we have the choice of dessert from the A la Carte menu. WOW!!!!

It is sometimes so hard to choose between the delectable sweets that are Les Platanes desserts that some nights you just have to go and have a lie down and have a sleep and give dessert a miss all together. But on the nights that you do happen to choose a mouth-watering treat to reward yourself for a hard day's training, you must be careful that your head does not simply explode such is the experience.

Now, you of course have your old favourites on the menu such as your Ice Cream (assorted flavours) of which you can have one, two or three scoops. It must be said however that the Vanilla ice cream in France is absolutely amazing and is made with real vanilla bean, which you can see. A few rungs above the old Peter's original. Other flavours include chocolate, pistachio, strawberry, lemon............ blah, blah, blah.

You then have other oldies but goodies like you Chocolate Mousse (definitely a winner), Tarte de Pomme (apple tart), crepes and a few others. But i have short listed the favourites of the group to give you all an insight into everybody's tastes.

MERIT AWARD

First up in the short-listed desserts for 2008 is the Creme Caramel.

Although not up there with the absolute favourites of the bunch, the Creme Caramel definitely holds it own within the top echelon of after dinner delicacies. Unlike, your packet job from Safeway or Coles the Platanes Creme Caramel is so smooth that it almost slips down your throat without you even getting to taste the amazing flavour that it harnesses. Served upside down on a plate and covered in liquid gold, the Creme Caramel is a sure fire pleaser without being over the top.

Well respected among the group, it has a small group of avid fans which include The bossman Bill Davoren, Tyler B, Johnny P and occasionally the Rhode Train.

HALF COLOURS

There are two Half Colours awards for the short-listed desserts of 2008 and they are:

Tarte de Tarne (Pear Tart)

Served on a base of not crunchy, yet not soggy pastry, and topped with a plethora of lazed pear pieces, the Tarte de Tarne (of which we are not sure of the spelling) is served with a side of Vanilla ice-cream and whipped cream. The mere sight of this dessert has sent some of the female members of the team into hot flushes, and with the right amount of delicate spoonmanship, the Tarte de Tarne can be meticulously dissected until the last enchanting mouthful. With a bevy of followers and a few passionate devotees this dessert is easily one of the most popular and is fully worthy of its half colour status.

Tarte de Tarne enthusiasts include J Hall, Kung Fu, Dan the Man Uden, Neon Leon and occasionally the Rhode Train.

Devotees of the Tarte de Tarne are Niiki Eggballs and Buttons Densham.

Tarte aux Nois

Relatively new to the Triathlon Australia table having just been discovered within the last week or so the Tarte aux Nois has skyrocketed to Half Colour status, and for good reason. The assortment of nuts encased in a butter caramel goo on a bed of crunchy biscuit base is so mouth-watering that the tiny slither often served has caused many a customer being left so utterly satisfied, yet wanting more.

It is not an uncommon sight to see many a good athlete fall from grace and have to be escorted from the dinner table in tears after 3 or 4 servings of what is now recognised as possibly the most popular dessert. And if not the most popular, defintely "flavour of the month".

It took a brave soul to ask the extremely unilingual waiter what other tarts were available on the menu one night last week, and had it not happened then we would all be none the wiser to this entrancing after dinner sensation. Upon the response of the clumsy waiter known simply as "Lurch", nobody really knew what it was, but J Hall was the man to take up the challenge, as his Tarte de Tarne was seemingly not satisfying enough. With Kung Fu soon to follow suit an impartial judgement could be made, not that J Hall is seen as an unworthy judge (as he has most certainly proved himself in the art of after-dinner destruction since arriving to Les Platanes), but rather that having already consumed a Tarte de Tarne it was thought that it would be more decipher the subtle flavours hidden within the unknown tart.

But as was to be expected, the new found dessert came up trumps. And within the ensuing days, like seagulls we all flocked to the "nutty tart" as it developed arguably the biggest following seen on the TA table. As word spread, everybody wanted their piece of the "Nutty Tart".

Obsessive and besotted have become words associated with the Tarte aux Nois disciples. The hall of shame reads as follows:

J Hall, Buttons Densham, The Fu, Sticksy, Tyler B, Luigi, Johnny P, Dan the Man, Matty the psych. And occasionally the Rhode Train.

FULL COLOURS

With Full Colours being the highest award handed out for the short-listed desserts of 2008 it makes sense that as the author of this blog i have the final say. For this reason i have chosen my favourite dessert on the menu, the Creme Brulee.

Having arrived to Les Platanes never tasting such a dessert in my life i was quickly assured that the Creme Brulee was easily the best tasting dessert on the menu, but also the best Creme Brulee in the whole world. A big call i know!

Despite the ranting and raving, i was slow on the uptake and it took me a few nights of settling in before i built up the courage to order the CB. I was like a kid in a candy store waiting for my plate to arrive. The anxiety had filled my body and it all became a little too much when i had to leave the table for a nervous wee. No unlike those prior to a big race. This may have been the best ting to happen to my though, as when i arrive back to my chair..... there it was in all of it's splendour.

My roomate Brendan had developed a close connection to this particular dessert and during long meaningful chats in our bedroom he had described to me the first mouthful to be almost orgasmic. Wary of his comments and not wanting to embarrass i took t the first spoonful very carefully.... slowly letting the flavour release itself into my tastebuds.

It was nothing short of amazing, and i was almost ready to stop there such was my satisfaction. that was until Brendan assured me that the Creme Brulee was sooooo good that you are actually surprised again and again, mouthful after mouthful. From the first to the last. AMAZING!!! The onslaught of flavour never ends until the very last mouthful is finished.

He also believes that it is important to leave sufficient time between each mouthful to fully appreciate the wonder that is taking place between the contents of your spoon and your tastebuds.

In spite of this, diners are advised that the Creme Brulee must be used sparingly as its mystical power is so great that too many will make you very fat.

Nonetheless, as a once a week option, the Creme Brulee cannot be looked past.

It must be noted that the CB is only for the most committed of dessert diners. The following people are uncompromising in their pursuit of pleasure and should be commended for their dedication to the cause.

To the True Connoisseurs

Grug (AKA Luigi), Johnny P, Sticksy, Kung Fu, Tyler B, Neon Leon and more than occasionally the Rhode Train...