dessert – C'est le Brie

The Best Restaurants in Portland, Oregon – A Foodie Haven

Published on August 9, 2024 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

I just got back from visiting my sister in Portland, Oregon and felt the urge to share some of the lovely meals and desserts we experienced over the course of five days. So here is my list of odd and spectacular foodie places to experience in PDX!

Screen Door – The Mother of All Brunches

Brunching is a huge deal in Portland. There are multiple episodes on Portlandia centered around brunching and the show features some of the best brunch restaurants around, including Screen Door. My sister and I are both avid brunchers always seeking both sweet and savory foods. I feel like it’s way too common that popular places are overrated, and I was nervous that Screen Door would not live up to my expectations. But indeed I was proven wrong and indulged in the most delicious brunch a girl could dream of. There were five of us dining and we all ordered different things which resulted in our table becoming a smorgasbord of an insane amount of food. We ordered basically everything: Eggs Benedict, Chicken and Waffles, Cathead Chicken and Biscuit Sandwich, Praline Bacon, Cheddar Grits, and Bananas Foster French Toast. Also keep in mind that each dish could easily feed three people until they are full. The Chicken and Waffles alone features three steak-sized fried chicken slabs on top of a ginormous waffle. It was glorious. And made us delightfully miserable for the rest of the day.

There was quite a long wait for Screen Door, but it just so happens that right next door is the perfect coffee shop to wander into while trying to waste time and which happens to be our next recommendation.

Kopi Coffee House – Best Coffee House

This is the coffee house every cafe should aspire to be. Its decor and ambiance is asian-inspired and tranquil, it has signature lattes as well as the classics, and features delicious breakfast sandwiches. I got the Crème Brûlée Latte that the barista caramelized with a torch in front of me. Perfection, right? So go and check it out!

Pip’s Original Donuts – The Best Bite-Sized Donuts in the Universe

If you wanna skip the VooDoo Donuts line, and stand in another line, albeit, a much shorter one, check out Pip’s Original. Grab yourself a dozen of Honey, Sea Salt and Nutella doughnuts and a yummy Chai drink before spending your day exploring the city!

Cascade Brewing – The Best Brewery in Portlandia

You have to go to at least one brewery when in Portland, and Cascade Brewing has a diverse beer menu as well as upscale bar food. It also has a great open patio where you can sip on as many beers as you like and just hang out in Portland and eat yummy pretzels.

Yataimura Maru – The Best Asian Cuisine

I don’t think I had ever truly had authentic Japanese food before coming to Maru on Division St. in Portland. The restaurant seems to transport you to Japan and allows you to soak up the culture. It has the most incredible Ramen dishes I have ever tasted and their Teriyaki Chicken is definitely worth a try as well. Definitely make sure to save room for dessert. We ordered the Red Bean Ice Cream and Mochi as well as the Tempura Banana with Vanilla Ice Cream— we may have gone a little bit overboard!

Rimsky-Korsakoffee House – Best Dessert House with a Thrill and a Really Creepy Bathroom

This is one of the most “Portland” places you could possibly go, it’s located on a dark street, in a creepy, creaky old house and serves dessert and coffee late until midnight. My sister hadn’t originally planned to take us here, but we decided to go after spending a long day hiking at Mount Hood and exploring the Timberline Lodge. We were just getting back to the city and the house seems like the set of a scary movie.

It has dark lighting and is decorated with candles and creepy puppets and wallpaper. My sister warned us of the enchanted trickery that the house is famous for, so we kept out eyes and ears open. Our waiter was extremely nice and had an intensely dry sense of humor that matched the spooky vibe of the house perfectly. We ordered a variety of the desserts they offer (the Banana Split was to die for!) and sat back and observed the eclectic frills and mischief.

The most alarming thing I have to admit is the bathroom. It is by far the creepiest room due to the most terrifying man-doll I have ever seen in my life. Even after we covered his face with a napkin, I made my mom wait for me right outside the bathroom door. I was more than certain he was going to start turning his head to stare at me or start whispering in my ear. He didn’t though, thank goodness!

Even More Amazing Places:

Salt & Straw – The Best Ice Cream in the World

Nothing I say about Salt & Straw will actually do this place justice. It is simply magic. And simply the best Ice Cream ever. Make sure to get a waffle cone, sample as many flavors as you desire, buy some merchandise, and enjoy uninterrupted happiness. Seriously, the line is worth the wait and you will not regret coming here!

See See Motorcycles Coffee – Best Merchandise and Portland Vibe

Its a dream coffee shop for motorcycle enthusiasts and has super cute clothes and decadent hot chocolate, I wish I could bring it back to the East Coast with me.

So now I recommend that everyone go to Portland and try these awesome places for yourselves! ❤

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (AKA the best cupcakes you will ever eat)

Published on August 24, 2018August 16, 2022 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

Guys. I made the most delicious cupcakes in the entire world and want everyone to make them and eat them and love them as much as I did.

Last winter, Sprinkles in Washington, DC offered different cereal-based cupcakes and I tried the Cinnamon Toast Crunch one and fell head over heels in love with it. Sadly, these were only weekly specials and were discontinued. So I looked up recipes online for an attempt to recreate the magic of these cupcakes and came upon a recipe that tasted even better. I made these for my boyfriend’s birthday in August and even though he always claims he “isn’t a dessert person” – a phrase that I will simply never understand – he ended up loving them too!

The recipe I used was adapted from here and I followed the recipe very closely. I don’t even mind that they aren’t entirely made from scratch (it requires boxed cake mix), but I’m sure you could improvise if you know a recipe for a standard cake you like to make!

One thing I was surprised about and had never considered was dipping the top of the cupcake (before frosted) into butter then cinnamon sugar. This was seriously a game changer and gives these cupcakes a churro-like taste as well. It can’t be beat!

Ingredients for 24 Cupcakes

1 box, French Vanilla Cake Mix
1 small box (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sour cream
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups powdered sugar
2 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, for garnish

Baking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 and line 24 muffin tins.
In the bowl of your mixer, combine cake mix, pudding mix, milk, vegetable oil, sour cream, eggs, and cinnamon. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and increase mixer speed to high. Beat for 2 minutes.
Stir a few times with a big wooden spoon, then fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 of the way full.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until tops spring back when lightly touched in the center. Remove from oven and let cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. In another bowl, add the 4 tablespoons of melted butter.
Dip the top of a baked cupcake in the melted butter, then dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Set aside remaining cinnamon sugar for topping.
For the icing, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add vanilla and heavy cream, beating on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully add powdered sugar until just barely combined. Increase mixer speed to high and beat for two minutes.
Generously frost cupcakes. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and stick cereal into frosting as you wish.
Keep these cupcakes refrigerated if they are not served immediately.
Enjoy these amazing cereal cupcake creations!

Holiday Caramel Apple Trifle

Published on November 29, 2016March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

Without one tiny, minuscule doubt, if you make this dish for dessert you will be the hit of the party. It’s so easy and so tasty, and will make you want dessert even after you’ve filled yourself up on an overwhelming amount of turkey, ham, rolls, potatoes, etc, etc. I would certainly recommend making this for any holiday occasion, because its fun to make, pretty, and can serve a lot of people.

I found a recipe on Pinterest (here) and improvised by making a yellow cake mix from Fresh Market and also bought the most delectable caramel sauce from Fresh Market as well, which I recommend everyone buy and eat it on pretty much anything and everything. It’s seriously life changing.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
4 cups chopped peeled granny smith apples (about 5 medium)
1 cup chopped walnuts (I also added chopped hazelnuts)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple pie spice, divided
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 jar (12-1/4 ounces) caramel ice cream topping, divided
1 carton (12 ounces) cool whip, thawed, divided
1 box of yellow cake mix baked according to the recipe (or pound cake or angel food cake)
Additional apple pie spice to sprinkle on top!

Directions:

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the apples, walnuts and hazelnuts, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice. Cook and stir for 8-10 minutes or until apples are tender.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1/2 cup caramel topping and 1/2 teaspoon of apple pie spice. Fold in 2 cups of the whipped topping.
In a trifle bowl or glass serving bowl, layer a third of the cake cubes, cream cheese mixture and apple mixture. Repeat layers twice. Garnish with remaining whipped topping and drizzle with remaining caramel topping. Sprinkle with additional apple pie spice if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Yield: 14 servings.

Crema Catalana

Published on August 30, 2016March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

Inspired by the Spain Box from Try the World, I made the Crema Catalana recipe from their online magazine with my own twist to it.

The original recipe is below:

INGREDIENTS

4 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
2½ Tbsp. cornstarch
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp. milk
Grated zest of ½ orange (or in my case honey!)
Pinch of salt
4 Tbsp. P. Listo jam
4 Tbsp. sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl using a hand held mixer, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy, about 5 minutes. In a separate, larger bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons milk until the cornstarch dissolves.

2. In a saucepan, combine the remaining 2 cups milk, orange zest, and salt. Heat over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until small bubbles form along the edge of the saucepan. Once the bubbles appear, lower the heat to keep warm.

3. Add the egg and sugar mixture to the cornstarch mixture and whisk until homogenous. Slowly pour in the warm milk, whisking constantly, until smooth and homogenous, then pour back into the saucepan. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly with a spoon, until it thickens, 10 to 12 minutes. Do not allow to boil.

4. Pour the mixture into 4 ramekins, then cover and chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 3 hours.

6. Remove the ramekins from the fridge and spoon 1 tablespoon of the jam onto each custard. Sprinkle with the sugar, then broil until the tops are caramelized, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Note that instead of using orange zest, I added about a tablespoon of an organic lavender honey that I have newly acquired and which is absolutely delectable.

I had never cooked with ramekins before, so I bought mine from Crate & Barrel (only $2.95 per dish!) on the way home from work one day and am so excited to have them as a new addition to my kitchen!

I’m disappointed because I didn’t have a torch to really get the sugar bubbled and crispy, instead I broiled mine in the oven for a few minutes. They were still sweet and delicious though!

Enjoy ❤

Banana Pudding Pie with Caramel Drizzle

Published on June 6, 2016March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

Happy Monday! The warm June weather and humidity have started to settle in, and I have had the biggest craving for banana pudding. I looked up various Pinterest recipes and found one that I wanted to try! I varied it slightly to cut back on all the Cool Whip and decided to add a homemade caramel sauce to the recipe as well. If you’re craving the sweet comfort of a homemade banana pudding recipe, look no further!

Ingredients:

1 9 pinch pie crust, prepped, baked and cooled (I was lame and just used a store bought graham cracker crust)
2 cup chopped vanilla wafers
2 bananas
1/2 8oz tub Cool Whip
1½ cups of milk
1 5.1oz box instant vanilla pudding
juice from one lemon
Homemade caramel sauce for drizzling (recipe below)
Optional: chopped walnuts for topping

Directions for the Banana Pudding Pie:

Cut the bananas into thin slices and then toss with the lemon juice. The lemon juice will prevent them from turning brown as fast as they normally would.
Whisk together the milk and pudding mix. Mix in the cool whip. Mix in 1 cup of the crushed vanilla wafers and finally the bananas.
Scrape into the cooled crust. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until set.
Top with any additional or leftover Cool Whip as you please. I just spread some around the edging of the pie. Sprinkle with the remaining vanilla wafers and then drizzle with the caramel sauce and if so desired, walnuts.

Directions for Homemade Caramel Sauce (taken from my Caramel Toffee Cheesecake Recipe)

1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup heavy cream

In a medium sauce pan, combine the sugar and syrup. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula. Once it is caramel colored, add the butter and stir until the butter is melted. Add the cream and stir until it’s all combined. Bring it back to the heat if you get clumps and stir it until they’re dissolved. Store in the refrigerator if not using right away. Makes about 3/4 cup.