RICHARD FRISBIE :: The Artistry of Artisanal Desserts

I know, I know . . . what am I

(a guy who doesn't eat dessert)

doing writing about desserts!

Let me explain . . .

    It was the aroma of baking as much as it was the beautiful drawing of a carrot on the chalk board that drew me from the wintery sidewalk up the narrow alley toward the OPEN sign. Once inside it was the warmth and the reminiscent smells of hearth and home that competed to dispel February's chill. I'd entered Hudson Valley Dessert Company the way some people enter a place of worship, filled with awe and reverence. Colorful displays of cookies, fragrant from the oven, overwhelmed the rest of my senses as Connie Bailey,  principle baker and co-owner of Hudson Valley Dessert Company with John Terrell, flashed a wide-eyed smile of hello. I wasn't in a church, this was heaven!



    For almost twenty years Hudson Valley Dessert Company has been baking the "Best Biscotti", according to Hudson Valley Magazine, right here in Saugerties. In fact, most people know them solely for their biscotti, which are available in ten flavors, either as a hard Traditional style or in a softer American style.



    Connie told me that "Both varieties are uncomplicated cookies made with simple ingredients -- unbleached flours, farm-fresh eggs, whole natural almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts. We add a little sugar -- but not too much -- a bit of vanilla, high-quality Dutch-process cocoa, anise seeds or fresh zest of oranges. We never add anything artificial." So, whether you follow the Italian tradition of dipping your hard biscotti in your coffee, or you eat the softer ones like cookies, Hudson Valley Dessert makes an all natural, healthy and low-fat biscotti just for you.

    It would be enough if Hudson Valley Dessert Company only made biscotti, but they do so much more. And, they do it all while attending to dietary and special needs such as allergies and diabetics. First, there are no peanuts in their baked goods. Connie doesn't even allow peanut butter in the employee's lunches. There is such a great possibility of cross contamination, with possibly lethal results, that she said "to allow peanuts in any form is simply unthinkable." Connie also said, "We offer granola to diabetics.  It is all natural.  Full of nuts and seeds. No flour.  It does have maple syrup so diabetics still have to limit the amount they eat."



    If you're on Weight Watchers, the Hudson Valley Dessert Company has biscotti with a One Point value. There are no trans fats in any of their baked goods. Their granola, called the Best Granola when featured on the TV Food Network, is sweetened with the rich flavor of dark maple syrup from a local farmer. Filled with dried fruit and roasted nuts and seeds, it is an energy-rich and satisfyingly sweet snack that can be served as dessert with yogurt, fresh fruit or applesauce. I like to eat it on the trail, right out of the package, or on my oatmeal for breakfast.

    When I asked John how Hudson Valley Dessert Company got on the food network he told me that Paula Deen, a cooking personality from the Food Network called them out of the clear blue a few years ago and asked if she could do a segment in the shop about their granola. He said that Connie said yes, but please come by before we close at five pm. They and all their employees waited until, finally, at 9 pm Paula Dean arrived  to do the show. "She had all her "people" with her, all talking on cell phones at once, but things quickly settled down and they did the show. It still airs on local networks periodically. We know when and where the show runs because we'll get a slew of orders through our website all from just one place like Austin or Kalamazoo. It's been great for our business to be known nationally for having the Best Granola!"

    I think my favorite treat from Hudson Valley Dessert Company is their hazelnut shortbread cookies. How can something so simple be so good? Connie said the "pure ingredients are hand-mixed, hand-rolled and hand-cut for melt in your mouth goodness."  I guess it's that these are cookies as you would make them yourself, or as your mother and grandmother did, before prepackaged, synthetic ingredients and corn syrup ruined the taste buds of a time-strapped generation. They're simply honest-to-goodness cookies!



    The same care and ingredients go into the other cookies, both decorated and undecorated. Two popular flavors are espresso and lemon, both extruded from pastry bags with star tips. They are almost addictive! I have a friend who buys bags of them to give as Christmas presents every year. I'm so glad to be on his gift list!

    So, Hudson Valley Desserts isn't just about Biscotti, and there is so much more than cookies and granola, too. They also make fruit pies and all kinds of cakes. Right now they are mostly special order, but upcoming changes within the business may have Hudson Valley Dessert expanding their dessert lines into more pies, cakes and Danish pastries. More in line with a traditional bakery's offerings. 



    Connie is mum about the expansion and the additional bakery items, but positively chatty when it comes to the ingredients used. "You can say we use seasonal fruits in our pies.  Or try to.  Fruit season is short here except for apples.  So sometimes New Jersey is as close as we can get.  And yes, we do use frozen when we need to." I like the old-fashioned concept of putting food by when it's in season for use the rest of the year. That is the way life used to be. Connie's philosophy? "We cook the way our grandmothers cooked using real food, starting from scratch. Butter, flour, sugar, eggs, lots of nuts and seeds and fruit. We rely on the flavors of real cinnamon, vanilla and fresh zest of lemon and orange, rather than extra sugar, fat and salt."

    Still honoring the age-old tradition of consumer supported agriculture, Hudson Valley Desserts uses the finest ingredients available. "We like fresh, natural and local when we can get it.  We can't afford to buy exclusively organic. Some of what's labeled organic is tired looking factory food that I wouldn't want at any price.  Then again, some non-organic goods are coming from local farms tended by very conscientious people, committed  to their land  and their community."



    There you have it. An award-winning local bakery on the cusp of big things, still making whole foods with real, local ingredients. Hudson Valley Desserts is open every day on Partition Street in Saugerties, behind the Cafe Tomayo building, but they ship their award winning desserts all over the world through their website: www.hudsonvalleydesserts.com

Richard Frisbie, FOOD Correspondent:

RICHARD FRISBIE is published twice a month to Gather Essentials: Food 
It is a food junkie's take on growing, raising, preparing and - above all else - eating food. Together we'll explore the trends, addictions, equipment and regional specialties that make up the sometimes mundane and sometimes sublime cooking and dining experience. You can keep up with my other postings and Gather activity by joining my Gather network -- I look forward to hearing from you.

BIO - Richard Frisbie writes culinary travel articles, is a columnist for his local newspapers, and is a regular contributor to the many Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountain and other regional New York publications. His most recent addition to that list is a wine column called "Fruit of the Vine" for Life in the Finger Lakes magazine. Online, he writes frequent articles for EDGE publications and Travel Lady, as well as Gather.

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