SF Chefs Sugar Party Inspires

The SF Chefs Sugar Party featured renowned and award-winning pastry chefs from some of the most famous San Francisco restaurants. If you attended, you would have tasted the best-of-the-best and most creative desserts being made today, and met these hardworking chefs literally making the desserts and putting on the finishing touches right in front of your eyes!
Many of my Gratitude Gourmet readers are vegetarian or eat some vegetarian, and I'm including many of the Restaurants and Pastry Dishes featured at the event below. Also, a friend of mine during the event asked me how one can veganize desserts. Check out the delicious Details/Answers below.

While at the SF Chefs' Sugar Party Saturday, August 14, 2010 at the Westin St. Francis, a friend of mine, who knows that I'm very familiar with vegan food, asked how one can make desserts vegan. My real introduction to vegan desserts and foods started with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, cookbook author and speaker. The common substitutions include: ground flaxseed and water instead of egg, and almond and soymilk instead of regular milk. For practical ideas on vegan substitutions, check out Colleen's Food Inc Recipes which include Blueberry Cobbler, Decadent Chocolate Cake, Fresh Strawberry Pie with Chocolate Chunks etc. Are you hungry now?

Some of the SF Chefs Sugar Party Restaurants, Chefs and Desserts featured the following. May you be inspired to try these or try your hand at your own culinary creativity :-) and let me know the results! I'm currently experimenting with a vegan strawberry cheesecake.

1) Tell Tale Preserve Company & Humphry Slocombe Collective
- Ice cream bon bon, raspberry-sweet corn ice cream sandwich 
- Imperial stout float roasted white chocolate 

2) Absinthe- Luis Villavelazquez- Partnered with Smitten Ice Cream- Robyn Goldman
- Cantalope, Lavender and Lemon

3) Anchor & Hope- Christine Law
- Blue Bottle Coffee Milkshake with Maple Whoopee Pie

4) Orson- Elizabeth Falkner- Partnered with Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous
- Grilled sour dough ice cream sundaes with concord grape syrup, salted brazil nuts and spanish peanuts and chantilley

5) Westin St. Francis- Jean-Francois Houdre
- Peach Assemblage
Slow Roasted Peach Puree
Poached Peach in Anis Syrup
Thyme Financier
House-made Crème Fraiche Ice cream
Thyme meringue sticks

6) Michael Mina- Catherine Schimenti
- Smoked Vanilla Bean Parfait, with cashew butter, fudge and marshmallow

7) Farallon- Emily Luchetti
- Peach Split with Creme Fraiche Ice Cream, Butterscotch Sauce and Raspberries- Partnered with Bi-Rite Creamery

8) Nick Flores of RN74
- "Blackberry-Coconut Verrine" Blackberry Creme, Kaffir Lime Panna Cotta, Coconut Sorbet as well as Assorted Macaroons & Chocolates