Experiment in the Tropics

Joey, here... Long time, no blog for me, but here I is!!!

Yesterday, I contemplated a bottle of Malibu rum on the cabinet across the room and thought "what a great flavor for a cheesecake!!!" While it didn't turn out as I had hoped, it was far from bad, in fact it was quite delicious!!!

I started with a graham cracker crust with toasted coconut, and added a filling that included, on top of the Malibu, a cup of Coco Lopez cream of coconut.

And that was all it took for the yummies to begin... I'm going to do this one again this week and will post a photo of it to fatten up your eyes... Until you buy one!

More news as events warrant...

Autumn in Vermont...

Isn't that the way the old song goes? Well, speaking of Vermont, we've just created the most amazing Maple Pecan cheesecake (don't you think of Maple syrup on steaming hot pecan pancakes when you think of Vermont?). It was a resounding success at work yesterday, and I heard we'll be getting orders very soon for the holidays.

Keep your fingers crossed, folks - we need to sell enough of these luscious deserts so that I can quit my day job and live in the fashion to which I'd like to become accustomed! (which simply means that we'll be baking and decorating full time, so that everyone who comes in contact with us will have a sugar induced smile on their face!)

For the time being, we are only set up to supply the locals (Manhattan and surrounding boroughs), but for you out-of-town-ers, don't worry - you'll have your day filled with mouth-watering biscotti and more, before you know it!

Want a FREE cheesecake (or 12)?

We're busy guys, and, as artistic as the two of us are, we just haven't had time to come up with a great logo for the company. So we're asking for some help. If you are the creative type (you know, a "right brain" thinker) why not come up with a design to help represent our concept and product? We're looking for something with clean lines, modern and eye-catching, which whets the appetite, is fun, and easy to reproduce on tee-shirts, bakery boxes, labels, neon signs (for our eventual brick and mortar bakery), and which says something about our personalities. Let your imaginations run wild!

All we ask is that you email your design to joeybiscotti@hotmail.com, along with your contact information, (full name, email address, and phone number), and we will review each and every submission with equal enthusiasm. The winner of this contest will get one free 9" cheesecake from the selection on our ever-growing menu per month for a year, starting when we put the design into actual use.

As a disclaimer, we may not use any of the designs submitted. Hey, we are a bit particular, and that's one of the reasons our baked goods taste so darned yummy! But if we DO, the winner will have the satisfaction of knowing that he/she has contributed to a growing entrepreneurship, which has been nurtured with love and good taste. We'll also, of course, give credit whenever possible.

Cheesecakes Galore!!!

Creme de Menthe Cheesecake

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Who knew?

Who knew that mixing Creme de Menthe, cream cheese, and chocolate, would inspire one of the best tasting cheesecakes I've ever had in my mouth? Talk about a palate pleaser! Joey baked a fantastic Creme de Menthe cheese cake last night that caused a few of my co-workers to stand there, mouth a-gape, wondering how they'd lived this long without it.

I think the best compliment we've received lately is from a small handful of friends who admitted that they'd never liked cheesecake until they tried ours (beginning with the outstanding Caramel Apple version of two weeks ago). Now THAT is something to cheer about! As soon as Joey uploads the photos of this lovely green wonder, we'll post them here, to tantalize your taste buds.

Keep your eyes open!

Chocolate Toffee Bread Pudding

Need I say more? It was a huge hit at work yesterday (Steven here, folks)...I'd made it in a pan, but plan to sell it in single sized servings - it is SO delicious. Imagine cubes of rich, dark chocolate cake, soaked in a chocolate pudding mixture and layered with toffee...warm with a dollop of fresh whipped cream is best - but people even raved over it when it was cold fresh out of the fridge!

We have another hit on our hands!

Because of the season...

Joey, here... enjoying our latest yummy, but we have decided to call them Joey Autunnos (instead of IECs, see them naked below), because, although they are traditionally made in Italy for Easter, they are good all year round... And iced as they are in seasonal colors, we thought it would be a better name for them, at least during this time of year... In a couple of months, when winter befalls us, perhaps we shall call them Joey Invernos, and ice them in icy blues and whites, and sprinkle them with silver dragees...

And in other news, today, we began the process of making our own vanilla extract... It should be ready sometime between February and April 2008... If you'd like to know how we did it, email us...

More news as events warrant...

Still naked, but nice...

I just had to post a photo of the un-frosted IEC's (or Italian Easter Cookies)...they may resemble mini bagels or doughnuts (which is what they should look like) but once they're frosted, we'll see if they take on a life of their own.

Happy Easter!(?)

Ok, (Steven here), so it's not Easter, but today I spent a couple hours baking up some Italian Easter cookies...they're currently cooling and waiting to be ice'd later this afternoon. They smell lovely (one batch of almond, one of lemon)and they look so yummy, even naked as they currently are. But I've not tasted one, because, lets face it folks - I've put on a few pounds since all this baking began, and I MUST learn some self-control! (okay - I'll wait 'til they're ice'd and then have just ONE)
I've decided they're too labor intensive to put on our regular menu, but we'd happily make them for special occasions. They are shaped like little doughnuts, and normally frosted with Easter pastels, but I think I'm gonna ice them in Fall colors, since Fall IS supposedly here.

I'll let you know how they turned out!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Yummy!!! oh, and it was... SO yummy... Joey, here... So, I had the cheesecake at work by 1000am and by 1005a, it was... POOF!!! gone... okay, it was more like 1030a... but I was very proud of it... One co-worker came to find me to tell me that she never really liked cheesecake, but this was amazing... She asked me if I did the apples on top, and I told her that it was Steven's handy work... He's quite the enhancer!

Later in the day, another co-worker asked if he could buy one from me for his wife's birthday, so I now have an order for one!!! We are very excited!!!

This weekend, I hope to show Steven how to make biscotti and brownies the joey way...

More news as events warrant...

It's time to vote...

...and I'm not talking presidential elections, here. Each week we post a new poll on the left hand side of this page, asking our friends and patrons their opinions on desserts and baked goods. You may not have noticed it because you were too busy drooling over the descriptions of our yummies (not to mention the photographs!). So please take a moment to check this weeks poll, choose the answer(s) that best describe your tastes, and then make sure to check back weekly to participate in each poll. These surveys are so important in helping us to better serve you, our best customers, and we greatly appreciate your participation. And continue to comment on our blog posts - we love your thoughts and suggestions.

Thanks, from the bottom of our fuzzy little hearts.

Steven and Joey Biscotti!

Success just feels good!

Ok, Steven here again (Joe's been too busy baking to post the past few days). He made a really tremendous Caramel Apple Cheesecake this week that blew the socks off of my fellow workers (who we must stop referring to as sharks in a feeding frenzy - I think someone got offended!). I tell ya, this cake didn't last more than 5 minutes in our breakroom at work. One co-worker came up to me later in the day and threw her arms around me (fringe benefits!) and said she simply HAD to hug me, because it was the best of all the sweets we've brought in so far. Needless to say - this one is going on the menu, folks!
Joe is on his way home to make another one to share with HIS co-workers this week - aren't they lucky?
You can be, too, if you order yours now....

Deliciously brief...

Yes, folks - that malted Matinee cake was a huge success (was there ever any question, I ask you?LOL!) Joey said I should post about the crostata - we've been making them for our home for several months now - but I decided to create some mini sized crostata for possible sales, and they turned out really well. With each creation I learn a lesson - this time, I learned that I have to let the chilled pastry dough warm up a bit before rolling it out, because it was still a bit thick for my liking, but did taste really great, and the mini sizes (about 4 inches across) will make a perfect single serving. They're chock full of apples (this time: granny smith and braeburn), raisins, dried cranberries, and a few secret ingredients, and the texture is just right. You'll love 'em!