The World’s Most Expensive Desserts
December 13, 2009Looking to make an impression this holiday season? Indulge your sweet tooth and wallet with these one of a kind tasty treats.
1. Strawberries Arnaud
These elegantly sparkling strawberries can be very tempting, but you definitely need to watch out for the $1.4 million price tag. Featuring six port-marinated strawberries garnished with mint, cream and a five-carat pink diamond ring that was once owned by the British financier Sir Ernest Cassel, this comes from the 90-year-old Arnaud’s New Orleans restaurant. The dessert is available by special request, and is accompanied by a jazz band in one of the restaurant’s private dining rooms, or on the balcony overlooking Bourbon Street.
2. The Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence
Priced at $14,500, the desert comes with an 80-carat aquamarine gem nestled on a handmade chocolate stilt fisherman, a centuries-old fishing technique that is part of the resort’s logo (Fortress Sri Lanka Resort). To complete the presentation, it comes with handmade glass utensils. Since its debut a year ago, none have been sold.
3. Macarons Haute Couture
Famous for his macaroons, the world-renowned chef Pierre Hermé includes ingredients like fleur de sel and balsamic vinegar, in addition to the usual chocolate ganache in the recipe. Customers can create their own macaroon recipe that’s then made to order and personalized for the diner. Priced at $7,414+, the cost does not include any of the macaroons themselves, but simply the cost of “fittings” and the final price is determined by the quantity ordered and the scarcity of the ingredients.
4. The Sultan’s Golden Cake
Priced at $1,000, it takes 72 hours to make this edible brick of gold, available by special request for weddings or parties. Spiked with apricots, pears, quince and figs that have been marinating in Jamaican rum for two years, and flavored with shaved caramelized black truffles, this 24-carat gold leaf-covered cake is presented in a sterling silver handcrafted cake box with a golden seal.
5. Chocolate Variation
Priced at $640, the dessert is served at the Lebua Hotel at State Tower. At this Italian eatery, dessert is a smorgasbord of tastes: a dollop of champagne sherbet made from Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2000, gold-flecked edible leaves, a shot glass of crème brûlée with shaved Perigord truffles, strawberry chocolate mousse and a sliver of chocolate cake. It’s all washed down with a glass of very rare — and very expensive — Moyet Tres Vieille Grande Champagne No. 7.
6. The Madeleine Truffle
Priced at $250 per truffle, these are made of Valrhona chocolate and fresh cream and infused for 24 hours with vanilla pods and pure truffle oil, and then dipped in Valrhona and rolled in cocoa powder. “The ganache must be whipped repeatedly to make it as soft and silky as possible, to go into the chiller before it is further worked upon.” The product of a long and painstaking process, these truffles are only made to order and presented in a silver box with a personal note from chocolatiere Fritz Knipschildt.
7. King-size Imperial Torte
The torte at the Hotel Vienna is believed to be first created in honor of Emperor Franz Josef I to coincide with the hotel’s opening in 1873. Priced at $30, King-size Imperial Torte is made with almond, marzipan and cocoa crème under a milk-chocolate glaze, before this handmade cake is presented in a fanciful wooden box and shipped to Ottoman lovers all over the world.
8. Gold Leaf Laced Semifreddo
At the $50 mark, Gold Leaf Laced Semifreddo heats up the competition among the world’s finest desserts. The Peacock Alley’s semifreddo is traditionally served at special private parties at the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant. This chilled mousse on a crushed biscuit base is accented with golf leaf, Louis XVI-soaked prunes and vanilla-truffle foam. Owing to its popularity, the restaurant has recently added it to their regular menu.
9. Valrhona Chocolate Sphere
Priced at $48, warm chocolate sauce is poured over a very thin chocolate shell, causing the sphere to implode, revealing treats such as lemon tart with clotted cream and passion fruit soufflé with mango.
10. Chocolate Purse
Priced at $43.50, the Chocolate Purse is served at the Hotel Le Bristol in Paris. Laurent Jeannin, pastry chef at the hotel’s two Michelin-starred gastronomic restaurant, created this delicate satchel-shaped chocolate shell that holds a serving of mint cream drizzled with raspberry sauce.
Source: Forbes
