My "Sweet" Love Affair with Platine Cookies + GIVEAWAY

Congratulations to Shane for winning this Platine Giveaway!

When it comes to food, I usually lean more towards savory than sweet. Things that taste too sugary to the point that I feel like I'm getting a cavity with every bite do not appeal on any level. When I do indulge in dessert, I like my sweet to be sweet, but not oversweet, which is why Platine Cookies is an awesome bakery that I'm always recommending to friends and family. I first experienced Platine when I had set up a dessert tasting there last year with my dining group. Chef Jamie Cantor graciously welcomed us into her kitchen where we got to sample 11 of her desserts and 1 savory item, her Gruyere Cheese Puffs.

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Before I get talk about the tastings itself, I just wanted to give you some info on Jamie. Jamie grew up in Miami Beach, FL where as a child, she learned a love cooking from her mother and grandmother. Early on, it was clear that her passion and talent was for baking. Armed with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University, Jamie also received an Associates Degree from The Culinary Institute of America in New York. Upon being awarded the 1998 Women Chefs and Restaurants Scholarship, she continued her culinary education at the CIA Greystone Campus in Napa Valley.

Once her studies were complete and she received a a Certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts, she began work at The French Laundry restaurant as Chef de Partie alongside James Beard Award recipient chef Thomas Keller, and Pastry Chef of the Year Award recipient Stephen Durfee. In late 2001 after several years at the French Laundry and a brief sojourn in Dallas, Texas, Jamie decided to follow her sweet tooth and moved to Los Angeles to begin Platine.

Now that we're caught up, let's talk sweets and in fact, let me mention my favorite dessert of our tasting, the Caramel Topped Brownies. If you are a caramel and chocolate lover, one look at the picture below is going to make you go ooooohhhhh! The caramel was thick and the brownie moist. A perfect combo!

My second fav were the Chocolate Gingersnaps made with fresh ginger, extra Brut cocoa and freshly ground spices. What was nice was the ginger didn't over power the chocolate flavor or vice versa. It was a nice balance.

On one tray there was a trio that included Chocolate Baby Cakes, Peanut Butter Chocolate Baby Cakes and her Mini Couture Cookies. I'm not much of a cupcake eater, but I really liked these smaller baby cake bites and the fact that they had a hardened chocolate top made them even more appealing. I should mention that while Jamie can bake any number of different desserts, her specialties are actually cookies. The Mini Couture Cookies can come in any shape, size or color for all kinds of special events plus they taste good. I actually just noticed that one those couture cookies had a "P" on them, probably for Pleasure Palate.

One of the desserts which I thought was unique was her Pineapple Upside Down Cake which had an interesting ingredient, pink peppercorns. The pink peppercorns added a little zest of flavor different from the tart-sweetness of the pineapple and I actually think it helped round out the flavors so that the cake wasn't too sweet.

The rest of our tasting included Carrot Coconut Cakelettes. Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies as well light and airy Gryuere Cheese Puffs.

Just recently, my dining group went back for another tasting event, but unfortunately, I didn't take my own photos. Shame on me! However, I did find some photos online to show you some of my favorites from that event. First up were Jamie's version of Oreo Cookies. The top cookie is her Camee, which is a vanilla cookie with fleur de sel while the bottom cookie is her Platino.

Taken from Muy Yum's Flickr Pool

Next was her Disco Ho-Hos, a gourmet version of the Hostess Ho-Hos that some of us grew up eating. Look at the deep dark chocolate and don't tell me that her version isn't a cut or more above the rest.

Taken from Sweet and Savories Blog

Jamie also introduced us to an item from her Mixology line. It's a line where she's trying to be more experimental with her desserts. That day, we got to sample her Butterscotch Pot de Creme made with Glenlivet Scotch. The alcohol is cooked out, but what's left is the flavor of sweet cream, brown sugar and the Glenlivet Scotch. Other items that were sampled were welcome repeats from before like the Chocolate Gingersnaps and the Caramel Topped Brownies.

Taken from Sweet and Savories Blog

Overall, I just can't say enough good things about Platine. If Platine was located on the Eastside, they would be my one stop shop for all things cookies, cakes and more and if you're living in the Westside, you definitely should check them out. You won't be disappointed.

Coming Soon! Coconut macaroons in March and flourless chocolate babycakes for Passover. Platine will also be offering Rhubarb Tartelettes and what Jamie refers to as the "shortstack" (tiny stack of house made pancakes drenched in Maple OJ emulsion and topped with candied bacon and bacon candy), both in Spring.

Click here to see more pictures of Platine Desserts!

Platine Cookies
10850 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 559-9933


PRIZE GIVEAWAY!
(Open only to US Residents)

Now that you’ve learned more about Platine Cookies and have seen some of their desserts, here's your chance to WIN either a Dessert Tasting for you + 9 of your Friends (only if you're in the LA area or willing to travel to the Bakery itself) OR a Platinum Deluxe Cookie Box (includes 2 dozen cookies and 1/2 dozen brownies) shipped to you anywhere in the US.

There are multiple ways to enter, so check them all out below.

1. Leave a comment and tell me why you'd like to win either the Dessert Tasting or the Platinum Deluxe Cookie Box. (Please leave your email so that I can contact you. Spell it out like abby at pleasurepalate dot com)

2. Follow Platine Cookies on Twitter (if you aren’t already doing so)

3. Fan Platine Cookies on Facebook (if you aren’t already doing so)

4. Tweet: Win a Sweet Prize from @platinecookies via @pleasurepalate: http://bit.ly/dpitnM

You can have up to 4 total entries each; however, please note that you have to comment back and let me know which of the actions you took, so that I can keep track of them. This is especially true for 2 through 4. If you don’t let me know which actions you took, then I won’t count them as entries.

Contest ends Tuesday, March 30 at 11:59 AM, PST and a winner will be randomly chosen from all entries. Open only to US Residents. Good Luck!




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