We’ve talked about gold being used as a luxurious garnish before. But what recipes are out there? We did some hunting and found these amazing dishes from all around the world that use gold as an ingredient. These first two dishes originated in New York, not too far from our storefront:
Luxury Bagel: Frank Tujague, Executive Chef at New York’s Westin Hotel (which is just half a mile from our Diamond District location), wanted to give back to the culinary community. He did so two-fold by creating a dish the world has never seen and donating the sales. His creation is a whole grain bagel served with white truffle cream cheese and Riesling grape jelly infused with goji berries. Both halves are topped with gold leaves.
While the bagel itself is nothing unique, the magic is all in the toppings. White truffles are the second-most expensive food per-pound in the world (the first is caviar), while Riesling grapes are among the top three grapes in fine wine production. Proceeds from the sale of this ultra-decadent bagel went toward the Les Amis d’Escoffier Scholarship to benefit culinary students. Unfortunately, the bagel was only available for a short time in 2011. There’s been no word yet on its return.
Cost: $1,000
Golden Opulence Sundae: The Serendipity 3 restaurant (another New York favorite, about two miles away from MGS) requires at least 48 hours advance notice to prepare its famous sundae – Golden Opulence. Most of this lead-time is used to import various ingredients, while the rest is used to construct the intricate dessert. Vanilla beans are flown from Tahiti to make the ice cream and Amedei Porcelana chocolate (worth about $90 per pound) is flown in from Italy to make the syrup topping. Other toppings include candied fruits (imported from Paris), gold dragets, gold flakes, truffles, Marzipan Cherries, and Grand Passion Caviar. Intricate floral designs made with sugar paste (which can take 18 hours to design) are placed on top. The whole thing is served in a baccarat crystal goblet (which is yours to keep) with two spoons – one gold, one mother of pearl. The word on the street is that Serendipity 3 sells at least one of these every month.
If you want more bang for your buck, try ordering the Grand Opulence at Serendipity’s Boca Raton, FL location. It comes with 45 more scoops of ice cream for the same price!
Cost: $1,000
