Campaign to urge rccl for better desserts

[tattoocruise]

Schooner Bar Girl----I am so happy after reading your posting today. Thank you so much! I am thrilled to hear this news that new desserts are on their way to Royal Caribbean ship menu's! YEAH I feel like we all just won a lottery or something! Incredible!

 

That is good news from Schooner Bar Girl and I thank her for the information but it might be wise to withhold our praise until the mass produced versions of these new desserts are fed to the masses. Maybe cautiously optimistic is a more prudent stance at this point?

[ahamill]

We were lucky to have kids at our table on Oasis and one night, several of us adults ordered the "mini brownie madness" from the kids menu which was quite good!

[AlwaysPlanning]

I'm still grieving the loss of the grand marnier souffle! It was my favorite and I think it's gone from the menu...sob...

Judy

 

I'm with you, Judy. I absolutely LOVE their Grand Marnier Souffles! I hinted that fact to my waiter more than once last year on the IOS. The waiter spoke to the Chef who was kind enough to make it for our entire table on the last night of the cruise as a special treat. I'm hoping for the same this year.

 

Debbie

[CincinnatiGal]

I'm with you, Judy. I absolutely LOVE their Grand Marnier Souffles! I hinted that fact to my waiter more than once last year on the IOS. The waiter spoke to the Chef who was kind enough to make it for our entire table on the last night of the cruise as a special treat. I'm hoping for the same this year.

 

Debbie

 

Always Planning...I think there is going to be a run on chef created Grand Marnier Souffles again. I am most certainly asking for this on my cruise this fall! glad to hear that the chef's will work to get this for you!

[copnlpn2]

Schooner Bar Girl - you are always full of great news! When are we gonna sail together again...you are always much more entertaining than the headliners on the ship! Love ya!

[Lorey2007]

I had some desserts recently in the Windjammer on the Adventure that IMO were better than most in the MDR. They were sugar free key lime pie, fruit tarts and something called Japonaise. Does anyone know what the Japonaise is? I had it at lunchtime and was tempted to eat several but resisted.

[CincinnatiGal]

I had some desserts recently in the Windjammer on the Adventure that IMO were better than most in the MDR. They were sugar free key lime pie, fruit tarts and something called Japonaise. Does anyone know what the Japonaise is? I had it at lunchtime and was tempted to eat several but resisted.

 

Basically this is an almond meringue pastry

here is a recipe I found for it and they added cherries most though do not add any kind of fruit.....mainly a dessert with egg whites and superfine sugar

 

Japonaise almond cake with cherry filling recipe

 

Category: Cakes

Yield: 1 cake

 

Japonaise almond cake with cherry filling ingredients:

 

CAKE BASE8Egg whitesPn Salt1 1/2cupSugar3oz.All-purpose flour1oz.Semi-sweet chocolate3tbsp.Grated coconut3oz.ground almondscherry filling2cupHeavy Cream3Eggs yolks1/2cupSugar3pkVanilla sugar, about 5 Tb1Lemon, grated rind only1tbsp.gelatin1/2cupMilk1canSour cherries, pitted3/4cupKirshberry liquergarnish1cupHeavy cream, whipped1cuppecans, choppedchocolate

Japonaise almond cake with cherry filling preparation:

 

 

1. Cake base: preheat oven to 250 c. grate the chocolate.

 

2. Mix the flour, grated chocolate, coconut and ground almonds in a small bowl.

 

3. Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.

 

4. Gradually add the sugar and a pinch of salt, and whip until stiff.

 

5. Fold the dry ingredients into the whipped whites.

 

6. Draw two circles of 26 cm each on parchment paper.

 

7. Divide the mixture between both circles, and flatten with a spatula.

 

8. Bake for only 3 minutes.

 

9. Cool and peel the cake base circles from the parchment paper.

 

10. Cherry filling: heat the milk until lukewarm, and dissolve the gelatine in it. Drain the can of cherries.

 

11. Set a few cherries aside.

 

12. Using a mixer, whip the egg yolks with the sugar, lemon rind and vanilla sugar.

 

13. Add the dissolved gelatine.

 

14. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream.

 

15. Fold the yolks into the whipped cream, then the cherries and the liquer.

 

16. Assembly: put one cake base in a 26 cm springform.

 

17. Sprinkle lightly with cherry liquer.

 

18. Spread half the cherry filling.

 

19. Put the second cake base on the filling, sprinkle with liquer, and spread the remaining filling on it. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

 

20. Presentation: melt some chocolate in a double broiler.

 

21. Coat the saved cherries with melted chocolate.

 

22. Cool. Free the cake from the springform.

 

23. Ice with whipped cream.

 

24. Cover the sides with chopped pecans.

 

25. Garnish with whipped cream flowers and the chocolate covered cherries.

[CincinnatiGal]

anyone hearing anymore news that new desserts might be coming to RCCL cruises???

[Crewzer33]

I would like all of the desserts that are only offered in the specialty restaurants to be offered in the Main Dining Room...

[superoma]

softserv ice cream in the wj would be nice, yogurt is a poor substitution when one wants ice cream..

 

And we appreciate the yogurt because my DH and I are both lactose intolerent. A choice would be nice for people who want ice cream.

 

I agree that desserts are not great, but I haven't really found any line to be great, other than the bread pudding on the Maasdam (HAL). It isn't that they aren't sweet enough, they are. They are just so uninspired and run of the mill.

[CincinnatiGal]

And we appreciate the yogurt because my DH and I are both lactose intolerent. A choice would be nice for people who want ice cream.

 

I agree that desserts are not great, but I haven't really found any line to be great, other than the bread pudding on the Maasdam (HAL). It isn't that they aren't sweet enough, they are. They are just so uninspired and run of the mill.

 

I think more inspiration, better quality ingredients and desserts that Americans like is something that RCCL needs to give serious thought, design and implementation to for their chefs!

[VanessaM]

When I saw this post I had to giggle!

 

We just got off the Freedom of the Seas last week and I think my husband and I only had desert once or twice in the dining room! We actually discovered the pound cake in the coffee shop one after noon and that turned out to be our nightly routine.

[CincinnatiGal]

When I saw this post I had to giggle!

 

We just got off the Freedom of the Seas last week and I think my husband and I only had desert once or twice in the dining room! We actually discovered the pound cake in the coffee shop one after noon and that turned out to be our nightly routine.

 

I am very happy to hear the pound cake was good...where did you get this at the Promenade cafe or at Lattitudes?

[grand isle joe]

....who can make it to dessert?????:confused:

[CincinnatiGal]

....who can make it to dessert?????:confused:

 

 

You are funny....after a day of cocktails by the pool ---I still try to leave room for a dessert! Now I just want RCCL to improve dessert quality! Happy Coco Loco to you Grand Isle Joe!

[Some1]

Just got off the Brilliance. Desserts in the Windjammer didn't have any taste and the icecream in the dining room wasn't very tasty either. We even asked how they made the icecream and they said it was packaged. :confused:

[Yvie]

I agree that desserts in the MDR for the most part don't have good flavor, texture, and a lot have gelatin in them. I rarely eat dessert in the MDR anymore.

 

The desserts in the specialty restaurants and the cupcake cupboard are very good though.

 

An interesting side note: years ago I was given the recipe for the key lime pie, which I have made many times and is very good. The recipe now in the Savor cookbook is different in that a smaller quantity of regular lime juice is used rather than key limes and much less sweetened condensed milk is added. Probably due to cost savings.

 

The chef should pass out comment cards in the dining room so he can decide which desserts to take off the menu and leave the most popular ones on.

[CincinnatiGal]

I agree that desserts in the MDR for the most part don't have good flavor, texture, and a lot have gelatin in them. I rarely eat dessert in the MDR anymore.

 

The desserts in the specialty restaurants and the cupcake cupboard are very good though.

 

An interesting side note: years ago I was given the recipe for the key lime pie, which I have made many times and is very good. The recipe now in the Savor cookbook is different in that a smaller quantity of regular lime juice is used rather than key limes and much less sweetened condensed milk is added. Probably due to cost savings.

 

The chef should pass out comment cards in the dining room so he can decide which desserts to take off the menu and leave the most popular ones on.

 

Great idea! I also would love to see a consumer panel of sort become developed to review menu's and recipes so that consumers traveling with RCCL can have an input to help RCCL management and Dining/Chef leadership start to think about consumers tastes and not the appearance of the product emphasis without tasting their final products! Consumer input is something that RCCL needs to listen too!

[CincinnatiGal]

I sent an email to Fred Weber VP of Dining at Royal Caribbean and I am still waiting for his comments to my desires to see improvements to RCCL dessert offerings. If anyone wants to email him please do at

 

fweber@rccl.com from what I am being told Fred is the executive that oversees all of the dining decisions for Royal Caribbean.

[GRANNYOFSIX]

The key lime pie is just about the only dessert my husband and I enjoy on Royal..............nothing compares to Carnival's warm chocolate melting cake......... but who needs tons of desserts anyway????

[CincinnatiGal]

Finally an answer to my email about dessert quality problems from Fred Weber at RCCL Dining VP see below his response to my email. Thought he would say more but seems like a small response. At least he knows there is a group of people who think desserts need improvement.

 

 

Dear Ms. _________,

 

thank you very much for your comments. The direct feedback from our guests is very valuable. I have shared your comments with my culinary team and our Corporate Pastry Chef. They will in the process of our menu and recipe updates, review any changes that may have been made over the past and how they may have effected the taste or execution.

 

 

Best regards,

 

 

Frank Weber

Vice President, Food & Beverage Operations

Royal Caribbean International

The Nation of WHY NOT!

Office (305) 539-4337

Cell (954) 937-6652

 

Career Opportunities: http://www.royalfoodandbeveragecareers.com

 

http://www.oasisoftheseas.com

 

 

From: To: fweber@rccl.com Date: 04/13/2011 09:25 AM Subject: Comments on Dessert Improvements to RCCL Cruises

 

 

 

 

Dear Mr. Weber, I found your email in a posting on CruiseCritic.com today letting readers of this website find out that you are the Food and Dining VP for Royal Caribbean.

Could you consider better desserts for passengers traveling with Royal Caribbean cruises that actually taste better and are more appealing not just visually that but actually taste better. I appreciate the wonderful services you offer with dining but the desserts in the Windjammer and the Main Dining Room are really not tasting the best like they used to. I have seen so many people ooh and ahh over the pretty desserts and then taste them and leave the rest of the dessert on the plate because it does not taste very good. I would like to see Royal Caribbean take a moment to review desserts quality and ingredients being used. I would like to see if you could consider some kind of consumer taste panel be established occasionally to help your chefs better prepare desserts for your cruisers tastes. After all we are all on vacation when we travel with Royal Caribbean and a good tasting dessert is our treat to ourselves on our vacation! I would love to see the Windjammer and the MDR desserts be good tasting. Right now it seems you have to go to a speciality restaurant to get a good dessert. I would also like to see the pastries for the morning breakfasts reviewed as well. I love cooking and good desserts and I actually am surprised at how the quality of desserts on RCCL has decreased so much of in the last two years. I am traveling this fall again with RCCL and I look forward to seeing what new things you will be offering. Thanks for listening to me!

 

 

[jeh4554]

I agree that the dessert quality has gone down over the years. On our recent cruise, this worked to my advantage as I have been trying to lose some weight. I was rarely tempted by the selection and the few times I did choose a dessert, I was disappointed in the taste.

We did, however, thoroughly enjoy some bread pudding that we got in the Windjammer during the "snack hour" one afternoon and I also enjoyed a chocolate chunk scone in the Cafe Promenade.

The soft-serve "icecream" in the dispensers on the pool deck was nasty. (I was happy for that as this could have been my downfall:p)