Favorite HAL Deserts?

[sail7seas]

Still appears occasionally, best dessert offered IMHO. Rich dark chocolate shell with coffee ice cream inside. If you like it tell your waiter! My last cruise on NA my waiter got it for me several nights in a row, sometimes two:D

 

 

 

I'll have to remember to ask.

Thanks for mentioning it. :)

 

[fishywood]

On Maasdam last month, the dessert I enjoyed the most was the Mascarpone/Panna Cotta from lunch at Pinnacle Grill. (Can't remember exactly what it was called, just that it was delicious Italian cheese). In the dining room the best dessert I had (other than the anniversary and birthday cakes courtesy of my celebrant tablemates) was the Mango-Blueberry Crumble. Nothing else seemed memorable--except for the Balsamic Strawberries with White Chocolate Mousse and the Poached Pear with Chocolate Fondue sharing the trait of somehow being nearly flavorless yet sickeningly sweet at the same time.

 

I do enjoy a good Pudding, but I must pass on judging the ones served in the Lido as I failed to catch one when freshly stocked; once on the serving line neither the pudding nor the sauce was kept adequately warm. And the waffle cones vanished from the ice cream counter halfway through the voyage.

Edited November 10, 2013 by fishywood

[kakalina]

On the second formal night in the MDR on the Westerdam they had a chocolate tartlet with ganache that was to die for. So smooth and rich! Yummy! Other than that, I was pretty disappointed with desserts on the ship. They were pretty bland and the cakes had a weird soggy consistency

 

 

That was amazing. It turned into one of my favorite desserts on HAL. The Grand Marnier soufflé and the Volcano cake if it is done right are high on my list. :D

[sevenseasnomad]

This isn't a dessert but it seems like one when you taste it. I love the creamy fruit soups that HAL serves. I can't actually remember a single specific dessert from any of my meals in the main dining room but I distinctly remember the sweet, creamy goodness of the blueberry soup one night and the mango soup another night.

 

Goodness, why did I begin reading this thread on an empty stomach!? Oh, yes, those fruit soups. D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s.

 

Love the three creme burlee flavors and presentation in the Pinnacle Grill. Guess it's my favorite, but actually ANYTHING with chocolate wins.

[cruz chic]

On Maasdam last month, the dessert I enjoyed the most was the Mascarpone/Panna Cotta from lunch at Pinnacle Grill. (Can't remember exactly what it was called, just that it was delicious Italian cheese). In the dining room the best dessert I had (other than the anniversary and birthday cakes courtesy of my celebrant tablemates) was the Mango-Blueberry Crumble. Nothing else seemed memorable--except for the Balsamic Strawberries with White Chocolate Mousse and the Poached Pear with Chocolate Fondue sharing the trait of somehow being nearly flavorless yet sickeningly sweet at the same time.

 

I do enjoy a good Pudding, but I must pass on judging the ones served in the Lido as I failed to catch one when freshly stocked; once on the serving line neither the pudding nor the sauce was kept adequately warm. And the waffle cones vanished from the ice cream counter halfway through the voyage.

 

I find that the fruit crisps are generally the best picks for desserts.

[Jenncruiser]

This isn't a dessert but it seems like one when you taste it. I love the creamy fruit soups that HAL serves. I can't actually remember a single specific dessert from any of my meals in the main dining room but I distinctly remember the sweet, creamy goodness of the blueberry soup one night and the mango soup another night.

 

I agree! I love these fruity soups but the rest of my family finds the idea of them kind of gross. I always get them every night when they're offered (which seems to be most nights).

 

I don't remember any particular desserts but I've enjoyed most of the ones I tried.

[lizinindy]

Agree---definitely the fruit crumble of the day with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

[FRANKIEDNYC]

:) I really love the pecan pie as well as the fruit crisps

[Darrell6t]

One of my favorites is the watermelon pie, which I have only seen on the menu for New England/Canada cruises. It is chocolate and a couple of sherbets made to look like a watermelon, sort of. Unusual and delicious.

 

I think the desserts are one place where HAL is not consistent. Some cruises they will be excellent. On other cruises, not so good. Sometimes bland and tasteless, as others mentioned. We were on a European cruise on the Prinsedem where some things were great. And some, especially in the Lido, were horrible.

[RedmondCruiser]

Cappuccino Bombe - set in a rasberry puree. Maybe it could be reserected as a Pinnacle desert ? It was our all time favorite but have not seen it for years.

[BellBoys]

We also find the desserts very bland, in the MDR we discovered the best option was usually the fruit crisp of the day. It was fresh and the flavor delivered more of a punch than any other we had in the MDR. The creme brulee at the Pinnacle is excellent as is the Cherry Garcia Baked Alaska.

[born2travel]

Key Lime Pie! Sadly, only found once. Maybe this was for the best, as I would have happily skipped the entrees every night in favor of this pie.

 

It sounds like there have BEEN a lot of good desserts in days of yore - LOL. Last week, the Westerdam utterly failed to impress us in the food category, aside from the omelet station. Desserts generally reminded us of the sad little squares of tasteless substances seen in dept store cafeterias when we were young. Despite the dessert selections' lack of visual appeal, I did my share of tasting. Usually a taste was enough. Ice cream was our fall-back plan, but even that could be iffy, as the alternative to cones were piping hot bowls...

 

We attended 2 teas, the first was pleasant, not exciting or rave-worthy, but OK. The second was the Cupcake Tea. Thank heavens for the sandwiches. Cupcakes came in 2 flavors - dry white, and dry dark. I won't say chocolate, as there was no detectable chocolate flavor. They were "enticingly" decorated with small, uniform swirls of garishly colored buttercream. A much more appealing selection can be found in most Publix bakery counters.

[luv2travel06]

Appears I may be in minority here. First thing I pick up on embarkation day is dessert and I have had as many as four for dinner after grabbing a couple from the Lido during the afternoon because I just can't decide. Key lime pie, anything with mango, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, chocolate....so many choices! Sorbet. Ice cream.... The list go on!

[Lucy's Light]

I'm excited and trying not to get my hopes up all at the same time! The fruit soups sound like winners and I'll have to suffer through trying the rest myself!

[metairiegal]

I need pictures, please! :D

[metairiegal]

There is one area that Holland America beats all the other cruise lines at, and it isn't even close....

 

a (at no additional charge) hand packed ice cream waffle cones!!!

 

Winner! :)

[comfortcove]

Yes, i will do due diligence, after extensive sampling and research will let you all know my humble opinion! Fruit crisps with a little ice cream sound mighty good.....

[cruz chic]

Yes, i will do due diligence, after extensive sampling and research will let you all know my humble opinion! Fruit crisps with a little ice cream sound mighty good.....

 

Ya gotta take one for the team no matter how painful:D;).

Edited November 15, 2013 by lorekauf

[Vict0riann]

I need pictures, please! :D

 

If you can find Lovely_Serenity's thread about her trip to Alaska you'll see lots of pictures of food. Maybe someone will know how to post the title. It's an edible thread!

[take us away]

My favorite is the flourless chocolate cake with fresh raspberries.

 

Just ask the maître de (or your wait staff) for the cappuccino bombe and the next day it may appear at your plate.

 

Darn - now it is even more difficult to wait until early Jan for our next cruise.....

[take us away]

That was amazing. It turned into one of my favorite desserts on HAL. The Grand Marnier soufflé and the Volcano cake if it is done right are high on my list. :D

 

You must be lucky as we have given up on the volcano cakes in the Pinnacle as ours are always extinct with no lava flow. So sad!

[metairiegal]

If you can find Lovely_Serenity's thread about her trip to Alaska you'll see lots of pictures of food. Maybe someone will know how to post the title. It's an edible thread!

 

Thanks!

 

ETA: I think I found it. Off to check out the pics:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1841439

Edited November 15, 2013 by metairiegal
added link

[Linda&Vern]

This isn't a dessert but it seems like one when you taste it. I love the creamy fruit soups that HAL serves. I can't actually remember a single specific dessert from any of my meals in the main dining room but I distinctly remember the sweet, creamy goodness of the blueberry soup one night and the mango soup another night.

I haven't had a "really good" dessert on HAL since the DRM stopped flaming those goodies in the front of the Dining Room. Personally I haven't seen a chocolate purse for years either.

But I loved your post about the fruit soups. It brought a smile to my face remembering the cruise we took my DM on for Christmas. Each night DH and I would say "Mom, you have to try the cold soups. They are delicious!" And each night she would say "no thank you, I prefer my soup hot." Sadly we don't think she ever understood what the cold soups were.

[Typhoon1]

Chocolate avalanche cake runs a close second to Cappuccino Bombe.

[peaches from georgia]

Chocolate avalanche cake runs a close second to Cappuccino Bombe.

Do you mean the Chocolate Volcano dessert? :confused: