Mmmmmm, if you are anything like us you have been buying as many boxes of Girl Scout Cookies as you can get your hands on. Trefoils, Samoas, Do-Si-Dos, Thin Mints, Tagalongs…those little cookies sure do go fast. Who are we kidding, the entire box goes fast! For the Girl Scout Cookie connoisseur, we suggest visiting one (or all) of the SoDel Concepts restaurants between now and March 26 to get your hands on their Girl Scout Cookie-inspired desserts. That’s right, we said Girl Scout Cookie desserts…
“We buy a ton of Girl Scout cookies from local troops then the chefs come up with a recipe for each restaurant,” said Scott Kammerer, president and CEO of SoDel Concepts, which also owns and operates Plate Catering and the food truck Big Thunder Roadside Kitchen. “It’s a great way to creatively connect with and support an important organization on a local level.” Eight of the SoDel Concepts restaurants will be participating, making inventive specialty desserts to pay homage to Girl Scout Cookie Month. Each restaurant is assigned a cookie and tasked with either using the cookie in their dessert or creating a dessert inspired by the cookie. This is the fourth year that SoDel Concepts has challenged its chefs to create cookie-inspired recipes. Doug Ruley, corporate chef for SoDel Concepts, said the chefs are up to the challenge when it comes to making spectacular desserts. “At the end of the 30 days, we have a Girl Scout Cookie throwdown at NorthEast Seafood Kitchen, where the judges pick their favorite, and we crown a champion.”
This year’s desserts will be available until March 26 and include the following restaurants:
Fish On, Lewes: Date and chocolate bar made with Terfoils and served with Hopkins caramel crunch ice cream
Papa Grande’s, Rehoboth: Do-si-sos/peanut butter churros with chocolate sauce
Lupo Italian Kitchen, Rehoboth: Samoas-buttercream layer cake with mascarpone, chocolate ganache and caramel
Matt’s Fish Camp, Bethany Beach: Savannah Smiles lemon tartlet
Bluecoast, Bethany Beach: Raisin oatmeal cake with homemade vanilla yogurt
NorthEast Seafood Kitchen, Ocean View: Tagalongs peanut butter cheesecake with warm dark chocolate sauce
Papa Grande’s, Fenwick: RumChata spiked Mexican peanut butter mousse, made with Do-si-dos
Catch 54, Fenwick: New York-style cheesecake with Thin Mint crust and Thin Mint filling
A portion of all the dessert sales will benefit the Girl Scouts of America.
According to NorthEast Seafood Kitchen Manager Kris Medford, the winning chef/restaurant will receive the Matt Haley Girl Scout Cookie Cup, which is named after the founder of SoDel Concepts. Six judges will weigh in, including The Rehoboth Foodie, Bull Dog from Ocean 98, and the oldest living Girl Scout (who just so happens to reside in Berlin!). Last year’s winning recipe was created by Chef Alex Martinez (pictured below) of NorthEast Seafood Kitchen. His winning dessert was a lemon ice cream pie made with Savannah Smiles cookies. This year’s winner will be selected on Thursday, March 24 at NorthEast Seafood Kitchen. The public is invited to join and sample the submissions. Martinez was also the runner-up in the 2014 competition, said Medford, adding “we’re definitely trying to keep the trophy here with us this year.” And since they are reigning champs, the competition will take place at NorthEast Seafood Kitchen. The judging is Thursday, March 24; stay tuned for photos of this year’s winner!
Photo 1: Alex Martinez of NorthEast Seafood Kitchen last year won the Matt Haley Girl Scout Cookie Cup for his Savannah Smiles lemon ice cream pie. This year, the restaurant is serving a peanut butter cheesecake made with Tagalongs. All eight SoDel Concepts restaurants are creating distinctive desserts made with Girl Scout Cookies. Photo credit: Pamela Aquilani
Photo 2: As part of Girl Scout Cookie Month, Catch 54 in Fenwick Island is serving a New York-style cheesecake with a Thin Mint cookie-crumble crust. Thin mint pieces are baked into the cheesecake, which is topped with house-made whipped cream, a cookie and fresh mint. A portion of all slices sold benefit the Girl Scouts of America.
Photo 3: SoDel Concepts’ eight restaurants are serving Girl Scout Cookie-inspired desserts during February and into March. Lupo Italian Kitchen, for instance, is offering a layer cake with buttercream icing, made with Samoas, mascarpone, chocolate ganache, coconut and caramel.
