Dessert First

The Sweet Side of New York

I've been trying to pull together a report on New York City all week, and finally came to the conclusion that I'd have to split in two -there's just too much to talk about!

Here, then, the first part: a report of all the sweet spots I visited during my time in the city. I mentioned in an earlier post that this trip pushed my sugar-ingesting capabilities to the limit - it's hard to rein in indulgence in a place where temptations are not only omnipresent but of the quality and caliber that earns them the label, "Only in New York." When there are so many wonderful places to try and desserts to taste, made by some of the most talented people in the industry, restraint and prudence and skinny jeans all get pushed to the side.

I made it through four consecutive nights of multi-course dessert tastings, experiencing the dazzling spectrum of pastry in New York, from classic French to globally inspired to avant-garde. I also visited enough bakeries, chocolate shops, and candy stores during the day to fill one of my suitcases for the trip home. Although I came perilously close to sugar shock, my only real regret is that I couldn't stay longer to try all the other places I missed out on!

As a note, for all the restaurants below, I did not have a full dinner at any other them, choosing to focus my attention (and appetite) on the desserts. I also, unfortunately, don't have many pictures of the desserts I tasted either, out of consideration of the low light conditions of most of the places. I do hope my descriptions will help you envision the creations I tasted - or entice you to try them yourself!
 

Chanterelle

Dining at Chanterelle is like having dinner with an old friend - one with impeccable taste and style. Chanterelle is a New York fixture, and its history shows; from the moment you step in the door you are treated with an effortless grace and surety that comes from long experience. The dining room is classy and refined - warm-lit walls, high ceilings, sweeping flower arrangements - but the atmosphere is  intimate and cozy, never snooty. Chanterelle is, of course, home of Kate Zuckerman's desserts and I was thrilled to finally get a chance to taste what her desserts were like made out of her pastry kitchen.

Favorites: I was thrilled to find so many of Kate's creations from The Sweet Life on the menu. Her Madagascar Vanilla and Brown Butter Cake, which has been embraced by many a blogger, is a slice of warm buttery bliss, with a tantalizing crisp exterior giving way to a soft, velvety vanilla center - divine, especially with the crème fraîche ice cream. The Goat Cheesecake in Hazelnut Brittle also made an appearance  - about as far from the traditional New York cheesecake as you can get, her refined rendition is almost soufflé-light, the slight tang of goat cheese set off by the sweetly crunchy hazelnuts and a piquant marmaladed kumquat sorbet. My other favorite was a coconut-cardamom rice pudding packaged in a crispy wrapper like a bonbon, drizzled with rose syrup, with a scoop of pistachio ice cream nestled nearby. This gorgeous interplay of colors, tastes, and textures made me wish Kate had included the entire dessert in her cookbook - she does give the recipe for the rice pudding, and it's certainly moved up several notches on my to-make list.

2 Harrison Street
(between Hudson Street and Staple Street)
(212) 966-6960

www.chanterellenyc.com


photo from www.p-ong.com

p*ong

Chanterelle may be classic New York dining at its most elegant and gracious, but p*ong is as modern and eclectic as its name, a funky, downtempo lounge of a place, with sleek white banquettes and a sweeping, angled bar - the preferred place to sit so you can watch the servers make your cocktails or plate your dessert.

Service was efficient, but the highlight, needless to say, was Chef Ong himself, who would materialize in the dining room like a mercurial firefly to exchange a friendly word or two with guests before vanishing again. We discovered that he had just opened his new bakery next door that morning - poor guy! But despite the stresses of opening day, he kindly took the time to show the bakery space to us and told us to come back the next day when they would be restocked. I must disclose here that I adore Pichet. He recounted how they opened the bakery at 11 in the morning, worried that no one would come. No one come to Pichet Ong's bakery? Hmm, right. In reality, they sold out by 1 in the afternoon. More on batch later. But Pichet is charmingly modest and slyly funny. Be warned, he has a habit of stopping by and checking on the progress of your dessert decimation. "Why didn't you finish the cake? Is it bad?" "No, of course not, it's delicious!" we'd demur. "Oh, well, you should really finish it. It's a special cake!" I don't think he's praising his own desserts so much as he's espousing the old Chinese virtue of cleaning your plate, which all my relatives always had me do. Of course, none of my relatives ever told me that I had to finish my dessert - so advantage to Pichet, I'd say!

Favorites: One of my favorite desserts from my trip came from p*ong: a warm date and ginger cake in a pool of rum toffee sauce, sprinkled with walnuts. It's like a cross between sticky toffee pudding and the best gingerbread I've ever had, the very definition of soul-satisfying. I liked it so much that I had to make it when I returned home. Other desserts that tickled the tastebuds included a chevre cheesecake and walnut croquette, a bit richer and earthier than Chanterelle's, and a grilled pear "steak" with hazelnut and caramel - again, desserts hitting that elusive combination of unexpected and intriguing and utterly satiating.

150 W 10th Street
(between Greenwich Avenue and Waverly Place)
(212) 929-0898

www.p-ong.com

 
photo from www.wd-50.com

wd-50

It seemed fitting that I'd visited the MOMA earlier in the day before I went to wd-50. An afternoon of high-concept art followed by an evening of high concept food. Be prepared to go with an open mind and you'll be rewarded with some amazing, thought-provoking plates. wd-50 is surprisingly low-key and mellow for being a high temple of molecular gastronomy; my friend and I were seated at a row of two-tops placed so closely together that by the end of the evening we felt more like we were sitting at a communal table. It was amusing to see the diners seated next to us darting sideways glances as a new feat of whimsy was placed before us, just as we could not resist doing the same to them. Eager to experience as many of Alex Stupak's creations as we could, we chose the five-course dessert tasting, but be warned: each person at the table has to order the tasting, so it's a whole lot of sweets. Make sure you leave enough room!

Favorites: Needless to say, these were some of the most exactingly plated dishes I saw on my whole trip. Every dessert was a Japanese rock garden, little hills and dunes of cake and cream in a sea of sinuous curves and undulating swirls, amidst carefully calibrated scatterings of crunchy flourishes. The desserts that not only struck me with their art-museum aesthetic but also their successful exploration of the unusual and offbeat included a delectably soft cornbread pudding in a lemongrass sauce with prunes; it was homey and exotic at once and most importantly, delicious. Another winner was a gianduja dome with ice milk ice cream, fennel, and little chocolate truffles that oozed warm hazelnut filing when you cut into them. It's pretty hard to go wrong with chocolate and hazelnut, but the flavors were used in such untraditional ways that it made the dessert interesting and new, a pleasure to explore. The little chocolate covered chicory ice cream petit fours were scrumptious as well.

50 Clinton Street
(between Rivington Street and Stanton Street)
(212) 477-2900

www.wd-50.com

Other sweet spots

Having only five days in New York City and one stomach, I could only visit a fraction of all the bakeries, pâtisseries, dessert bars, chocolate shops, and other sweet spots the city had to offer. New York demands your return, anyway, with its kaleidoscopic, ever-changing aspect - even if I'd visited 50 dessert places I'm sure another 50 will have opened by the end of this year. Here, some of the places I did get to try:

Amai Tea House
Tiny, but warm and serene.  I love that all the display cases look like they came from an old Chinese apothecary, a perfect setting for all the Asian-inspired desserts. Although their green tea cookies are their signature item, I really like their white tea and strawberry cookies, which have a touch of ginger and peppercorn, and the red vanilla cookies, which are laced with rooibos tea.

171 3rd Avenue
(between 16th Street ad 17th Street)
(212) 863-9630

www.amainyc.com

batch

This place was literally a day old when I walked in, but it already looks like it has its own quirky personality. I recognized many of Pichet Ong's creations from his The Sweet Spot cookbook - the Dragon Devil's Food Cupcakes were there, as well as the coconut-lemon cupcakes and chocolate tarts. There are also puddings, cookies, brownies, and other delights by the batch. There's Pichet serving the customers; I also got to meet one of the bakers there - hi, Betty!

150b W 10th St
(212) 929-0250

Ceci-Cela

In the excitement of visiting new dessert places, I didn't have much time to spend revisiting ones I'd been to before, but I knew I really wanted to go back here. So narrow that customers are basically sandwiched between the wall and the display case, nevertheless I love this place because of the tiny dining room in the back, a brick-walled oasis plastered with vintage posters, resembling a cross between speakeasy and secret clubhouse, where you can tuck into your tart and coffee far away from the city bustle.

55 Spring Street
(between Cleveland Place and Lafayette Street)
(212) 274-9179

www.ceci-celapatisserie.com

Financier

A perfectly apropos name, as all three branches of this pâtisserie are located in the Financial District. With its celery-green and cream-yellow decor and rattan chairs, you can almost think you are eating your pain au chocolate in Paris - until you see the skyscrapers outside the window.

35 Cedar Street
(between Pearl Street and William Street)
(212) 952-3838

www.financierpastries.com

 

Kee's Chocolates

Barely more than a storefront on a SoHo street, Kee's Chocolates is nevertheless a window into chocolate heaven. Kee Ling Tong's creations are masterpieces of flavor and texture, chocolate brought to a spellbinding zenith. I've never had any chocolates where the shell almost dissolves in your mouth to the filling inside - dreamy. Flavors I loved include passionfruit, lavender, and hazelnut praline.

80 Thompson Street
(between Broome Street and Spring Street)
(212) 334-3284

www.keeschocolates.com


Kyotofu

There are plenty of Asian-inspired desserts on menus nowadays, but Kyotofu the balance tips the other way, with Asian desserts just tempered with a French/Western edge. Their signature item is their homemade sweet tofu, which is light, silken, and refreshing, especially with a black sugar syrup poured over the top. Other sweets I liked included the chocolate matcha cupcake, sake cheesecake, and coconut-yuzu macaron. Different, and definitely worth a visit.

705 9th Ave
(between 48th Street and 49th Street)
(212) 974-6012

www.kyotofu-nyc.com/

Payard

You can't get closer to a Parisian grand café in New York than François Payard's pâtisserie and bistro. Go to admire the gorgeous Belle Époque decor, all high ceilings, coffee-colored wood, and blown-glass fixtures. Stay as you try to choose from dual counters filled with cakes, tarts, macarons, chocolates, and cookies of every sort. Or perhaps the ice-cream cart is calling your name?

1032 Lexington Avenure
(between 73rd Street and 74th Street)
(212) 717-5252

www.Payard.com

 Well, that's about it! I wanted to include a recipe for the Pichet Ong's date cake that I loved, but this post is already running long so it's going to show up in part 2! Stay tuned and have a good weekend!

Tagged with: Chanterelle + p*ong+ wd-50 + amai+tea+house + batch new york + ceci cela+ kyotofu+ kee's chocolates+ payard+ desserts new york+ bakeries new york

Bite This!

Happy New Year - A Very Sweet Trip to Hong Kong

Happy (belated) New Year - I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and are looking forward to 2008 (well, as much as I can - it's raining cats and dogs in San Francisco today). Returning from sunny, tropical Hong Kong was quite a shock to the system!

This shock was due in no small part to the indulgences I partook in while on holiday: sleeping in, a parade of family activities (I saw some cousins I haven't seen in almost 10 years - my gosh we're all grown up!), shopping that easily tripled the contents of my suitcases (not that I'm a shopaholic - well, maybe a little - but it's hard not to be when it seems like 50% of Hong Kong is retail space), and of course the eating (that would be the other 50%).

I get asked often, "How do not gain weight when you go to Hong Kong and eat so much?" Well, I actually think the answer lies in the preponderance of stores and restaurants in the city. You basically follow this routine:

1. Go to mall/downtown/outside your hotel/anywhere and start shopping. Keep shopping until you realized you've probably walked several miles and are exhausted.

2. Go to nearby restaurant/cafe/street stall and eat.

3. Go back to shopping.

4. Repeat cycle.

Essentially you will spend so much time walking around and shopping that you will burn up all those delicious calories you've ingested. A beautifully efficient system, really.

In all honesty, there are many other wonderful things to do in Hong Kong besides shopping and eating - the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens are but a handful of steps from my parents' flat in the Mid-Levels, giving us the unusual opportunity to be both close to the hyper-urban downtown Central district as well as a zoo. A little more strolling takes you to beautiful Hong Kong Park, which contains an amazing aviary and conservatory, as well as gorgeously landscaped grounds. As a bonus, it's a popular spot for newlyweds to get pictures taken, as the marriage registry is just outside the park: go on the weekend and you're likely to see a dozen beaming couples posing by the flowers or waterfalls.

You can also visit Macau, which is but a 45 minute hydrofoil ride away from Hong Kong. A former Portuguese colony, it maintains an old European charm in many parts of the islands that makes it an ideal getaway from the bustle of Hong Kong. However, it's no secret that the gaming industry in Macau is rising faster than a soufflé in an oven - and it's not likely to deflate anytime either. A walk down the Cotai Strip shows construction as far as the eye can see - construction of a Strip that will rival the one in Las Vegas (Macau's gaming revenue has already surpassed that of Sin City). My suggestion? Explore old Macau during the day  - the colonial architecture and narrow cobblestone streets will transport you to Europe - then visit the gaming tables at night for glittery hedonism at its most exciting.

All right, on to the part I'm sure you're most excited to read about - sweets in Hong Kong. What I love most about pastry in Hong Kong is the variety and innovation. You can buy a bag of eggettes (a kind of waffle) from a streetside vendor for a dollar or have high tea at the Peninsula Hong Kong. You can sample perfect French pastries or have classic Chinese dessert soups, perhaps on the same street. I also think that Hong Kong, like all major cosmopolitan cities, has a sort of ADD - the citizens are always on the lookout for the new and exciting, so stores constantly have to come up with new items to retain customers' interest. See some of the items I saw in the bakeries there:

Holiday cakes from Maxim's, a popular bakery chain. The snowman was lovely - vanilla sponge cake on crispy feuilletine over a chocolate cake base. Surprisingly sophisticated and well done for a chain shop.

The variety of breads in even the humblest of bakeries is staggering. See the "Coco Teddy" bear shaped bun filled with chocolate. Coco Teddy, you were delicious - I love you!

I will also note that Beard Papa's and Krispy Kreme are part of the culinary landscape now as well - and even these chain shops were offering special holiday items like black sesame cream puffs and tree-shaped donuts - I really wish they would do things like that here in the U.S.!

My list of great places to get a sweet bite in Hong Kong:

Hui Lau San

I've rhapsodized about this place before; the red-and-gold festooned shops are ubiquitous, which makes them the stop of choice when your feet are tired and you're thirsty. They are sort of like Starbucks, only everything is made from fruit so it's much healthier (and tastier, in my opinion). You can get anything from a bowl of fruit mixed with sago to aloe jelly with coconut juice. I always get something from the Mango Mania section, because Hong Kong residents can't seem to get enough of mango and neither can I. The mango jelly in mango and coconut juice is a favorite. The Hui Lau San I seem to frequent the most is the one in Causeway Bay, just across from Sogo and a block away from the Times Square mall - the height of convenience.

Honeymoon Dessert

Another popular series of dessert shops, this one centered around traditional Chinese desserts like walnut and black sesame soups, almond tea with tapioca, or thin crepes filled with red bean or mango. They also have items with durian, that olfactory menace of a fruit - try it but be prepared for your table companions to make a hasty departure! Honeymoon Dessert shops are scattered around Hong Kong; there's one in the ifc mall in Central and at the apm mall in Kwun Tong.

Dessert at Elements

I made a visit to Elements, the highly touted new mall in Tsim Sha Tsui (I am always amazed that they are always building new malls - the Hong Kong appetite for shopping is truly insatiable). It is elegant, modern, and occupied by every high end luxury brand you can imagine, from Armani to Versace. If your pocketbook is feeling a little light after your stops at Cartier, Fendi, and Valentino, you can get a little pick me up at PETiTs by Deschamps, offering the most couture of cupcakes, or at La Création De Gute, a swank little patisserie.

Dessert Buffet at the Tiffin, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

Remember my dreamy experience there? Desserts with a French pedigree and an Asian flair - chestnut seemed to be the theme ingredient (I loved a chestnut and chocolate mousse) but there were many other delights to sample, from fruit tarts to cream cakes, homemade ice creams and sorbets, Belgian waffles made to order, chocolate fondue with skewers of marshmallows and fruit lined up like ornaments, sweet soups and fresh fruit. You can nibble on your plate of sweets while gazing out the floor to ceiling windows at the panorama that is the Hong Kong skyline - a true feast for all the senses.

Bambu

I'll also mention a few favorite experiences in Macao: The Bambu at the Venetian offers an excellent Asian-themed buffet with an impressive selection of desserts, including homemade ice cream.

Pasteleria Koi Kei

Go to the old districts in Macau and you'll likely find shop selling Macau sweet specialties like peanut candy, seaweed wrapped wafers, and almond cookies. You can see the baker above making them; many pastry shops have demonstrations like this outside the shop and give samples away liberally, encouraging lookers to stay and buy. Koi Kei has some of the tastiest almond cookies, especially hot and freshly made.

That just about scratches the surface of what's available in Hong Kong. I look forward to my next visit...and discovering what has changed in my absence. Meanwhile, I'm excited to back home in my kitchen baking again!

Tagged with: Hong Kong desserts + Hui Lau San + Honeymoon+dessert + Tiffin dessert buffet

Bite This!

What Else Has Been Baking in the Oven

I thought I would take a moment to update my dear readers on what other food-related events have transpired recently in my life. First off, my second article has been published in Edible East Bay! You may remember that I toured Charles Chocolates' new factory and store a while back; now the full story plus photos I snapped of the production line are in the Fall 2007 issue of Edible East Bay.

This issue is filled with fascinating articles, from a history of cattle ranching in the East Bay to a profile of a local beekeeper and artisan honey maker, to a tour of Hangar One, an innovative vodka distillery on the little island of Alameda. Incidentally, Hangar One is where I went this weekend and where I took the top photo: they make the striking Buddha's Hand citron vodka that Alice Medrich recommends for her Citron Vodka chocolates in her new book, and they also make an absolutely divine dessert wine:

   

Just be careful when pronouncing that name aloud in polite company!

If you aren't near a copy of this issue of Edible East Bay, they will soon post up electronic versions of the articles on their website. You can also read my earlier profile of Charles Chocolates.

Second, I'm happy to announce that Sarah Phillips of Baking 911, one of the most comprehensive and helpful baking sites available on the net, invited me to contribute to her monthly newsletter. Sarah is one of the nicest people I've ever met, and a fabulously accomplished baker: I am amazed at the amount of information on her site, from recipes to step by step tutorials for making just about anything in pastry. I'm very pleased to be part of Baking911, and for the November newsletter I've created a recipe for a chocolate caramel pie - a wonderful addition to the holiday table!

In order to view the newsletter, you will need to become a premium member of Baking911. Membership is $24 a year, but Sarah is currently running a promotion where membership will only cost $14 if you join before the end of the year. Read here to see all the benefits of becoming a premium member. Even if you don't join Baking911, I hope you still find it a useful baking resource - I've found many of her articles helpful when researching a recipe or pastry technique.

Finally, the capper to a really lovely weekend: I got to see the advertising cards for Pâtisserie Philippe - with my photography on them! You may remember me rhapsodizing about Philippe's peerless pastry; I recently did a photo shoot for his holiday line and now the Thanksgiving advertising card is out!

There's just something about the tangible realness of a photo on smooth, substantial stock that's completely different from an image on a computer screen. If you have MooCards, you know what I mean. I have to admit it was quite thrilling to see my photos hung in the store windows and on the beautifully produced cards. I was also very relieved when Philippe told me he thought the pictures looked "like (he) wanted to eat them," - so glad I'd done justice to his creations!

   

If you live anywhere near Pâtisserie Philippe, I urge you to pick up one of his desserts for Thanksgiving; I can personally assure you they are all fantastic. If you want a closer look, descriptions along with some more of my photos are on his holiday menu, and you'll get a bonus peek at a shot I did of his Yule log!

You may have noticed the outrageously beautiful apple tart on the front of Philippe's card; he gave me one to take home after the photo shoot and I ate about half of that! Check back later this week to see my humble take on this apple tart!

Tagged with: Edible East Bay + Charles Chocolates + Baking911+ Hangar One+ Patisserie Philippe

Bite This!

My Own Remembrance of Things Past: Dan Tats

Johanna of The Passionate Cook announced a most interesting theme for this month's Sugar High Friday: local specialties. While living in the Bay Area affords me the luxury of having many famous local goods to choose from, I really wanted to pick one that was close to my heart: Chinese egg custard tarts, or dan tat.

When I was young, my family lived about an hour south of San Francisco, and back then they didn't have many stores around that sold Asian groceries - Chinese vegetables, dried herbs and mushrooms, fish and meat fresh and butchered to the customer's order. (As a lifelong resident of this area, it's amazing to me how much the gastronomic landscape has evolved over the years - now Asian shopping centers dot the Bay Area like pearls along the necklace of highways that encircle the bay.) So every weekend our parents would pile us kids into the station wagon and we would drive up north on the highway to the big city, and to the venerable Chinatown on Stockton Street where they could find the ingredients to make the dishes they remembered from Hong Kong, their homeland.

I remember Chinatown being a cacophonous kaleidoscope to the senses: boxes overflowing with lychees and Chinese broccoli and all sorts of things I never saw in my local Safeway; shoppers jostling and bumping around the stands, assiduously picking through the produce to select only the best specimens; tiny old ladies in smocks unloading even more produce from the back of delivery vans, proclaiming the quality and inexpensiveness of their goods (if you walk through Chinatown and you don't speak Chinese, you may wonder why the grocers appear to be screaming at the top of their lungs at you - they're actually urging you to buy their cherries/peaches/item of the day, which are of course much better and cheaper than any other place on the block, so why don't you buy some now?)

Chinatown was a sort of farmers' market before farmer's markets came into vogue: although nobody threw around words like "sustainable" or "organic" back then, everyone who went shopping in Chinatown showed a passion and care for the food they bought that mirrors the spirit of sustainable agriculture today. No one would be caught buying ragged, limp greens or bruised, unripe fruit or less-than-fresh fish; indeed, the person who tried to sell such inferior goods probably wouldn't be patronized for very long!

My mother would adroitly navigate the streets of Chinatown, going to the places she knew and trusted: the stand with the best bok choy and lotus roots; the butcher who gave her the best chickens and cuts of beef; the dried goods store with the bins of dried shrimp and scallops and seaweed she used in her soups. I'm embarrassed to admit that although I spent years watching my mother bargain with and haranguing the shopkeepers in her quest for the best, I have nowhere near her shopping skills; even today, when I go to Chinatown with her, I always stand back and watch her mastery on display, as she somehow cajoles and convinces the grocers to give her the good stuff they're holding back, and to charge her just a little less.

It was fun, as a child, to see the incredible excitement and bustle in Chinatown, but sometimes I would get tired of getting bumped around by pushy shoppers, or waiting as my mother conducted another interminable bargaining session. I would start tugging on her arm and whine about when we would be done, or better yet, when we would get to eat. My mother would tell me to be patient, just one more stop, and then we would go the bakery and I could get something sweet (I have always, always had a sweet tooth).

Chinese bakeries are like any other business in Chinatown: microcosms of incredible chaos and efficiency at once. While I am inspired and delighted by the pâtisseries of Paris, I have the utmost admiration for my local bakeries in Chinatown, which produce a staggering amount and variety of breads, cakes, tarts, and other pastries day in and day out. Every time you walk in the door of a bakery, you are greeted with case upon case of meat-stuffed pastries, custard-filled buns, elaborately frosted cakes, fruit-covered tarts, loaves of bread...and there are more trays coming out of the kitchen in a constant stream.

Although you may want to stand there goggle-eyed at the overwhelming array of choices, the counter staff and regular customers are seldom indulgent; it's best to know what you want or the salesgirls will most likely move on to someone in less of a dither. Stepping up and speaking your order loudly will usually get you fast service; if you hover indecisively in the background you might never get served at all. However, the staff will usually give a quick description of any item you are curious about, and they are also quite good at pushing freshly baked items on you; if you're not careful, you may end up walking away with a dozen piping hot something-or-others in a pink box.

The most amazing thing is, though, how inexpensive everything is. Most of the buns, which are usually a soft, fluffy, sweet bread with either a sweet or savory filling, are less than a couple of dollars. Other items in the cases are similarly priced, which is mind-boggling considering they are all homemade and you can find coffee shops selling a factory-made cookie for 4 dollars or more. To me, this affords one the incredible freedom to try almost anything since it will only cost you a dollar or two and you will quickly find your favorites. My boyfriend, who does not speak Chinese, has successfully bought many things at Chinese bakeries simply by pointing; he's often come home with a six or seven different items which I have to explain to him and then he will happily try them all and decide which one he likes best.

My favorites? The cocktail bun (named not because of when it's meant to be served but because its oblong shape resembles a rooster's tailfeathers), a plain little bread filled with a creamy, coconut-flecked custard, and the egg custard tart, the actual subject of this entire post - thank you for your patience, dear reader!

Egg custard tarts are thought to have sprung from the British influence in Hong Kong; custard tarts with a smooth milky filling in a shortcrust pastry are a classically British dessert. There is also a Portuguese variant, the lovely pastéis de nata, which have a similar custardy filling but a caramelized, crème brûlée style top. Hong Kong residents often go on day trips to Macau, a former Portuguese colony about a 45 minute hydrofoil ride from Hong Kong, and a can't-miss activity there is to sample the authentic pastéis de nata still made by local bakers. However, egg custard tarts in Hong Kong have evolved into their own unique and delicious creature, and a staple of Chinese bakeries and dim sum houses everywhere.

What distinguishes an egg custard tart is its flaky, tender shell (the most authentic ones are made with lard)that resembles puff pastry at its crisp and buttery best, cradling a bright yellow custard that teeters flan-like, just on the edge between set and gooey. Fresh from the oven, it is the sunniest, most comforting piece of bliss I can think of.  An old dan tat, with limpid gummy crust and rubbery Jello-y filling, is a tragic thing indeed.

In San Francisco's Chinatown, one of the oldest and most famous Chinese communities in the world, there are many bakeries and restaurants selling egg custard tarts, but there is one place that stands above the rest - one that people in the know like my mother would go to - Golden Gate Bakery on Grant Ave.

Such is the reputation of the egg custard tarts at Golden Gate Bakery that lines routinely snake out the door into the street. As the scent of butter and vanilla wafts outside, you can see people shifting their feet, hoping to reach the front of the line soon enough to snag some of the freshly baked tarts before they are gone. I know of no other bakery in Chinatown that has the audacity to close down for several weeks at a time while the owners go on "extended vacation"; making excellent egg custard tarts must have proven very profitable for them indeed!

Golden Gate Bakery's egg custard tarts are considered on the "expensive" side at about $1.25 a piece - this is one of the reasons very few people make them at home because it really is so much cheaper to buy them. The tart shell pastry is also notoriously difficult to duplicate - although most recipes for Chinese flaky pastry involve a "water dough" and "oil dough" similar to the détrempe and beurrage used in puff pastry and the execution seems straightforward, somehow the tarts from the good bakeries always seem to have a supernatural flakiness and crispness that is, so far, out of my reach. If anyone has managed to penetrate the secrets of the egg custard tart, let me know!

If you do make it to San Francisco and visit Chinatown, do wander down Stockton Street and take in the amazing bustle of its denizens shopping, working, and living shoulder to shoulder in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the US. You'll see stores and restaurants that have been around for years with yellowed menus taped to the walls, delis with whole barbecued pigs and roast ducks hanging in the windows, giant delivery trucks unloading produce at all times of day to the hands of waiting shoppers. Don't go onto neighboring Grant Street unless you want a hefty dose of cheesy touristy silliness; wait until you get to Jackson Street to turn onto Grant, because Golden Gate Bakery will be just a few stores down. There will probably be a line, and be sure you bring enough cash because that's all they accept. But it's worth it for those sweet happiness-inducing handfuls - I'm as enamored of them now as I was years ago as a small child.

Golden Gate Bakery

1029 Grant Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94133

415-781-2627

For those of you wanting to brave egg custard tart making at home, here are a few online recipes as well as a dedicated eGullet thread. Several of these recipes use a shortcrust pastry, which is considerably simple and can yield delicious results as well - I've had more successes with them than with the flaky pastry.

Tagged with: dan tat + egg custard tart + Golden Gate Bakery

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A Tale of Three Tastings

By happy coincidence, I was party to a number of chocolate-centric events these last couple of weeks (or perhaps it was no coincidence - it would be a felicitous development indeed if everyone started embracing the joys of chocolate more!)

The first was an invitation by the fabulous Marcia of Tablehopper to a chocolate tasting session hosted by TuttiFoodie and Scharffen Berger. In the intimate dining room of restaurant Rubicon, a group of chocolate lovers was treated to a chocolate tasting led by John Scharffenberger and then a parade of chocolate desserts prepared by Nicole Krasinki, Rubicon's pastry chef.

A chance to hear master chocolatier John Scharffenberger speak about his experiences with chocolate is not one to be missed, and Scharffenberger gave a fascinating talk about cacao bean varieties around the world and how they are combined into Scharffen Berger's different chocolates.

Scharffenberger guided us through a tasting of chocolates of varying cacao percentages and origins, helping us detect flavors and notes. The most interesting part of this was how he compared tasting fine chocolate to tasting wine - one has to note how the chocolate flavor develops and changes as it melts in your mouth. So as with wine, there is a progression in tastes from the beginning to the middle to the end that can be experienced when you are fully immersed in the "chocolate moment".

After this edifying experience, we were treated to another: Nicole Krasinki, one of the stars of the pastry scene, demonstrated her expertise in working with chocolate with a trio of inventive and delectable desserts.

                                                                   

A quenelle of bittersweet chocolate mousse on bed of honey crumbles with a streak of meringue and slice of fig was her offbeat version of s'mores - creamy, gooey, crunchy.

Silky cocoa nib panna cotta with a scoop of chocolate umeboshi sorbet and a chocolate chip tuile - the dessert that got the most comments by far, an unusual pairing of chocolate with the Japanese pickled plum - piquantly tart, wonderfully offset by the mild panna cotta.

A warm chocolate croquette with lemon, madras curry, and Blue Bottle coffee gelee - this was my favorite, a crisp-wrapped present of a truffle in a pool of flavors that sound unconventional but mesh together beautifully, and deliciously.

Krasinki is as sweet and down-to-earth in person as she is inspired in her pastry work, and I highly recommend you visit Rubicon for her ever-changing desserts, as well as the rest of the excellent menu - new American food at its sublime best.

This chocolate tasting was also the kickoff for the Chocolate Adventure Contest being co-hosted by TuttiFoodie and Scharffenberger. You (yes, all of you out there!) are invited to come up with a recipe that combines chocolate and one or more of the 20 ingredients listed on the Chocolate Adventure website - ingredients ranging from lavender to star anise to mastiha(a spice made from mastic gum). The winning recipe will net its creator $5,000 and will be featured on the menu at Scharffen Berger's Cafe Cacao in Berkeley, CA for month. So if you fancy having your recipe served at one of the most famed chocolate factories around, here is your opportunity! Many thanks to Marcia, TuttiFoodie, Scharffen Berger, and Rubicon for hosting this highly entertaining and enjoyable event!

photos from CMA's flickr photostream of the 2007 Chocolate Symposium

It was definitely fantastic to have a chocolate expert like John Scharffenberger teach us how to taste the nuances of chocolate, but for the rest of you eager chocoholics, don't fret. The Chocolate Manufacturer's Association contacted me with the ideal resource for chocolate lovers: the online guided chocolate tasting.

Rachelle was kind enough to send me a chocolate tasting kit containing the chocolates used at a chocolate tasting session held at the CMA's Annual Chocolate Symposium in New York. The CMA has put up a webcast of the tasting session on their website, so anyone can watch Rose Potts of Blommer Chocolate and Ed Seguine of Guittard Chocolate lead a group through three flights of chocolate and describe the differences between milk, dark, and single origin chocolates.

Chocolate tasting in the comfort of my own home! With the chocolate arranged in front of me, I clicked on the webcast and was able to follow the tasting session and make my own observations on the different pieces. It is interesting how much context can help in unlocking the tastes of a particular chocolate - knowing its percentage and origins gives you clues on flavors to look for. I also found that after eating fine chocolates like Scharffen Berger, Cluizel, or Guittard, it becomes much easier to note the progression and development of flavors as you eat a piece of chocolate, as they are deliberately created that way. Cheaper chocolate, like Hershey's, becomes startlingly flat and one-dimensional in comparison - even if you know it is not good quality chocolate, it is surprising how vast and evident the differences are the more fine chocolate you eat.

Even if you don't have the exact chocolates used in the tasting webcast, I suggest watching it as a very useful tool in learning how to taste and describe chocolate. There are many other excellent resources on the site, including a tasting guide, glossary, and news about the world of chocolate. Thanks to the CMA for providing this indispensable guide to learning more about chocolate.

 

Finally, a chance to learn more about another exciting chocolatier in the Bay Area's burgeoning chocolate scene: this last weekend, chocolatier Anthony Ferguson of Cacao Anasa opened up his kitchen to a group of visitors to tour the place and make several chocolate desserts.

Ferguson's story is as fascinating and inspiring as his exotic chocolates: leaving his 9-5 job to travel around the world and absorb the cultures of Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe, he combined the myriad tastes he'd experienced with his training in chocolate making to create his own line of artisan chocolates.

Ferguson professes a love of jazz fusion, and his chocolates reflect the joyful improvisation and technical virtuosity of this musical style. His truffles are compositions of complex flavors, ranging from fruits to flowers to spices. Far beyond the typical choices of raspberry or mint or coffee, you may encounter fig and ginger, or Chinese five spice, or bergamot, or ollalieberry and merlot. Infused chocolates are particularly in vogue these days, but I find Cacao Anasa's to be inventive and expertly executed - the ganaches are smooth and silky, the chocolate partnering harmoniously with a layer of fruit pate, or a sprinkling of spices. My favorites included a intoxicatingly fragrant rose truffle, and a pleasantly tingly curry truffle.

 

Ferguson remained remarkably calm amidst a crowd of 30-some people storming his spacious kitchen, eager to play with chocolate. Over the next couple of hours, he instructed us on how to make chocolate bars, a coconut chocolate soup, cookies, truffles, and even chocolate martinis. Somehow Ferguson found time in the chaos to give an impromptu lecture on the chemistry of tempering (incidentally, I ducked out of joining the group in charge of tempering chocolate, as it was so warm in the kitchen that doing it properly was a huge challenge indeed!)

A store's worth of chocolate treats was created, devoured, and packed away for later enjoyment at home. I must say that Cacao Anasa's chocolate kitchen is one of the happiest and most delightful I've encountered - and I would urge you to get your hands on his chocolates wherever you can find them. Many thanks for Anthony for giving us a chance to glimpse inside his workplace!

I hope all of you have been enjoying the days of August - and if you haven't had some chocolate today, may I suggest you not refrain any longer?

Tagged with: tuttifoodie + Scharffen Berger + chocolate adventure contest+ CMA + chocolate+tasting+ Cacao Anasa

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Sugar High Friday #30: Rosebud Crème Brûlée

I'm late to the SHF party! But when I saw the flower theme I couldn't resist putting something together, even at the last minute.

This is a rendition of one of Citizen Cake's signature desserts. Billed as the "pastry chef's restaurant", Citizen Cake has reigned in San Francisco for years as both an elegant full-service restaurant and a top-notch pâtisserie. Cakes, pastries, confections, and ice creams come out of Elizabeth Falkner's kitchen in a dizzying swirl, all classically based but with modern, playful twists: the popular Retro Tropical Shag is composed of layers of rum-soaked genoise filled with passionfruit mousse and vanilla buttercream and covered with coconut so it does, indeed, resemble those funky shag carpets. The charming Mocha Mi Su puts a spin on traditional tiramisu by mixing cocoa genoise with mocha mousse, chocolate ganache, and coffee buttercream.

Falkner's composed desserts really highlight her penchant for wordplay and kitchen-play - sophisticated combinations of flavors and textures, with a clever little in-jokes for names. For example, one of the their current desserts is named "Wagashi 2010", wagashi being traditional Japanese confections such as mochi, but Citizen Cake's rendition includes a dried persimmon mochi cake, crispy green tea soba, milk gelato, and a nori croquant. One of my favorite desserts the last time I went was the "Cha Cha Cha", composed of a tropical tamale with passionfruit crème brûlée and mojito paleta.

Falkner's rose petal crème brûlée is a staple on the menu; served with saffron-pistachio cookies, it's a delicate, floral air-kiss of dessert. Crème brûlée, like chocolate mousse, is another one of those desserts that can seem tired or overdone on menus, but done well in the hands of an expert, you remember exactly why it's so beloved.

As with all baked custards, the proof is in the baking - how you cook and supervise the custards will determine whether it achieves that delicate unctuous texture or it becomes tough and eggy. Custards need to bake evenly and slowly at a low temperature. This is why water baths are used - to help provide a gentle moist environment for the eggs in the custard to cook. I also place a towel on the bottom of the baking pan between the ramekins to further prevent any direct heat on the ramekins. Finally, if you want even more protection, you can always place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the baking with some vent holes pierced in.

When the cooking time for the custards is done, check to see if the tops of the custards are set - they should shimmy slightly but the center should not move separately from the rest of the custard. You can also stick a thin knife into the custard (not in the center) and see if it comes out clean.

If they don't appear done, close the oven and bake for another 6-7 minutes. Resist the urge to constantly check on the custards; every time you open the oven more heat escapes, so given the low baking temperature you could end up with the custards never baking.

Of course, the best part of crème brûlées is the caramelizing of the sugar. I never thought I harbored any latent pyromania but there is a definite thrill in wielding a blowtorch and watching sugar bubble and brown beneath your eyes, forming that perfect crystalline surface just waiting for that Amélie-like tap-tap-tap.

Crème brûlées take very well to infusions of flavor, from teas to fruits to spices. I particularly enjoy this rose-scented one: sweet and springlike, the custard melts like silk on the tongue, leaving a whisper of rose and orange. The crystallized rose petals add a pretty dash of color; it is spring, after all, and the flowers are definitely in bloom!

Rosebud Crème Brûlée

makes about 6 servings in 4 1/2 ounce ramekins

2 cups heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon vanilla seeds, or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 ounces egg yolks (about 4-5 eggs)

2 ounces sugar

1/4 teaspoon Grand Marnier

1/2 teaspoon rose water

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Find a baking pan that will fit all of the ramekins you plan to use. The sides of the pan should be at least as high as the ramekins. Line the bottom of the baking pan with a towel.

Heat the cream and vanilla in a medium saucepan on medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and let sit for about 10 minutes for the vanilla to infuse.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl.

Slowly pour about a third of the hot cream into the eggs, whisking all the time to prevent the eggs from curdling.

Pour the tempered eggs back into the cream, whisking constantly until combined. Whisk gently to prevent bubbles from forming.

Strain the mixture into a clean bowl.

Add the Grand Marnier and rose water and let the custard cool slightly.

Arrange the ramekins in the baking pan on top of the towel. Using a ladle, carefully, pour the custard into the ramekins, filling just below the rim. Try to fill all of the ramekins to the same height so they will bake evenly.

Carefully pour hot water into the baking pan until it comes up about 2/3 of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Do not let the water get into the pan.

Carefully place the baking pan into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour until set. I checked at about half an hour and at 45 minutes, but don't open the oven door too often or you'll lose all the heat and the custards will not cook. You can check the progress of the custards by sticking a paring knife into the custard slightly away from the center. If it comes out covered in liquidy custard, it's not done yet. Also, if you lightly touch the center of the custard and your fingertip comes away covered in custard it is also not done.

When the custards are done, they should shimmy slightly when you move the pan (careful not to spill water!) but the center should not move separately. If, however, it has set like Jello and there are bubbles forming on the top it is becoming overcooked and you should remove the custards immediately. If the custards start rising at any point they have become overcooked.

After you remove the baking pan from the oven and the ramekins have cooled enough to handle, remove the ramekins, cover them, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.

When you are ready to serve the crème brûlées, take one ramekin at a time and sprinkle the top with sugar evenly over the top. Using a hand-held blowtorch, carefully caramelize the sugar. Keep the flame at least 2 inches from the sugar to prevent burning the sugar. You can also caramelize the sugar under a broiler.

Let the sugar cool for a couple of minutes before serving. Do not brûlée the custards more than 20 minutes before serving or the sugar may melt.

Citizen Cake

399 Grove Street

San Francisco, CA 94102

415-861-2228

Tagged with: SHF + Sugar High Friday + SHF#30 + rose creme brulee + Citizen Cake

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Pâtisserie Philippe - A Bit of Paris in San Francisco

While I'm dreaming of my next trip to Paris, a little piece of Paris has come to San Francisco: Pâtisserie Philippe.

This beautiful jewel box of a bakery takes me right back to the City of Light, with its gorgeous vintage lamp fixtures, opulent mirrors, and marble counter covered with every classic of the pâtissier's repertoire. Croissants and brioches spill out of baskets, fruit tarts and cakes gleam enticingly from trays, a ethereal bouquet of rose petal meringues each as big as my hand beckons from its airy perch above the display cases, and little bags of sablés and sugar cookies beg to be taken home and nibbled happily.

The patisserie is a dream realized for chef and co-proprietor Philippe Delarue, who began his career back in France in some of the noblest houses of pastry like Lenôtre, and who at one time had as his commis none other than a certain Pierre Hermé. Delarue gained many adoring clients in San Francisco who loved his traditional French pastries and elaborate wedding croquembouche.

Now he finally has a place where everyone can visit and have some of his dreamy éclairs, macarons, and breakfast pastries. It's hard, when faced with six different kinds of croissant and brioche and about twice that many types of mousse cakes and tartlets, to not want to just camp out in the shop until one is able to try everything.

Delarue also offers an extensive savory menu, so you are able to munch on everything from a tomato and mozzarella salad to a fabulous flaky quiche Lorraine to some earthy pâte de Campagne. Tucking into a classic ham and cheese panino made with a chewy baguette, I could imagine myself in any of those inimitable cafes strung along the Parisian boulevards.

Pictured are a couple of the treats we made off with one weekend afternoon, a mere tickle of the pleasures Philippe's has to offer: top of page, a pear frangipane strip, with sweet slices of pear on a gloriously fragrant frangipane nestled in a perfect-crisp crust. Note the thin layer of raspberry jam on the bottom of the frangipane.

A palm-size Paris-Brest, with delicately airy rings of choux sandwiching a sweet, intense hazelnut filling.

Sablés Bretons - those wonderful, toothsome butter cookies - crumble perfectly under the bite and are utterly addictive.

So while I'm waiting for my next visit to Paris aka Pastry Heaven, I'll be soothing my longings at Philippe's very charming and very delicious pâtisserie. If you're anywhere near San Francisco, you shouldn't miss it!

Pâtisserie Philippe

655 Townsend Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

415-558-8016

info@patisseriephilippe.com

Open M-F 8-6, Sat 8-5

Tagged with: San Francisco bakeries + Patisserie Philippe

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Charles Chocolates - The New Store is Open!

I've been a fan of Charles Chocolates since I tried the passion fruit heart at CocoaBella. Last year I visited the temporary store in San Francisco, and I got to see Chuck Siegel himself do a demonstration at CocoaBella with fellow chocolatier Christopher Elbow. Now it looks like Chuck is realizing his dreams, as well as those of all Bay Area chocolate lovers, with the opening of his new store in Emeryville.

I was lucky enough to see not only the store but to get a tour of the candy kitchen by Chuck himself - by the way, he's just about the nicest guy you could meet - Willy Wonka's got nothing on him.

Right now the store is a sleek little space, with boxes of chocolates seeming to hover on glass shelves backed by art-gallery-chic brick walls, but this is only phase one: a brand new candy kitchen is being built right behind the store, and when it is finished customers will be able to get a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, sit down, and watch Charles Chocolates being made through big glass windows.

"I really want to customers to see what goes into the process of making our chocolates, to understand what we mean when we say everything is made by hand,", says Chuck. All of his chocolates are handmade by his workers in small batches - there is no huge warehouse full of candy since everything is made to order and shipped out within a few days. Walking into the current candy kitchen next door, one can see white-clad workers making blood orange marmalade on the stove for the chocolate yankees, pouring hot caramel into frames to be cut later with a guitar, or wrapping the chocolate bars individually in foil. Everything is clean, efficient, and precise - just as Chuck likes it.

When so much of the experience of fine chocolate is tied to appreciation of the finished product, to the fine glossy sheen of a chocolate bar, the perfect smooth roundness of a truffle, the delicate crisp give of the chocolate shell as you bite through to the ganache, attention to detail becomes paramount, and when the new candy kitchen is finished, it is Chuck's hope that the public will really be able to appreciate how this dedication translates to the beautiful product for sale in the store.

But I would urge you not to wait for the new kitchen to be finished (it should be a couple of months away) but to head over to his store now, and check out all the goodies awaiting your hungry gaze and eager tongue. Some of my favorites follow:

This a new collection of tea-infused chocolates that I was quite taken with - Chuck has used some very fine eastern teas from Teance of Berkeley and created some very unique tasting chocolates that range from delicate (jasmine) to earthy (oolong). I've made tea-infused chocolates before and it's always a trick to balance the flavor and intensity of the tea with the right chocolate - Chuck explained to me that each tea is paired with a different blend of chocolates to achieve a perfect harmony in taste. I really like the lichee and osmanthus chocolates!

One of their signature edible chocolate boxes - I asked Chuck how he came up with idea and he replied that it was actually born out of necessity - at one point his supplier was unable to deliver enough packaging for Chuck and his chocolates, so Chuck decided to make his own boxes out of chocolate. This brainstorm has turned into one of their trademark items - new designs for new collections are constantly coming out, from a Chinese watercolor-inspired lid for the tea chocolates to a pretty floral pastel for the spring collection.

Chuck doesn't just make great chocolates - he also makes some awesome pate de fruit. I am seriously in love with his new collection of wine infused pate de fruit; they taste like perfect distillations of the grape. Chuck uses wines from the gorgeous Artesa Winery in Napa to make his little hemispheres of bliss - the gewurztraminer and champagne flavors are light and sweet, the merlot and cabernet sauvignon delectably intense.

One of their newest products, a chocolate-covered stick of caramel sprinkled with toasted nuts. Chuck is starting to branch out from his original box of chocolates - these little lovelies are like a supercharged version of those Japanese Pocky sticks - very portable and munchable.

Beside the fact that the entire collection of Charles Chocolates is available at the store, another reason you should go is that you can try anything there! The staff is quite friendly and knowledgeable and eager to recommend the chocolates that will delight your tastebuds. Also, through the month of March, there will be free tastings every Saturday of certain chocolates - you can learn about how Chuck came up with the idea for different chocolates and how they are made.

I'll give another update when the new kitchen is open and I get to take a peek inside, but I hope in the meantime you get a chance to make your way to Emeryville and try some of the best local chocolate around!

Charles Chocolates

6529 Hollis Street

Emeryville, CA

510-652-4412

store@charleschocolates.com

Open daily 11AM - 7PM

Tagged with: Charles Chocolates + Bay Area chocolate + artisan chocolates

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I'm in Edible East Bay!

Please allow me to share a very exciting bit of news: I have been published in a magazine! Edible East Bay, a quarterly magazine that focuses on local and seasonal foods in the East Bay (for those of you not from around Northern California, that would be the area east of San Francisco - think Berkeley, Oakland, Walnut Creek, Livermore.) has just come out with its Spring issue.

My contribution is an article on Bittersweet Chocolate Cafe, a little shop in Oakland's upscale Rockridge area that I've mentioned before, and where I've been making pastries in the kitchen for the last few months. I'm pleased to provide a behind the sce