Thoughts & Reflections

Category: Sweets

  • Sweet Treat: Soy Milk Blancmange

    Soy Milk Blancmange

    One of my favorite summer treats is the soy milk blancmange from Panya. It’s creamy without (or with less of) the fat of dairy and it reminds me a little of the Chinese sweet tofu I love to eat at the end of dim sum. The blancmange from Panya is sandwiched between a match base and a layer of yuzu gelatin topped with fruit. It’s light, smooth and refreshing and for me, there’s less guilt when it comes to wanting something sweet on a hot day. One of these days, I shall have to learn how to make it so I can have it whenever I want.

  • Ovenly

    Ovenly

    When I was in Greenpoint a few weeks ago, I meant to drop in at Ovenly but somehow it completely slipped my mind as I went exploring up and down streets I had never walked along when I was younger (my family used to do much of our supermarket shopping in Greenpoint, years and years before gentrification took over). I was in the area again this past Sunday for a craft fair and I made the bakery my starting point lest I forget again. The day was beautiful and most of the seats were empty in the small shop when I arrived; many people ordered to go and likely took their food and drink to the riverside park down the block.

    Brooklyn Blackout Cake and Ginger Hibiscus Tea

    After browsing the day’s selections, I settled for a slice of the Brooklyn Blackout Cake and a Ginger Hibiscus Iced Tea. I’ve had Blackout Cake from other bakeries though none have been as black as this one; even the frosting had a matte finish to it and the appearance reminded me a blackboard. The cake was delicious: it was moist and surprisingly not as sweet as I thought it would be, which was a very, very good thing. And the iced tea was a wonderful and refreshing accompaniment.

  • Ample Hills Creamery

    Ample Hills Creamery

    I’ve been spending a lot more time in my home borough these days. When I was in the Boerum Hill/Prospect Heights vicinity recently, I finally decided to pay a visit to Ample Hills Creamery. What appeared to be a quick walk on a map ended up much longer thanks to streets that turned in different directions but in the end, I finally got there.

    Chalkboard Menu

    It was a hot afternoon that day and so there was a long line of people waiting to buy their ice cream. When I finally made it to the front of the queue, I quickly browsed the menu and settled for my favorite ice cream flavor, Strawberries & Cream.

    Strawberry Ice Cream

    Not many places make a good strawberry ice cream that meet my satisfaction but the one at Ample Hills is awesome. One could taste the strawberries in every bite and I think it Ample Hills is now my favorite place to get it if I want locally made ice cream. Barring that, I will still be happy with my second choice, Häagen-Dazs (can’t go wrong with ice cream and lots of frozen strawberry bits blended in).

  • Sweet Treat: Religieuse Griottes Amande

    Cherry Almond Religieuse

    This was one of the desserts I bought on my way out after brunch at Ladurée. I love cherries in desserts so this was a must get item. The religieuse was basically two cream puffs stacked on top of each other with cherries and an almond cream filling. It was very tasty! This is also the first dessert I’ve ever bought at Ladurée.

    During my very first London trip, we stopped at the Ladurée store in Harrods Food Hall and I bought a large box of macarons and a croissant. I don’t think they had other pastries at the time though if they did, I opted for something I could easily bring back to the States. That croissant was my breakfast the next day, eaten in my hotel room before we headed to Heathrow for the return trip home. And since then, I’ve always wanted to try their other offerings that we couldn’t get until this SoHo location finally opened.

  • Sweet Treat: MallowMore

    MallowMore

    It had been a rough week at work and I really wanted something sweet to help lift the mood. Fortunately, more bakeries have opened in the past few years in midtown so it’s easier to get dessert near the office when it’s time for a tea or coffee break. I stopped into Bouchon and ended up with a hot cross bun (for breakfast the next day) and a gourmet version of a mallowmar, which they call “MallowMore”.

    When I was little, my grandfather would buy a pack of mallowmars from time to time and every time I see them in a store, I think of when he would give one to my sister and I as afterschool treats. The Bouchon version is of an extra large size, compared to the store-bought variety. It was just as sweet as the ones I remember and it took me two sittings to eat it all. Though, I think I prefer the pre-packaged ones since they are of a more manageable size (with a better ratio of marshmallow to cookie and chocolate) and they bring back some good memories.

  • Eclair Bakery

    Eclairs

    When it comes to éclairs, my personal favorites are those with vanilla cream inside and chocolate glaze outside. Unfortunately, this style is hard to find in the city; most of the éclairs I come across have the same flavor for filling and icing. If I have a craving, I will usually get a vanilla éclair if available; my second choice would likely be any that came with a vanilla cream. Chocolate éclairs end up being far too sweet for my tastes.

    Thankfully, I now have more options than the usual chocolate, vanilla, coffee or caramel flavors. There’s really no better place to get them than at the aptly named Éclair Bakery. Though they don’t offer the old-fashioned version, I can still walk away with something I like. On my last visit, it took me a while to decide which flavors to buy but I settled on pistachio, maple pecan, coconut, and vanilla with strawberries.

    At some point, I will try their other sweets as well but for now, it’s all about their signature product.

  • Sweet Treat: Strawberry Spring Cake

    Mini Strawberry Spring Cake

    When I was at Takahachi Bakery, I only meant to pick up a birthday cake but something else caught my eye. This mini strawberry spring cake has everything I love: strawberries, cake and whipped cream. An added treat was the strawberry custard filling inside. I’m glad it wasn’t frosted on the outside; it’s sweet enough as is for my tastes and I’m trying to eat less dairy since it’s not good for my skin, unfortunately. The desserts at Takahachi rarely disappoint and I’ve been enjoying this one over the last few days.

  • Matsunosuke

    Banana split brownie and tea

    It seems as if I’ve been working my way through all the wonderful Japanese bakeries and cafés in the city lately. Matsunosuke is the latest one to open, a Japanese chain opening its first Stateside location. It specializes in pies but so far, all I’ve had has been their chocolate offerings. On my first visit at the start of the year, I bought a slice of chocolate cream pie and this past weekend, I ended up with their banana split brownie. I really wanted a slice of the signature apple pie but it was sold out when I visited.

    The brownie reminded me of a smore, with the toasted miniature marshmallows and slivered almonds that decorated the top. There was a hint of banana in the brownie itself but it didn’t overpower the chocolate flavors at all. It was also a very rich dessert; I would’ve been happy with an even smaller portion since it was so sweet. And I finished it with a cup of hojicha, the only tea option available but it is a great choice to complement the different sweets served.

  • Patisserie Tomoko

    Patisserie Tomoko

    Patisserie Tomoko open kitchen

    It’s really nice to finally have a good dessert place in my neighborhood. There are plenty of cafés and bakeries but none of them stand out like Patisserie Tomoko. I’ve been wanting to visit ever since it opened but it’s a bit of a walk and the weather was warm enough over the weekend to allow for an excursion.

    Once inside, the space is divided into two sections with an open kitchen right in the center. There are seats around the counter for dining in to the left and a takeaway area to the right. I took a seat at the back and studied the short menu. It is a dessert prix-fixe: one dessert with petits fours. There is also a premium set which comes with an additional starter. I asked about the starter and decided it wasn’t for me so I ordered the standard set and a pot of tea. Wine pairings are also available and suggestions are listed below each item on the menu.

    Pear Mille-feuille

    Petits Fours

    The dessert that stood out to me was the Pear Mille-feuille with Earl Grey Ice Cream. I cannot say no to pears and Earl Grey though I chose a pot of genmaicha to balance it out. The pastry and ice cream were both delicious and thankfully not too heavy. When my empty plate was removed, a dish of petits fours arrived: matcha shortbread, a banana chocolate macaron, and kumquat financier. The latter was my favorite of the three thanks to the sweet and tart flavor of the kumquat.

    At the takeaway counter, there are many more desserts available as well as a few savory items. I bought a pumpkin flan and a lemon tart for my sister and she said both desserts were very good. I’m looking forward to trying some of the other items as well.

  • La Churreria

    La Churreria

    After a belated birthday dinner with dessert, a friend and I ended up having a second helping of sweets at La Churreria. We were in the general area and for a Friday night, it wasn’t crowded at all; perhaps we were a bit earlier than the drinking crowd and there was only one other occupied table when we arrived.

    Initially, I wanted the churros con chocolate but I ended up satisfying my flan craving instead, choosing a crème caramel and a pot of chamomile tea (no more caffeine for me at that hour). And briefly, I was transported back to Granja La Pallaresa in Barcelona.