128. Portland - Pearl Bakery is a Treasured Jewel (Portland: Pearl District)

After tasting Pearl Bakery's brioche for breakfast at Bijou Café, I wanted to check out the shop for myself to see what other wondrous bread options they had.  I stumbled into the bakery on a Monday morning when plenty of people in the Pearl District were in a mad dash for caffeine.  I'm sure those who were waiting in line behind me didn't appreciate that I ordered the croissant... and then the other croissant... oh, and then a coffee too.  Anything else? A macaron too, please.

Of course I got the standard butter croissant.  But in an instant I longed for something savory too.  So I asked for the ham & gruyere croissant as well.  It had to be eaten.  And it had to be eaten with a coffee.  Black.  Always.  I took one bite of the butter croissant... it was flaky with just enough of that butter essence.  No margarine or shortening here.  Then I took a bite of the ham and cheese croissant.  A bit more firm.  Yesss, the cheese... oh, the cheese.  Good.  A sip of coffee.  My mind was darting here and there.  I ate the pastries the way I made my selections at the counter.  If only I could make my pastry decisions the way I make my decisions about my coffee...

The white, vanilla bean Parisian macarons were staring at me in the display case.  They really were.  They were staring at me with their little vanilla bean spots... and they were saying... you want me.  Eat me.  Now.  Please.  I could envision them blinking at me.  Yes, I wanted it.  I wanted to eat it.  Right away.  Yes, please.

So a single, lone macaron was bought.  And that single, lone macaron was eaten.  Mmm... fluffy and creamy and stretchy all at the same time.  These three little pastries were enough to make me believe that Pearl Bakery makes treasured jewels of their baked goods.  Yum, but my mind was darting again.  It was time for doughnuts.  Off we go! Until we meet again at the doughnut shop (in 10 minutes), let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20130624

Post 100: A Quartet of Cupcakes from Wonderland Custom Cakes (LA-SGV: Pasadena)

After finishing up a post on macarons from Old Town Pasadena, I thought it would be fitting to continue posting on sweets from this same neighborhood.  This post features a quartet of cupcakes from Wonderland Custom Cakes.  WCC is one of the newcomers in Old Town Pasadena, an area which has no shortage of cupcakeries and shops that specialize in sweet treats.  However, Wonderland seems more like a seasoned veteran rather than a rookie in the cupcake business.  They are two-time winners of Food Network's batter battle bonanza Cupcake Wars, and it is clear why.  The flavors they feature are distinctly unique, and the taste is neither too sweet nor too greasy.  My cousin Emily brought me some of their champion cupcakes for my birthday recently, and they soon won me over.

The first cupcake I tasted was the chocolate bacon.  Most cupcakeries have thought it quite avant-garde to pair the flavors of bacon and maple.  Wonderland, on the other hand, pairs the flavor of bacon with chocolate instead.  Even better.  The pairing of bacon with chocolate cake tasted less sweet than the typical pairing of bacon with maple syrup frosting.  The pieces of salty, rendered bacon were crispy and provided great crunch against the softness of the cake itself.  In short, it was awesome.

The next cupcake I tried was the biscotti.  I was quite impressed with the idea of a biscotti flavored cake and frosting... the cupcake really did taste like biscotti.  In fact, the cupcakery got the authenticity of the flavors so spot on that the anise seeds are dotted throughout the cake batter.  For those who are not found of licorice flavor, this biscotti cupcake has what seems like a minefield of anise seeds.  Although it brings the cupcake a genuine biscotti taste, the remarkably sparsely added anise seeds gave a startling explosive taste of potent licorice against the background of a mild tasting cake.  For licorice lovers and true biscotti aficionados though, this is the cupcake for you.

After the biscotti cupcake my roommate and I dug into the smores cupcake.  What was really unique about this cupcake was that the frosting was not just marshmallow flavored.  It was actual marshmallow... color, taste, texture and all... white, airy, fluffy, meringue-like, sweet marshmallow.  The center of the cake had a chocolate filling, and the graham cracker was dusted as crumbs.  It was like a childhood campfire in cupcake form.  Oh, what nostalgic genius.

The last of the quartet of cupcakes was the black + white, one of the flavors on the menu of daily produced cupcakes from Wonderland Custom Cakes.  It was a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting complete with little specks of vanilla bean.  The moist chocolate cake and creamy vanilla frosting was a even balance of cocoa sweet and sugar sweet.  It was one of the best standard black + white cupcakes I have ever had. 

A visit to WCC is now in the works after being won over by these cupcakes.  Okay, that is all for now.  Eat more cupcakes.  Sugar high.  Whoo! Until next time let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20121202

Post 98: On the Hunt for Macarons (Chicago: Old Town/Near North Side)

I was on the hunt for macarons... specifically macarons from La Fournette, an authentic French bakery in the Old Town Chicago.  After parting ways with Jen post lunch at XOCO I set out for a quick trip to Old Town before heading back to the airport.  Along the way to La Fournette, I came across The Twisted Baker, a local bakeshop/café.  They had macarons too.

Their macarons were bite-sized, and there were just two flavors left in the shelf for the day... vanilla and lime.  So I bought them... all of them.  There was a sign that proudly displayed that their colorful creations were gluten free.  I am not sure if these macarons are specifically gluten free or if all macarons are naturally gluten free.  Does anyone have an answer for that? Gluten free or not, the macarons were quite elastic... a texture that rarely comes across in these petite pastries.  The vanilla macaron had frosty buttercream in the center while the lime macaron tasted more like a citrus flavored cupcake icing.  Both were good and not overly sweet, especially with the hot tea that I ordered.

So now that I held almost a dozen mini macarons in my hand, I stayed to get some work done using their free internet.  I'm glad I did because the twisted baker herself (and her baking staff) began to make pastry tart shells from scratch.  The scent of butter... delicious, irresistible butter wafted through the open kitchen and into the seating area.  The smell was orgasmic.  Really.  I did not want to leave... so I sat there attempting to engage myself in the electronic correspondence of corporate America while the teasing smell of butter kept interrupting my focus.  It was no different from sending e-mails in a strip club... only that the strippers here are baked goods that smell like butter drenched carbohydrates rather than fake strawberry lip gloss.  Or... so I hear.

Finally, I had enough of a butter high.  It was time to jump off Temptation Island of baked goods and high tail it back to O' Hare.  But it was as soon as I stepped off the stairs of the bakery I noticed that La Fournette, what I had been searching for the entire time, was right next door.  There were two bakeries standing back to back... both with macrons... I guess it was my lucky day.

As I walked in through the door, I was greeted with a cheery "Bonjour!" by the staff at the front counter.  There was a bountiful bunch of bread on the shelves.  Chalkboards that displayed the lunch specials hung from the walls.  There was a definite French feel to the bakery.  Not that I have ever been to France, but this is what I imagine a Parisian bakery to be like.  I made a B line for the macarons.

I picked up a variety of flavors (pumpkin, chocolate, peanut butter chocolate), and all were good... but five stood out the most for the intensity of their true flavors.  I enjoyed the pistachio, mango passion, cassis (black currant), and Lord Bergamot (a tea similar to Earl Grey).  The most interesting of them all was a special macaron that used a blend of spices from The Spice House across the street.  I am glad to see that community economics comes into play in Old Town Chicago.  Props to The Spice House and La Fournette for forming a partnership to create inventive desserts.  I will be back for the jams, preserves, and other spreads that are made in house, all of which became a temptation to further stuff my baggage.

Whereas The Twisted Baker seems to be more of an American bakeshop that specializes in pies, cakes, and tarts, La Fournette is more of a French bakery that capitalizes on its bread selection and other traditional classics such as croissants and crepes.  Both of which are worthy local shops that present high quality products.  Next time I visit the Windy City, I will definitely return to Old Town for these two neighborhood gems.  I plan to drop by The Spice House also.  Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20121114