Oh my sorely neglected sweets

You’d think that I’ve given up sugar. Lost my appetite for cake. Am shying away from all things fudgy, crunchy, creamy, chocolaty, gooey and otherwise so sublimely satisfying.

Trust me. Nothing is further from the truth.

While I haven’t had any good hauls at new bakeries, I have been stuffing my maw with morning pastries…

… cookies…

....cakes…

...decadent breakfasts…

....and, especially, ice cream…

More important, I am planning on getting out in the field more these upcoming weeks to give my sweet tooth some proper exercise.

From top to bottom: pastries at The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, CO; almond croissant from Ceci-Cela; walnut chocolate chip cookie from Levain; salted chocolate chip cookie from Ovenly, BK; wedding cake from Lot 2, BK; homemade three-layer strawberry cake; french toast from Homemade, BK; peach ice cream from Old Lyme Ice Cream Shop, Old Lyme, CT; Dairy Queen goodness from Old Saybrook, CT; homemade gelato sampler from Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria.

Floats for the Post

I've started doing some writing for the New York Post, which has taken me on more than a few delicious adventures including amazing rotisserie chicken at 606 R&D in Prospect Heights and beautifully creamy homemade ricotta and gnocchi at Alimentari & Vineria in Noho. More recently, I tapped into my sweet side, sampling some of the city's most insane floats.

The decadence of the three scoops of cinnamon gelato, paired with crunchy bits of chocolate-covered graham crackers, white chocolate hazelnut meringue cookies, tiny cubes of espresso gelée, shards of milk chocolate embedded with pop rocks, and stout beer at the courtyard restaurant of the New York Palace hotel just didn't come across in my photo.

Thank god there are professionals for that.

 Check out all the other deliciousness here.

I still dream about Buonocore gelato

Close your eyes and imagine that delicious smell of waffles being made. In this case, a waffle cone. Breathe in, deeply. Mmmmm…

That’s exactly what hit me in the face as I walked down via Vittorio Emanuele in Capri a couple weeks back. Obviously I had no choice but to stop at Buonocre gelateria, the source of that amazing smell and a full range of creamy, indulgent gelato flavors. From which I chose stracciatella and tiramisu.

And when they placed my cone in my hand?

It was still warm. Imagine, a warm waffle cone with cool, creamy, beyond-amazing gelato. The stuff that dreams are made of.
The next day I went back and tried toasted almond and chocolette (a chocolate and hazelnut combo—every bit as amazing as it sounds, though the toasted almond smoked it).

And the day after that, I sampled gianduja and cherry vanilla.

It was with such memories in my head that I dragged Jo to Caramella, a petit ice cream shop on rue des Martyrs that I’ve always wanted to go to.

Maybe it’s unfair to have finally visited this “modern ice creamery” when Buonocore was still tickling my taste buds. For it was good, but not great. I had salted caramel and noissette—two flavors that never fail to make me shimmy in appreciation. But it just wasn’t as rich or creamy or mind-blowing as the Italian gelato.

Which begs the standard issue question: what is the difference between ice cream and gelato??

For one thing, the machines that make gelato churn slower so there is less air pumped in the mixture. Thus its denser, creamier, more heavenly texture.

And the recipes usually include more egg yolks, more milk and less cream… so gelato, incredibly, has fewer calories than ice cream.

So until I find a suitable gelato fix in Paris, my daily cono piccolo in Capri still has me dreaming.

47 rue Martyrs

Cupcakes take over Paris

First it was New York. Every new storefront seemed to feature pastel-colored, floral-decorated little pieces of cake. Some mini, some oversized, in flavors ranging from chocolate to banana, marble to red velvet. Then the creep spread westward. To Brown Betty in Philly to Holy Cow Cupcakes in Indiana to Sprinkles in sunny So-Cal.

In fall of 2008, cupcakes arrived in Paris when sisters Rebecca and Maggy opened their 11th arrondisement Cupcakes & Co, an absolute gem of a bakery specializing in only cupcakes, made from top-notch natural ingredients (vanilla bourbon with glazed figs and pine nuts, anyone?) And now, just like New York nearly 10 years ago, cupcakes are taking over Paris.



From biggies Berko and Le Bon Marché, to neighborhood patisseries like Moulin de la Vierge—pop, pop, pop—the cute little creations are becoming ubiquitous. I walked by Il Gelato, an artisanal gelateria on the Boulevard Saint-Germain that features fountains of chocolate and pistachio fondant and low-sugar ice cream, and what was in the window?




Bien sur, cupcakes.

November Tour: Rue Montorgueil’s Embarrassment of Rich-Riches

I don’t mean to boast, but I chose my neighborhood well. At the one end of rue Montorgueil, you have Deliziefollie. At the other, Eric Kayser. And in between, it’s a sheer embarrassment of riches.

Let’s start with Deliziefollie (7 rue Montorgueil), the Italian gelateria. They have dozens of decadent flavors to ogle, from the savory (hazelnut) to the spicy (cinnamon); from fruity (mango) to boozy (rum raisin) to just plain sweet (strawberries and cream). And if a frozen dessert on an autumn day doesn’t cut it, you can get a piping hot Nutella crepe from their stand out front.

Just a couple doors up, Charles Chocolatier (15 rue Montorgueil) is a heavenly oasis of artisinal treats. The long-standing chocolate shop (since 1910) offers lovely dark chocolate bonbons and tablettes, plus killer hot cocoa.

Does Stohrer (51 rue Montorgueil) have the best chocolate éclair in the city? Despite the obscene number of times I’ve been in this gorgeous little patisserie—a historic gem, founded in 1730 by King Louis XV’s pastry chef, Nicolas Stohrer—I still haven’t tried one. Although Stohrer has received city’s best honors from Le Figaro, I can’t seem to get beyond the puits d’amour, tartelette aux figues or Neptune cake, which is like a giant Rocher chocolate.

I know Paul (63 rue Montorgueil) is a chain, and I can be a world-class snob when it comes to chains. But besides their heavenly baguettes, Paul makes a perfect pit-stop for pain au chocolat, tartes aux citrons and those pepito loafs that are chock full of chocolate chips and sweet pastry cream.

My love for dried pineapple is no secret. Nor should it be a surprise that A la Mere de Famille (82 rue Montorgueil) is my supplier. Beyond their luscious bins of dried fruit is a cute little store filled with caramels, marzipan, lollis, marshmallows and chocolates.

My incredibly rich mocha birthday cake this year came from Maison Collett (100 rue Montorgueil) so I have a soft spot for this patisserie.

Despite having all these delicious options, I will often walk by them to get to Eric Kayser. Another master breadmaker, Kayser also knows his sweets. With goodies like the chocolaty Opera cake, beautiful raspberry pistachio cake, and strawberry bressane—a round, flat pastry topped with cream, sugar and berries, from the Bresse area of the Rhône-Alpes—wouldn’t you?

Gelato for all moods

I have no problem paying six euros for an exquisite pastry or gateau, no matter what its size. But I can also be horribly cheap.

The other day, I was feeling sorry for myself and wanted to throw a big ole pity party with a little bit of ice cream. But just a little. So when I saw the petit, petit carton of Ben & Jerry’s—basically the size of those Dixie cups of vanilla and chocolate you used to get in grade school—at the corner robber, I grabbed a container of chocolate fudge brownie and brought it to the cash register with glee. Until he rang it up for five euros. Five euros?! That’s $7.31. For about 8 ounces of ice cream. Trop cher pour moi.

Especially when you can go to a gelateria like Deliziefollie and get two homemade scoops of rich and decadent flavors for half that price. Don’t get me wrong—I love my Ben & Jerry’s. But I also love my hard-earned centimes. And pressing my nose against the glass display case of such deliciousness.

Rum raisin, cinnamon, hazelnut...

Mango, mint chip, banana...

Fleur de lait, black cherry, toasted almond...

Gelato: the ultimate mood enhancer.

7, rue Montorgueil
2eme

11 ice cream sandwiches for the books

Emily Luchetti, pastry chef and lucky author of such books as A Passion for Desserts and A Passion for Ice Cream, is having an ice cream sandwich creation contest. It got me to thinking about the possibilities… all the wild, wonderful, over-the-top possibilities. No wonder she wrote a book about it.

Since I don’t really bake, I drew inspiration from my favorite New York and San Francisco cookies and ice cream. The more I thought about it, the harder it became to pick just the right combination. But I think I have some winners. In order from most refined to the most ridiculous, here are my 11 submissions to the contest:

• Il Laboratorio del Gelato lavender gelato sandwiched between two light, airy sugar cookies.

• Ruby & Violette champagne strawberry chocolate chip cookies sandwiching tangerine sorbet.

• Jacques Torres double chocolate chip cookies sandwiching raspberry sorbet.

• Tarallucci e Vino pignolli cookies with vanilla rum gelato and a swirl of caramel.

• Two macadamia and white chocolate chip cookies, sandwiching Grom gianduja ice cream.

• Salted caramel ice cream from Bi-Rite Creamery in between two thin, crisp ginger snaps.

• This Chick Bakes vegan ginger molasses cookies with rum raisin ice cream.

• Bi-Rite Creamery roasted banana ice cream with a spoonful of Nutella, sandwiched between snickerdoodles.

• Chocolate peanut butter chip cookies sandwiching Bi-Rite malted vanilla with peanut brittle and milk chocolate pieces ice cream (hurt me).

• A chocolate chip whopper—either the walnut chocolate chip cookie from Levain or the wheatgerm chocolate chip cookie from Specialty’s—with the middle scooped out, an oversized dollop of toasted walnut gelato dropped in, and then the cookie bit placed on top again, like a dainty little chapeau.

• Momofuku compost cookies (pretzels, chips, coffee grinds, toffee bits, chocolate chips) sandwiching Ben & Jerry’s triple caramel chunk ice cream, dipped and frozen in chocolate.

September Tour: Giant palmiers, fleur du lait gelato and a double shot of chocolate

The residential eighth and seventeenth arrondisements get bad raps for being stuffy and boring. But right where the two neighborhoods meet is a sensational oasis of sweetness that’s pretty exciting, if you ask me.

Case in point: a small gem of a salon de thé/bakery/chocolatier, La Petite Rose, is just a couple doors down from one of the dozen + city locations of the famed patisserie Lenotre (11 & 15, blvd de Courcelles, respectively). This modest spot currently has beautiful fresh fruit tartlettes (apricot, raspberry, apple). Or you can save your pastry appetite for a millefeuille at Lenotre and leave La Petite Rose with a pretty pink and brown box of chocolate bonbons for later.

Once you cross the boulevard to rue de Levis, you enter the 17th arrondisement—and a long stretch of sweet possibilities.

At the tip of the street (6, rue de Levis), the charming Beaux Arts façade of Le Moulin de la Vierge will beckon you inside the pocket-sized bakery that packs in all of the classics: individual baba au rhums, tartlette aux noix and the palmiers the size of your head.

There are only twelve gelato and sorbet flavors at Pozzetto (21, rue de Levis), but still, you’ll have a hard time deciding. How could you not with options like fleur de lait, gianduja, peach and melon?

Personally, it’s all but impossible to walk by an Arnaud Delmontel (23, rue de Levis) and not get something. I devil dog dare you to look in the window and skip one of his bright and shiny fondant-frosted cakes or lemon-raspberry financiers.

Once you leave rue de Levis and go a little further into the 17th, you’ll be rewarded with a double shot of chocolate. The sustainable, artisinal chocolate salon, Puerto Cacao (53, rue de Tocqueville) offers multi-course chocolate indulgences (a pot of hot cocoa to wash down that chocolate-drenched tartine?). Or you can pop across the street where La Petite Chocolatière supplements its chocolate bonbons with freshly made macarons.

August Tour: A Sweet Peak at the Ninth Arrondisement, Part I

The ninth arrondisement is largely unknown to tourists and under-appreciated by locals. But that’s all changing. So enjoy this neighborhood, and its abundance of sweets, while the sidewalks and shops are still unclogged.

Start at A la Mere de Famille (35 Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre). The old-timey tiled floors and wood paneling will make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time to 1761 when this lost-in-time candy and chocolate shop opened. There are house-made chocolates and caramels and cakes, but since they have the best dried pineapple in the city, I’d put my centimes to the fruits secs.

Carry on north up rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, which will bring you to rue des Martyrs, a heavenly street of fromageries, poissoneries, caveaux, produce markets and beaucoup de boulangeries. Pop in to #15 for a quick sugar fix—Karamell, a Swedish candy store, offers all manner of gummies, suckers and chocolate bonbons by the piece.

Keep hoofing it up the hill (today, you’ve got to burn extra calories) to Arnaud Delmontel (39 rue des Martyrs). One of the best breadmakers in the city, Delmontel also creates gorgeous cakes and pastries. My favorite? The big, flakey bear claw filled with pistachio and almond paste.

Still hungry? Keep climbing. At 47 rue des Martyrs, Caramella is waiting to serve you dreamy creamy ice cream in adventurous flavors like peanut butter and jelly and good old standbys like chocolate.

Along the way, did you notice Rose Bakery across the street? We’re saving that for Part II.

The mixing bowl: Katherine Thompson

Katherine Thompson is a lucky woman. Not only is she married to dell'anima and L'Artusi executive chef Gabe Thompson, she's the pastry chef for both of these divine restaurants. She clearly has a privileged palate and shares her love for coconut, cream, olive oil cake and more.

Growing up, my favorite sweet was:
Growing up my mom's friend was a pastry chef and made the most amazing thick, dark and dense chocolate pate. I was obsessed with it. I've tried to recreate it, but my versions don't do it justice.

My favorite sweet now is:
Banana split at Blue Ribbon. No frills. Exactly as it should be.

Favorite dessert:
The olive oil cake at L'Artusi. Gabe convinced me to put it on the menu. At first no one ordered it, and then it took off. It is simple and tasty too.

Favorite thing about the West Village:
The people that live in the neighborhood. Gabe and I have met so many wonderful people here that have welcomed us into their lives. It feels like home here.

Truffles or pralines:
Pralines. Love the crunch.

White, milk or dark:
Dark with lots of salt.

Caramel, ganache or cream:
Love them all. Cream is probably my favorite. I love the contrast of unsweetened whipped cream with a sweet dessert.

The perfect pairing:
Sour cream coffee cake with coffee.

I'd love to create new flavors for:
Coconut. After hating coconut for my entire life, I realized that I now am completely obsessed with coconut. I can't get enough.

Kitchen essentials:
My sous chef, Jenny Lee. She rocks!

Style essentials:
Keep it simple.

Pastry chefs I admire:
Tai Chopping. She taught me everything.

I'm most inspired when:
My mom and I talk about food. She is a pastry chef too and always has good ideas.

How much is too much?
Sugar can be overdone. I'm not a fan of overly sweet desserts.

Favorite movie snack:
Popcorn with tons of fake butter and M&M's mixed into the bag.

Guilty pleasure:
Freshly spun ice cream or gelato. There is nothing better.

Other favorites:
Celebrity gossip

Sweet Freak Smackdown: San Francisco v. New York

New York is the reigning champ of sweets. It’s that easy. But if you have you have to score in another city (that’s not Paris), San Francisco is as good a contender as any. How do the two cities fare in a Sweet Freak Smackdown?

Specialty’s v. Levain

Sigh. There’s nothing better than a whopper of a cookie. Levain takes the cake with its six-ounce beauties. But Specialty’s isn’t far behind.

My love for Specialty’s—in particular, the wheatgerm chocolate chip cookie (just trust me on this one)—was very deep when I lived in San Francisco. It hasn’t waned. That I got to the Battery Street location just when the black and white cookies were pulled warm from the oven only solidified my love for the hippie-ish café.

Verdict: Levain for consistency and quality. Specialty’s for range of flavors (11 of them) and fun.

Tartine Bakery v. City Bakery

These two are different, that’s for sure. Tartine is small, City Bakery is sprawling. Tartine is still firmly entrenched in French pastries, CB has mastered American snacks. Tartine is six-years-old, Maury Rubin served his first tarts in 1990. But they both produce the most mind-blowing baked goods (as well as savories) that warrant the vulture-like fans who pace and scope, pace and scope, waiting a wee table to open so they can sit and feast.

Verdict: Tartine for its bread pudding. City Bakery for its peanut butter cookie.

Bi-Rite Creamery v. il Laboratorio del Gelato

Both of these homegrown gelato shops produce small batches of unique flavors made with the best (best, best) ingredients. As much as I love il Laboratorio, I’ve never had ice cream as good as the salted caramel at Bi-Rite. Never.

Verdict: Give it up for SF.

Recchuiti v. Kee’s

Michael Recchuiti is an exacting chocolatier. So is Kee Ling Tong. Michael’s signature treats are the fleur de sel caramels and s’more bites. Kee’s are the crème brulee truffles and fresh macaroons. Michael has an adorable sliver of a spot in the gorgeous Ferry Building. Kee’s eked out space in western Soho. I could go on. They’re both amazing. But…

Verdict: This one goes to Kee’s.

Fog City News v. Food Emporium

World-class chocolate should be more available. Kudos to Fog City News and Food Emporium/Trump Plaza for doing their part to share the wealth with the masses. Fog City News offers over 100 bars from around the world. Food Emporium for its sheer brazenness of attaching a fine chocolate shop to the smelly

Verdict: Fog City News for its impressive selection. Food Emporium for the brazenness of attaching a fine chocolate shop to a smelly grocery store.

Verdict

This one is tough. San Francisco has no shortage of kickass sweet shops. I didn’t even mention Miette, Citizen Cake or Bittersweet.

But New York is… New York. Untouchable. Delicious. Divine. From cupcakes at Batch or ChikaLicious Dessert Club to croissants at Patisserie Claude or Amai Bakeshop. From scones at Alice’s Tea Cup to brownies at Baked. From soy desserts at Kyotofu to vegan treats from This Chick Bakes. From cocoa at Jacques Torres to pudding from the Dessert Truck. From Doughnut Plant to Birdbath, Papabubble to Three Tarts, Lady M to Black Hound, Sugar Sweet Sunshine to Two Little Red Hens… okay, it’s not so tough after all.

Sweet on Shake Shack

With all the hoopla over new Van Leeuwen ice cream truck, Tribeca cart wars and frozen yogurt taking over the city, it's like Shake Shack's frozen custard has melted from memory. Not for me.

I blew by all the chumps waiting in line for burgers and went straight to the B line — custard express — and got the flavor of the day: Plum crumb.

Creamy texture + tart and tangy aftertaste + bits of crumb (strange little blonde pellets) = the perfect treat for another hot summer day.

Strawberries and cream… and pine nuts

I know why strawberry shortcake is served in the summer, and it has nothing to do with strawberries being in season. It's just because it's the lightest, sweetest dessert that's perfect for a summer night.

Bennie and I had a nice dinner at Sapporo East, the whole time remarking on the importance of getting in shape and eating healthy and feeling good about our bodies. But he was hell-bent on dessert, and I'm pretty easily persuaded.


So after dinner, we dashed across the street to Tarallucci e Vino. Inside the display case of insane pastries (and gelato), one in particular stood out, looking like a Twinkie on steroids.

This ladyfinger cake is all golden brown on the outside. Inside is whipped cream and sliced strawberries. A pocket of delight.

But it had nothing on the pignolli cookie.

Ben insisted on getting this cookie, which, to me, looked like a dry, boring Italian cookie (another case of looks being deceiving). But it's made with marzipan. I was shocked. One bite, and I realized I have a new favorite sweet. The light chewiness, combined with the earthy pine nuts, dusted gently with confectioner's sugar… everything in this world should be so good.

163 First Avenue at 10th
212.228.5400

Obsession of the week: gelato

We started the week near 100 degrees and finished with 76% humidity.
Summer's here, which calls for fully indulging in ice cream.

And how lucky we are to live in a city that has tons of amazing gelato. Not as much stellar ice cream, but places like Sundaes & Cones can hold their own.

I can't wait to get my hands on a custardy shake from Shake Shack and an ice cream sandwich from Jacques Torres. But first, I need to sample some ice cream from Ronnybrook...

5 best ice cream spots

What's the difference between ice cream and gelato? Air and fat. Ice cream whips more air in, losing some concentration of flavor. It also uses cream—gelato, milk—which has more fat... which is a good or bad thing, depending how you look at it. In any case, they're both delicious and, more important, neither are frozen yogurt. Here's where to find the best scoops in the city:

• Ciao Bella
The original. Apple caramel crisp, bourbon pecan, mango, fresh mint, white chocolate raspberry swirl. Love the packaging, too.

• il Laboratorio del Gelato
The hipster. Thai chili chocolate, black sesame, vanilla saffron, licorice, earl grey.

• Grom
The import. Hazelnut, whipped cream, gianduja, nougat, cinnamon.

• Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
The fun factory. Avocado, lychee, red bean, peanut butter and jelly, watermelon.

• Ben & Jerry's
The classic. Sorry — had to do it. Ever since I drove up to Waterbury, VT as a college sophomore, I've been hooked on the company's history, vibe, mission, morals and crazy flavors. I mean, Phish Food and Half Baked? Come on.

‘Tis the season

Summer’s here. We’ve barely eased into June and we have the heat, the humidity, and the haze that turn the city a milky grey color.

Time for ice cream. Scratch that — gelato. Gelato from a genius.

Jon Snyder opened il Laboratorio del Gelato, a clean, white sliver of a space, in 2002. This was 19 years after he started Ciao Bella, the city’s other go-to gelato store, which he subsequently sold in ’89. None of this is terribly important or relevant except it goes to show that this guy loves gelato, loves experimenting with flavors (there are 75), and creates something that every Sweet Freak loves.

The toasted sesame gelato brings a smoky, savoriness to the sweet base of cream and sugar. The buttermilk has that tangy, sour flavor of… buttermilk. Delicate floral notes and small flecks of lavender make the honey lavender taste light and refreshing. And the milk chocolate is, omigodness, the most satisfying combination of sweet and rich and cold and creamy.

Don’t wait to go there for dessert. The shop closes at 7pm. And when you do go, please try the rose petal, black mission fig, or olive oil for me.

95 Orchard St between Broome and Delancey
212.343.9922