#23: Short & Sweet
Pastry is having some kind of moment, although really, is it ever not? Everyone knows that the stability of our universe depends on the intricate balance of dark and light forces, so in order to create the space for adaptogens and functional mushrooms and raw water, the world needs tacros and Nutellasgana to keep things in check.
Desserts have always been a playground for whimsy and experimentation. Take, for example, pastry chef Dinara Kasko's positively stunning architectural 'kinetic sculptures,' constructed in elaborate 3-D printed molds. Or if you're in NYC, see if you can grab a spot at one of Michael Laiskonis's chocolate classes at the Institute of Culinary Education, where the former Le Bernardin pastry chef is currently the creative director.
But right now we are experiencing a heyday of breakfast pastries. One could argue that this all started with the legendary Tartine morning bun. From there, it's just a short trip down lamination lane to Dominique Ansel's Cronut- the hybrid that continues to launch thousands of imitations and emulations, as detailed in this recent piece in the NYT. Yes, including the aforementioned tacro.
A TACRO, people, whaaaat???!!! 🥐+
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The April issue of Bon Appétit features a thrilling roster of 'weirdoughs' who are currently changing the game in pastry. In addition to the chefs featured, I've also been following the work of the Bay Area's William Werner and his Craftsmen and Wolves outfit, renowned largely for their egg-in-a-muffin, The Rebel Within.
There are a few young guns to watch as well, such as the delightful curly-headed Caroline Schiff aka @paradigmschiff, of Brooklyn's Greene Grape grocery and Annex café or Natasha Pickowicz of NYC's Flora Café and Altro Paradiso, who just hosted an epic superstar bakesale raising funds for Planned Parenthood.
Constantly scouring the scene for ideas and inspiration, I was excited to totally geek out with Dana Cree's awesomely creative and thorough book of ice cream science, Hello My Name is Ice Cream. Cree's detailed explanations of emulsifiers and clever recipes help fill the hole left by the closing of Brooklyn's Hay Rosie, whose experimental flavors like the smoked cream, thyme, and cinnamon 'Autumn Fire' spurred a lot of personal ice cream-making aspirations (despite my general lactose intolerance.)
I've also got my eye on the brains and hands behind Sadelle's and Roberta's treats, Melissa Weller, whose posts of ongoing recipe-testing strongly suggest a forthcoming cookbook, pretty, pretty please. Meanwhile, I'm keen to grab a copy of bread-baking artisan Tara Jensen's A Baker's Year (not to mention to make a trip to one her workshops) and Boston babe Jerelle Guy's Black Girl Baking.
On that note, if I were back home in Boston, you'd find me eagerly listening to Guy as she joins fellow cookbook authors, the lovely Maggie Battista and Lindsey Smith in an intimate, personal conversation about food and feelings on Tuesday evening at The Food Loft.
And while I'm plugging hometown homies, my best girl Leigh Belanger's new cookbook, My Kitchen Chalkboard is now officially available for pre-order on Amazon. If your weeknight dinner game needs a plan, or if you're fighting little one's fussy habits, Leigh's got your back. No one rocks a stocked freezer and pantry like this lady.
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Finally, this week the much anticipated, though gender-imbalanced Chef's Table: Pastry launches on Netflix. I'm certainly looking forward to checking it out–and this review by none other than Dana Cree has definitely piqued my interest–but it's still pretty disappointing that Christina Tosi was the only female pastry chef, and that just five female chefs have been featured across the entire twenty-two episodes of the Chef's Table series. Doughs before bros, y'all.
But maybe you'd prefer your pastry porn with a side of schadenfreude. If so, then Nailed It is for you. Personally, I could not make it through a whole super-shouty episode. Apparently they are currently casting a second season with a selfie contest. How many months until Bake Off starts again? Sigh. Might as well join the rest of the internet and make Alison Roman's Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbreads.