April Pastry Roundup
The best bites I've had as of late
So far in the eight months I’ve lived in New York, exploring the food scene has been a large and incredible part of my experience here. For someone as food-obsessed as I am, both fortunately (for my joy levels) and unfortunately (for my wallet), there is always something new to eat or a new spot to try. I seem to have an ever-evolving list of fun happy hour offers or items at bakeries I love that serve as my NYC bucket list. With spring ramping up, the list is growing faster than ever.
Something I particularly love about the pastry scene here is an emphasis on seasonal produce and flavors. I often get to experience this first-hand at my job, where the chefs do research and development for menu items inspired by the seasons, but this focus on seasonality can be found across the city’s restaurants and beloved bakeries alike. While this concept is certainly not new, in a time where technology allows most produce items to be grown or imported year-round, I’ve noticed that this return to seasonal cooking and baking is a way to enjoy food more sustainably while keeping menus fresh.
The star of this season for me is rhubarb. Growing up, I was first introduced to rhubarb through the strawberry rhubarb pies my grandmother (aka Grammie) would make from spring into the summer. Her neighbor had wild rhubarb in her garden that she would harvest and give to her, which Grammie would clean, cut and portion out for her pies. I remember sitting at her kitchen counter as she prepped the filling and—more often than not—cursed her pie crust for falling apart. She never added much sugar to her filling, relying on the sweet ripeness of the strawberries. This in combination with the tart flavor of the rhubarb is hard to beat—especially when topped with vanilla ice cream or freshly made whipped cream—thus instilling in me a life-long love and nostalgia for all things rhubarb.
Suffice it to say I have been thrilled to see the rhubarb takeover across many NYC bakeries this past month. The vibrancy of the vegetable (yes, it’s a vegetable, which feels wrong somehow) lends itself to gorgeously pink-hued desserts which I am aesthetically obsessed with right now. As soon as some of the bakeries I love started to roll out their new menu items, I knew I had to make my rounds.
The first item I tried was the rhubarb and custard croissant from Radio Bakery in Prospect Heights. I happen to also love anything with custard, so this one felt personal. Simply put, it was divine. Though I hate to be the one to break it to you, Radio Bakery lives up to the hype and (gasp!) the line is worth it; but try to go during the week if you can for a more relaxed experience. They make very, very good pastries, and this was no exception. If I lived closer, I’d be getting this pastry at least weekly, if not more, until the season is over.
The next item on my list was the olive oil tea cake with marzipan and rhubarb from Hani’s Bakery. I always find Hani’s to have creative menu items and flavor pairings, so I was excited to see what their rhubarb offering was like. The cake itself was moist and fragrant, as you want your olive cake to be. The rhubarb jam on top was delightful, though I wish there was more of it to offset the sweetness of the buttercream frosting. I can be a bit of a buttercream hater, so if you’re a frosting-over- cake person this one is for you.
Lastly, we have the ever elusive Elbow Bread cake donut. My white whale, as it were. Typically Elbow Bread only offers their infamous cake donuts on weekends, and up until very recently, I worked both Saturday and Sundays. The first flavor I really wanted to try was the Salted Pistachio, which unfortunately has come and gone. Alas, I was never able to try this weekend special and I very vocally mourned this every week to my very patient coworkers who indulge my complaining. Emphasis on the patient.
As someone who works in the food industry, I take it personally when food related events or specials are only on weekends, because a lot of people who are invested in the food scene and would be excited about them (like me!) have to work weekends. It feels like denial of the hospitality brotherhood, adding insult to injury of having a different schedule than the rest of the world. Clearly I’m not bitter about this at all. . .
In more exciting news, Elbow bread recently made their donuts available for the first time ever on a Monday, 4/20 to be exact, for a collaborative PR event on this unofficial holiday. At long last I was able to secure this mythic treat, in their spring flavor of strawberry rhubarb no less. The pastry gods pulled some strings for me this time.
Just as I had hoped and dreamed, the donut was phenomenal. As far as donuts go, I tend to lean towards a yeasted donut over cake, as most of my experiences with cake donuts have been dry and forgettable (except for the blueberry cake donut at Dunkin’ Donuts and I will die on that hill). To my delight, this one bore no resemblance to my sad memories of cake donuts past. It was incredibly moist and soft, topped with a tangy strawberry rhubarb glaze that was a vibrant pink color. Sticky, indulgent, and gorgeous to look at; what more could you ask of a humble donut?
With the amount of people I’ve implored to try this place, I may or may not be contributing to the growing lines out the door but I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. If you find yourself in the Lower East Side, add Elbow Bread to your list of spots to try and you’ll be grateful you did.
Spring is finally in full swing (god-willing) and with it many produce options to celebrate. I can’t think of a more glorious way to celebrate than basking in the sunshine with a seasonally appropriate treat. Get out there and find some rhubarb!