Dominique Ansel Bakery, Las Vegas - Part 4 (Calamansi Cronut and Cannele des Bordeaux)

Dominique Ansel Bakery, Las Vegas - Part 4 (Calamansi Cronut and Cannele des Bordeaux), visited March 12, 2023

Wrapping up this series of blog posts about Dominique Ansel Bakery, Las Vegas, at least for now. It seems fitting to close with finally trying the cronut flavor of the month. In March, it was calamansi and creme fraiche.

Calamansi is the Filipino version of a lime but it's really more a combination of lemon, lime and orange. In Filipino dishes, we often squeeze calamansi over noodle dishes like pancit or we squeeze what seems like hundreds of small calamansi to make calamansi juice.

Dominique Ansel is known for trying different, non-traditional flavors. This had creme fraiche to pair with the calamansi which I prefer over a jam or jelly. The cronut itself was flaky like an outwardly sugared croissant and the calamansi and creme fraiche filling was very refreshing. The filling didn't have a strong calamansi flavor but was still nicely flavored. Neither calamansi nor creme fraiche was overpowering but paired nicely together, another Dominique Ansel trademark. 

You can see from the earlier picture that, in addition to the cronut, I got my favorite DKA (Dominique Kouign Amann) and a Cannele des Bordeaux, another favorite. I've made canneles myself and they're a pain in the ass to make properly. They're actually not hard to make as they're essentially a custard baked to caramelize the outside. But they're still a pain to make so I gladly handed over my credit card to buy one from DAB Las Vegas. 

It was delicious with a crunchy, caramelized outer shell that gives way to the smooth custard inside. It's probably my second favorite thing to get at Dominique Ansel Bakery, second only to the DKA.

Dominique Ansel Bakery, Las Vegas - Part 3 (The Perfect Little Egg Sandwich)

Dominique Ansel Bakery, Las Vegas - Part 3, The Perfect Little Egg Sandwich, visited January 7, 2023

What the heck is this, you ask? It's a cookie shot robot dispensing machine. Doesn't every bakery have one? No? Just Vegas then. At any rate, the tourists seem to enjoy it. When in motion, the robot arm plucks a ready made "shot glass" that's made of a chocolate chip cookie and the mechanized arm pours the right amount of milk into it before dispensing it to the purchaser.

I admit I haven't tried it yet, either poured by a robot or a human. I have no objection to the chocolate chip cookie shot glass but I'm just not a milk person. Plus there are always other things to try whenever I go the Dominque Ansel Bakery so I haven't gotten to this one...yet.

I did try a slice of the Galette des Rois pictured in the advertisement above. Alas, I don't have a picture of the actual slice as it was one of those rare times when I forgot to take a picture before I demolished ate it. I like trying these limited time items so my FOMO doesn't kick in before the time period of its availability ends.

In this case, one of my business school roommates was in town with her kids and we met up for brunch at the bakery (where else?). In addition to the Galette des Rois, it gave me a chance to try one of the savory items on the menu, namely the Perfect Little Egg Sandwich. In case you wondered, that name is not an exaggeration. This was probably the lightest, fluffiest egg sandwich I've ever had. It was served in a brioche bun which was also delicious, light and soft. It was sooo good. I wish I'd taken more pictures of it but pictures don't do it justice and I was too busy eating and enjoying it to take out my phone. My friend and I were also yakking it up so that made me forget my normal picture taking as well. At least until it came time to take a selfie. Her kids probably thought we were weird but they're teenagers and would've probably thought that anyway, haha.

Dominique Ansel Bakery, Las Vegas - Part 2 (Thanksgiving Bourbon Pecan Pie)

Dominique Ansel Bakery, Las Vegas - Part 2, Thanksgiving Bourbon Pecan Pie, picked up November 20, 2022

Look at that pie - is it a thing of beauty or what? Even if I knew how to successfully make a good pie (I don't), I couldn't have made this. I follow Dominique Ansel on Instagram and every November, he has pie night in the run up to Thanksgiving. The pies always look amazing so I was glad I had the opportunity to finally try one this (past) year. 

He offered three flavors at his Las Vegas bakery: pumpkin, salted caramel apple and bourbon pecan pie. I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie so I had to choose between the other two. Or thought I had to choose. I was leaning towards the apple as apple pie is my favorite but I was getting this not for Thanksgiving but for my niece's birthday and I left the choice up to her. She chose the pecan pie. I briefly thought about getting both the pecan and apple but the price per pie was a bit steep, even with my YOLO mentality and, more importantly, between me, my mom, my sister, my niece and her boyfriend, I didn't think we could finish 2 pies while they were still fresh. So just the pecan pie it was.

Just one bite was enough to convince me this was not a bad choice. At all. It was feckin' delicious. You can't really taste the bourbon for anyone who's not alcohol-inclined (me, I don't drink). The caramelized pecans on top weren't just for looks but also contributed to the crisp-sweet and crunchy texture of excellent pecans.

Sometimes I'm leery of pecan pies because some of them have a gelatinous filling and only have pecans on top. Not so with this one as you can see from the pictures. Crust and caramelized pecans is what you get and it was amazing. Yes, it was worth the lofty price. The crust was more of a pate brisee than the flaky crust of a more traditional pie, almost like a shortbread. That, too, was delicious. Overall, so much better than birthday cake and I'm glad my niece chose this one. 

If you ever have a chance to get a Dominique Ansel pie, I advise pre-ordering and doing it early as they do sell out. Trust me, you don't want to miss out.

Dominique Ansel Bakery, Las Vegas - Part 1

Dominique Ansel Bakery, Las Vegas - visited October 23, 2022

I've been meaning to do this write up for awhile but time kept getting away from me. By now I've amassed so many pictures from Dominique Ansel's new bakery at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas that I can't do justice to all of it in one blog post. Hence, this is the beginning of a multi-part series because let's face it, I'm a huge fan girl of the man and his baking talent so I'm happy to rhapsodize multiple times about everything I've eaten and seen.

I'll start off by saying yes, his stuff is pretty fancy and, to some, rather expensive. I believe in spending for good food, especially great desserts, so that doesn't bother me as thankfully, I can afford this level of high end desserts and I don't spend my money on much else, besides travel. And YOLO....

I had moved to Las Vegas in the middle of 2022 (summer, triple-digit temps for weeks on end, I don't recommend it as an intro to Vegas) just as I was recovering from Covid. Not an auspicious beginning. But my outlook brightened in the fall, not just because of cooler weather, but also my favorite baker opened his new bakery less than a 30-minute drive from where I lived. Woot!

I didn't go quite on opening day as I figured that way lay madness and long lines but I was there only a few days later. The lines weren't quite as long but the small corner carved out of Caesar's Palace casino was pretty hopping. The bakery also had retail shelves where you could buy his cookbook as well as assorted DAB paraphernalia and more of his packaged treats. But for the initial visit, I focused on what was in the display cases.

My taste buds aren't as fancy as I would like and some of the more exotic flavors aren't my thing at all. But still, I enjoyed looking at all the fancy and appreciating the creativity and meticulous care that went into creating the mini-masterpieces. For Las Vegas, he created a special set of 7 desserts that are only available at the Dominique Ansel Bakery, Las Vegas. And they are mind-bogglingly beautiful. The pictures don't do them justice, both individually and as part of the set that makes up the display cases. If you ever get a chance to visit this bakery in Vegas, your eyes will get, well, an eyeful, of gorgeous patisseries.

If all that fancy is not your thing and you have more plebian taste buds, nothing wrong with that and there are options for you (and me) as well in the form of macarons (not for me), pain au chocolate and croissants (me, me) and cookies (also me).

I knew from my prior visit to the NY location of Dominique Ansel bakery that my favorite is the DKA - Dominique Kouign Amann. I was so happy to be able to get it again. I've had good kouign amanns elsewhere but the DKA is still by far my favorite version of it.   

I didn't buy the 4-pack, although don't think I didn't consider it. But they're best eaten the day they're purchased and even I can't eat more than 1 a day. So I bought a single and took it home to eat later. It was as good as I remembered from New York, with that crunchy-sweet caramelized outside and flaky layers. DKAs have spoiled me for croissants. Whenever I have a choice, I go for the DKA every time.

Now, of course, he's more famous for his cronuts and each bakery gets a new flavor every month. I didn't try the opening month's flavor and I've forgotten exactly what it was except it was some kind of jam. I'm not a fan of jam or any-berry-not-in-their-original-state so I didn't get it. Also because I had a single-minded focus on the DKA. But still, the cronut was pretty to look at. 

I did get my mom and my sister the Goldfish since it was flavored with calamansi (a popular Filipino flavor) as well as mango, my sister's favorite. I didn't try it but they said it was good. After they were finished, the poor goldfish look well and truly speared so I didn't take a picture of what it looked like once they were done; there wasn't much left, haha.

My sister before she killed the poor fish

Chocolate Cutout Cookies (Stamped Cookies #30) by Attainable Sustainable

Chocolate Cutout Cookies (Stamped Cookies #30) - made dough March 4, 2023 from Attainable Sustainable

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Embossing dust

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar until combined. Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture on low speed until just combined. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Roll out dough between two large pieces of parchment paper to 1/4" thickness. Chill another 30 minutes.
4. Lightly brush embossed rolling pin with embossing dust, shaking off any excess. Remove top portion of parchment paper and roll over dough with embossed rolling pin. Cut out into desired shapes. If dough is too soft, return to refrigerator to chill another 30-60 minutes. Refrigerate or freeze cut out cookies for at least an hour.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Evenly space cut cookies. Bake 7-9 minutes or until edges are set. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheets for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

You can tell from the pictures that I had mixed success with this recipe. The impressions didn't hold nearly as well as the brownie stamped cookies, especially after being baked. Even worse, you can see some "burned" spots in the design. No, I didn't burn the cookies. That's from the embossing dust where I used equal parts cocoa powder and flour to dust the embossed rolling pin and cookie stamps I used to stamp out this dough.

The darker bits was the cocoa powder turning darker during baking. When I'm embossing or stamping chocolate cookie dough, I don't like to just use flour or powdered sugar because it sometimes leaves a whitish residue that doesn't bake out. But as you can see, the cocoa powder in this particular base didn't fare much better.

Which is a shame as these actually tasted pretty good. They're not as pretty as they taste but the flavor was good, the texture was soft with just the slightest crispness on the outside shell. I might have to try this again and skip the cocoa powder in the embossing dust and just sparingly use the flour or powdered sugar to prevent sticking.