Bakery Review: Croissante in Santa Clara, CA

Bakery Review: Croissante in Santa Clara, CA - visited June 23, 2024

The last new-to-me bakery that I tried on my Bay Area trip was Croissante Artisanal Bakery. And what a bakery it was. It reminded me of Manresa Bread in Los Altos or Arsicault Bakery in San Francisco.

It was filled with flaky pastries, both savory and sweet, the pastries were baked onsite and there were many assorted flavors to choose from. Not to mention the offerings were a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. It was also a bit expensive but the upscale pastries were definitely worth the upscale price.

I met a couple of friends there for dessert and one of them had a gift card so she treated us and we enjoyed our pastries and catching up. A perfect afternoon.

Ham and Leek Quiche

For my pastry of choice, I went with the coconut pain au chocolat. That's not something you see every day and I love both coconut and chocolate so it was an easy choice from the plethora of mouthwatering choices. It was also the right choice as it was delicious. I love a good pain au chocolat anyway and that's what this was. It was made better from the slightly toasted-crisp but still chewy texture from the coconut topping. The pastry itself was also nice and flaky, always a good sign of a well-made laminated dough.

My friends also enjoyed their pastries of choice. So this bakery was definitely a great find.

Coconut Pain au Chocolat

Two of us went back after our chat was over to get more, my friend to bring some back for her family and me to grab a slice of quiche for dinner later.

And I have to say, hours later, when I was finally hungry again, this quiche was amazing. The filling was soft and creamy and the pastry crust was flaky. Perfect. I will definitely need to go back to Croissante next time I'm in the neighborhood.

Restaurant Review: Bloom Eatery, Santa Clara, CA

Restaurant Review: Bloom Eatery, Santa Clara, CA - visited June 23, 2024

I like to do restaurant reviews of small business restaurants to give them a bit of visibility on my blog and hopefully encourage others to either try the restaurant itself if it's in their area or to support any other local small business restaurant in their area. In Bloom Eatery's case, I don't think they need the help, given the number of people who already eat there and the hour-long wait my friends and I had when we went there for Sunday brunch. 

The place is a bit small and the turnover didn't seem that fast but I think the hour long wait for a table for four was legitimately due to the high number of people who also came to eat there.

When we finally got seated, we all ordered chicken and waffles. It was delicious. The waffles were fluffy and the breaded chicken (thighs, not breast) was nicely crisp. The only thing I could probably have done without was the slightly spicy glaze over the top of the whole dish but it didn't detract much from the dish. The service was also quite prompt and nicely delivered. If I could avoid an hour-long wait next time, I'd definitely go again.

Bakery Review: Pastelaria Adega, San Jose, CA

Bakery Review: Pastelaria Adega, San Jose, CA - visited June 23, 2023

My friend Paulo, who's of Portuguese descent, recommended I try Pastelaria Adega after I told him I had tried the pastel de nata from Holy Nata. Pastelaria Adega is a Portuguese bakery in the South Bay and since I happened to be in the area (not really but it was less than 10 miles from my hotel), of course I was going to try it.

I arrived shortly after they opened at 9:30 am on a Sunday morning. There was already a line outside the door. The bakery was larger than Holy Nata so a line outside the door meant there were almost 20 people ahead of me in line when I got there. But the line moved reasonably quickly and it only took about 15-20 minutes before it was my turn.

Unlike Holy Nata, Pastelaria Adega offers more than pasteis de nata. Besides the flaky pastries of American and French bakeries like croissants, they also had a large selection of malasadas, a yeast-leavened doughnut that's a Portuguese specialty from the Azores. You could get an unfilled malasada or choose from a variety of different fillings. 

You can get any number of pasteis de nata but they do come in nice boxed packaging when you order 6. Which is what I did. I was going to meet friends for brunch after my bakery visit so I bought a 6-pack for sharing. I also bought a cinnamon and apple-filled malasada to try.

As you can see from the sign above, the pastel de nata was $4 each, a bit more expensive than the $2.50 from Holy Nata. They also offered different fillings but I elected to stick with the original.

First, let's rightly pay homage to the pastel de nata from Pastelaria Adega. Because these are pretty damn close to the ones I ate (and ate) in Portugal. The pastry shell is flaky and crisp, even when at room temperature and even the next day, and is super buttery. If you eat them warm, have a wipe on hand or the ability to wash your hands. The custard was creamy and looked more like the Portugal pastel de nata (Holy Nata's was darker). It also held its shape after you bite into it. But it was still creamy and definitely delicious. Yes, it's more expensive but some things are worth it. This is one of them.

I shared them with my friends at brunch and they enjoyed them as well. One had just returned from a trip to Portugal with her family and was excited to discover there was a local option for her to get pasteis de nata as she and her family had enjoyed them as well. What's not to love?? 

Second, I had the cinnamon & apple filled malasada. This one was a bit disappointing. The dough of the doughnut itself was fine. It has a more chewy texture but wasn't tough. It's not as light as like a Krispy Kreme doughnut, which I was fine with as I prefer more texture in my yeasted doughnuts. So that part was good. Where I was disappointed was in the filling. I had hoped for more apple pieces but the filling was literally mush. Like applesauce mush with very few apple pieces. The apple had either cooked down to mush or there were very few apple pieces to start with. In hindsight, I should've gone with either an unfilled malasada or a filling like dulce de leche or lemon where I expect it to be custard-y and mushy.

But on a high note, the pastel de nata held up well, even the next day. The pastry shell was still flaky and not tough or chewy. The filling also held its shape and didn't run out of the shell when I bit into it. So good. Pastelaria Adega is now a must-stop on my next trip to the Bay Area.

Bakery Review: Holy Nata, San Francisco, CA

Bakery Review: Holy Nata in San Francisco, CA - visited June 21, 2024

I spent a few days in the SF Bay Area last month to see friends and, as always, I like to go back to both favorite haunts and new places to try. In this case, I saw an ad for Holy Nata pop up on my Instagram feed. I had never heard of Holy Nata but, thanks to a business trip to Portugal a couple of years ago, I was fabulously well-acquainted with Portuguese custard tarts. They are fantastic. And remember I say that as someone who's not big into custard-y desserts. I'm spoiled that I first tried them in Portugal, including at Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon, where legend says they make pasteis de nata from the original recipe.

Since I don't live in Portugal and where I currently live does not offer pastel de nata, I thought I'd have to do without until I made it back to Portugal. Ah, but wait. Enter that IG ad for Holy Nata. It's located in downtown San Francisco and since SF was one of my stops to see former coworkers/current friends, it was an easy no-brainer to incorporate a trip to Holy Nata into my plans.

The yelp reviews warn that Holy Nata sells out quickly and it's best to reserve your pasteis de nata online ahead of time. Since I only had a small window when I was going to be in San Francisco, I dutifully pre-ordered online for the Friday I was going to be there.

The shop itself is a little hole in the wall on Trinity Place, which is more of an alley rather than a street. The couple of pictures I managed to take inside was just a shot from just within the door, if that gives you an idea of how small it was. I showed up at the appointed time but they didn't have my preorder listed. I showed my confirmation text but it turns out I had made the reservation for the following Friday, not the Friday I was there. D'oh! Fortunately, the counter person very kindly assured me she had enough pasteis de nata to cover my order right there. Whew.

You get the option to have them sprinkle cinnamon over the tops. They packaged my order of 8 into 2 boxes of 4. Each box of 4 is $10 so an individual pastel de nata is $2.50.You can get a box of 4, 6 or 24 or any multiple thereof. No matter how few or how many you get, they're freaking worth it. I bought 4 to give away and 4 for my (oinker) self. When I got back to my (former) office and shared with one of my coworkers, I tried one from my own stash while it was still warm. OMG. Flaky pastry and creamy custard - what could go wrong other than my expanding waistline? When warm, the pastry shell was flaky and buttery while the custard filling was a bit oozy and definitely creamy.  

The "downside" and with 20/20 hindsight, they're still good the same day even when they've cooled off but the next day (even *I* could not eat 4 pasteis de nata in one day), the pastry shell is a bit tough and chewy to eat. It's lost the flake. The custard was still creamy and the overall taste was still good but I recommend only getting as many as you can reasonably eat the same day you buy them. They're not quite the same as the pastel de nata I consumed in Portugal but they're still damn good. If you're ever in downtown San Francisco, stop by and taste for yourself. Just note that they're only open Tuesday - Friday with varying hours and it's probably better to go earlier in the day rather than later to make sure they have pasteis on hand, if you don't pre-order and get the correct date *cough*.

Soft and Thick Snickerdoodles from Baking is a Science

Soft and Thick Snickerdoodles - made dough May 14, 2024 from Baking is a Science 

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cinnamon sugar coating

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1. In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and 3 teaspoons cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar coating; cover and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and granulated sugar. Add egg and vanilla, mix to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined.
5. Portion into golf-ball size dough balls, cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator for 10 minutes before rolling in cinnamon sugar mixture. 
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Evenly space coated dough balls on prepared sheets. Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheets for 3-5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

My favorite recipe for snickerdoodles was the one from Sally's Baking Addiction. It was always reliably nice and thick plus had delicious flavor. Until I moved the last couple of times and I just couldn't seem to get that thickness I used to get. The flavor was still good but my snickerdoodles kept coming up flat. I blamed the higher altitude where I lived and that period of time where I swear butter makers were adding more water to their butter and all my cookies were coming out flat.

So now I have a new favorite recipe that turned out just as thick as Sally's used to. One recipe only makes 9 snickerdoodles but what a 9 they were. Half the cookies look darker than the other half. They're not burned. I just had more cinnamon in the rolling mixture in the first batch than I did in the second one.

Regardless of the color of the coating, these cookies were amazing. That thick buttery, cinnamon-y texture and flavor were there.

And look at that texture. Perfection. I have a new favorite snickerdoodle recipe and this is it.