There is something ineffably pleasing about a roll of cake and sweet whipped cream. The circular shape is soothing to the eye. The equal distribution of flavors and textures, each layer approximately the same thickness, is delightful to the tongue. The above-pictured specimen, the Tiramisu Roll Cake from the pastry shop up the street from me, Petit Decorer, is a particularly exquisite example of the genre. The genoise cake layer, moist and remarkably similar in taste to coffee-liqueur soaked ladyfingers, is rolled with simple, lightly sweetened cream. The top is also given a thin frosting of cream, which is dusted with velvety, finely sifted cocoa powder. It's lighter than real tiramisu since it's made with cream rather than mascarpone and eggs, but has the same amazing milk-and-spiked-coffee flavor combination, plus the bonus of a beautiful swirly shape.
Like the rolled cake, the millefeuille is a popular pastry in Japan, and many pastry shops offer some version of the sandwich of custard cream and flaky puff pastry. It's basically a high-class version of the ice cream sandwich, except that it isn't frozen. The millefeuille from Petit Decorer has rich, black-flecked vanilla custard and shatteringly flaky pastry, which is cutely patterned on top with powdered sugar polka dots. For a couple of months before trying it, I kept an eye on the pastry case as I passed the shop every evening on my way home from work, and noticing that the millefeuille is usually all sold out by the end of the day, guessed that there might be good reason for its popularity. So last Sunday, I made sure to get there mid-afternoon to claim my piece of the pie (or, as the case may be, the millefeuille). The only issue I had with it was the usual downfall of this kind of dessert - it's very hard to eat without the pastry splintering and the cream gushing out the sides. My best advice is to turn it over sideways and cut through the pastry from the top, then use the cream to pick up the scattered crumbs.
Petit Decorer
Minami-azabu 1-4-21
There is something ineffably pleasing about a roll of cake and sweet whipped cream. The circular shape is soothing to the eye. The equal distribution of flavors and textures, each layer approximately the same thickness, is delightful to the tongue. The above-pictured specimen, the Tiramisu Roll Cake from the pastry shop up the street from me, Petit Decorer, is a particularly exquisite example of the genre. The genoise cake layer, moist and remarkably similar in taste to coffee-liqueur soaked ladyfingers, is rolled with simple, lightly sweetened cream. The top is also given a thin frosting of cream, which is dusted with velvety, finely sifted cocoa powder. It's lighter than real tiramisu since it's made with cream rather than mascarpone and eggs, but has the same amazing milk-and-spiked-coffee flavor combination, plus the bonus of a beautiful swirly shape.
Like the rolled cake, the millefeuille is a popular pastry in Japan, and many pastry shops offer some version of the sandwich of custard cream and flaky puff pastry. It's basically a high-class version of the ice cream sandwich, except that it isn't frozen. The millefeuille from Petit Decorer has rich, black-flecked vanilla custard and shatteringly flaky pastry, which is cutely patterned on top with powdered sugar polka dots. For a couple of months before trying it, I kept an eye on the pastry case as I passed the shop every evening on my way home from work, and noticing that the millefeuille is usually all sold out by the end of the day, guessed that there might be good reason for its popularity. So last Sunday, I made sure to get there mid-afternoon to claim my piece of the pie (or, as the case may be, the millefeuille). The only issue I had with it was the usual downfall of this kind of dessert - it's very hard to eat without the pastry splintering and the cream gushing out the sides. My best advice is to turn it over sideways and cut through the pastry from the top, then use the cream to pick up the scattered crumbs.
No comments:
Post a Comment