Cardamom, Chous, and Internet Cookies

plus don't forget to vote and the stuff is moving to Tuesday

Apologies for interrupting your reading of Trump’s tax returns, but I figured some photos of pastries might be a welcome respite. The past couple weeks have been a bit busy ramping up on the new job and dealing with the world at large, and so I haven’t had as much of an opportunity to try some new treats. However, I did discover a lovely new spot in the East Village, I received the latest batch of Internet Cookies, and am ready to inspire and delight about the Swedish bakery that made me fall in love with Swedish bakeries.

Before jumping in, Keyana shared with me more about Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery from last week, which I missed because I am not a professional journalist and don’t do things like “read about pages”. BUT! Their about page is beautiful, and includes this:

In Urdu, the word mazedar describes the taste essence of food, its flavor and magic that make it delicious. This one word captures the life of a taste experience, unique to each person but cohesive in its stories. It represents something that one cannot describe but wants to experience over and over again.

This is, in essence, the challenge of this newsletter - sharing with you all the mazedar of each of these pastries. Thank you for letting me try!

Petit Chou

Opened in August, I stumbled across Petit Chou while going to view an apartment around the corner. A French bakery that specializes in the delightful cream filled puffs known as chous, as well as eclairs, I was about to walk past until I saw the magical words on their sandwich board outside:

cinnamon bun

Obviously I went in, and saw quite the photogenic bun sitting behind the display case. I took it home, unsure whether the taste would live up to the looks, and I was not disappointed. There’s a creamy frosting covering both the top AND the bottom of the roll. The dough is a bit light and flakey, not quite like a croissant but roughly heading that direction. The cinnamon filling is a bit gooey, and left a nice crispy layer on the bottom due to intentional leakage during cooking. There's a good amount of the filling elsewhere, and it has hints of bitterness but trends towards buttery goodness. It all comes together quite nicely, and I can only imagine it how good it must be when it's hot and fresh.

It’s definitely the best cinnamon roll currently available in the East Village (RIP the roll at August Laura), so if you’re in the hood absolutely check it out.

Internet Cookies

Again, these are the cookies you want to accept. Gaia’s flavor this month is Navajo Pride flour, Blenheim apricot, Cracker Jack, and dukkah. This cookie is banging, no doubt. The apricot adds a delightful sweetness, offset by the crunch from the cracker jack and dukkah. If you haven’t yet, you can sign up for your own subscription here and get whatever delightful magic is sent next month.

Fabrique Bakery

The first time I ever went to London, I was visiting my friend Keyan when he said “hey let’s get some coffee, there’s this pastry shop by the tube that also has good pastries.” “Cool,” I said. I was not yet as “into pastries” as I am now.

Actually, thinking back, this might have been what started the whole thing.

We walked into the Fabrique Bakery in Hoxton, and behind the counter I saw a literal mountain of buns. Bun mountain. “Try the cardamom, it’s what they’re known for,” said Keyan.

I did.

I also tried the cinnamon, and the blueberry, because anyone who knows me knows that when there are multiple food options I don’t choose one I choose them all.

As we stood outside the Fabrique, I tried the cardamom. And the cinnamon. And the blueberry.

“These are so good,” I mumbled out with blueberry and pearl sugar pieces stuck in my beard.

“I know, right?” replied Keyan.

And then I was in love. And it was a long distance affair, because this was 2018 and while there were 5 Fabriques in London and 20 in Stockholm, there were zero in New York.

And then 2018 turned to 2019, and my love came close as Fabrique opened an outpost in the Meatpacking District.

Fabrique Bakery makes an assortment of breads, sandwiches, but most importantly buns. Cardamom, or kardemummabullar, is the most traditional Swedish flavor, but they also make cinnamon, and depending on the season blueberry, brown sugar walnut, or saffron. The blueberry is my favorite, where the almost danish-like blueberry filling sits among tufts of sugar crumbles, but you can’t go wrong no matter what you choose.

(last two photos courtesy @fabriquebakery since I am sorely lacking nice photos of their buns)

And here we are, two years later and still going strong. The couple that runs the location in NYC is incredibly friendly and sweet, and popping in for some quick bun action on my way into the Google offices is something I’ll miss now that I don’t work there.

What else?

That’s it for this week! Going forward, I’m going to send these on what I am now calling “Tasty Tuesday”, so expect something mid-week rather than addressing your Sunday scaries.

Also, for those curious about the apartment hunting, I’m buying a place! The market in Manhattan is very buyer friendly at the moment, and I had been considering doing it in the next few years, so I took the plunge. Wish me luck on getting past the co-op board, and I’ll share more once the details are finalized.

PS please, please, please make sure you are registered to vote and you have your vote plan figured out - this NYTimes guide is a huge help and this Atlantic article details why you may want to consider voting in person if you feel safe enough to do so.