{"id":136,"date":"2009-05-18T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-05-18T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/endoedibles.ifm.yji.mybluehost.me\/?p=136"},"modified":"2009-05-18T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2009-05-18T12:00:00","slug":"bouchon-bakery-new-york-ny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/?p=136","title":{"rendered":"Bouchon Bakery, New York NY"},"content":{"rendered":"

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While rumor has it that a Bouchon Bakery cookbook is in the works, for the time it must be noted that aside from some items such as the TKO, Macaron, Nutter Butter, Chocolate Bouchons and a few others the variety of goods at each Bouchon bakery is different and seasonal \u2013 as such each experience is different and each season is different at each place. <\/span>Quickly browsing the selections in the case I was surprised by some of the selections and knew that I\u2019d have to select carefully in order to get a good mix and not regret missing out on a flavor \u2013 clearly that was impossible, but I tried. <\/span>Not making the cut \u2013 yogurt raisin croissant, pistachio cherry brioche, ricotta cherry pound cake, carrot muffins, lemon tartes, the list goes on and on \u2013 but I\u2019m only one man.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Selections made and knowing I\u2019d have to return to buy my mother some Macarons prior to leaving town I made my way to the seating area after grabbing a handful of Equal packets \u2013 this alone is a bonus point for me! <\/span>Uncrowded as none of the stores had yet opened I must admit I absolutely loved the serenity of the caf\u00e9 area looking out onto Lincoln Center and the south end of Central Park \u2013 the view alone makes me look forward to per se.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Starting off, my first taste was the seasonal macaron \u2013 Blueberry Cheesecake. <\/span>A source of complaint from some, I personally quite like Keller\u2019s large-style macarons and find the crumb to usually be quite nice while the fillings are always quite sweet yet not \u201csugary.\u201d <\/span>Soft and delicate within, the crisp shell of the Macaron gave way to my bite quite appropriately and I was immediately surprised by the potency of the blueberry flavor and the creaminess of the filling \u2013 quite literally like a handheld blueberry cheesecake and quite excellent. <\/span>For what it is worth, my early birthday gift to my mother was a selection of Macarons from around New York (Jean Georges, La Maison du Chocolat, Payard, Bouley, and Bouchon) and she ranked the versions from Bouchon #2 behind those of La Maison \u2013 having tasted a sampling of each I would agree, though for mom it was \u201cclose\u201d while for myself the choices from La Maison simply blew everything else out of the water. <\/span>\u2013 also purchased for my mother and not tasted by myself was a \u201cpeppermint patty with spearmint fresh from the TFL gardens\u201d \u2013 she said it was amazingly creamy and better than the mint chocolates from La Maison.<\/span><\/p>\n

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My second selection, quite literally 2 minutes post-placement in the bakery case, was the Maple Bacon Brioche. <\/span>In a weekend that featured fantastic breads at a number of New York\u2019s best restaurants, this one was undoubtedly my favorite \u2013 having had Keller\u2019s toasted brioche with the foie gras at TFL and the Citrus Brioche at Bouchon Bakery Yountville I thought I had some idea what to expect \u2013 but I was wrong. <\/span>More buttery, more flaky, more airy \u2013 the bread itself was perfect. <\/span>Coupling this wonder with the thick cut bacon brought forth memories of my amazing meal of Providence while the additional maple glaze harkened to Charlie Trotter\u2019s Maple Bacon Roll \u2013 the best of both worlds and an absolutely sublime bread that despite its great flavor didn\u2019t weigh too heavily on the stomach.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Next up, always amused by Keller\u2019s \u201cShowdown\u201d style desserts \u2013 taking on the concepts of famous desserts such as oreos, nutter butters, etc I simply had to taste Bouchon\u2019s take on the classic Ho-Ho \u2013 an absolute favorite snack of my childhood (and likely largely contributing to my 285lb frame at age 21.) <\/span>While I\u2019ve likely not had a Hostess cake in 8 years this wonderful chocolate roll instantly rekindled my love at a whole new level. <\/span>Featuring Valrhona\u2019s wonderful dark chocolate and the same incredibly intense whipped cream that topped the bread pudding at Ad Hoc this chilled dessert\u2019s shell literally melted in the mouth as the cake\u2019s spongy texture held up beautifully (not collapsing feebly like a classic Ho-Ho) to each bite. <\/span>Approximately three bites large, another excellent choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The final choice \u2013 well, I love cupcakes and Keller\u2019s Red Velvet in Vegas is the best cupcake I\u2019ve ever tasted \u2013 as good as all the other options appeared I really didn\u2019t have a choice. <\/span>Called \u201cChocolate Hazelnut Cupcake\u201d and carrying a hefty $4 price tag I needed to be amazed \u2013 and amazed I was. <\/span>Per the server this cupcake was cocoa, Sharffen-Berger, and Cr\u00e8me Fraiche with Hazelnut reduction \u2013 per me, it was like a cupcake formed out of Cream, Nutella, and Spongy Devil\u2019s Food Cake. <\/span>Intense, rich, hefty, filling and worth every penny \u2013 like the ho-ho the cake stood up on its own and while melting in the mouth retained perfect texture throughout chewing \u2013 the mouth-feel alone of this cupcake justifies its price.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Although there were 10+ items I wanted to taste, plans for the day still included a Michelin 3-starred lunch, museum and gallery hopping, Ssam, and a Yankees game so I had to pace myself \u2013 no worries, I\u2019ll be back in Vegas in September.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Only 11 months prior to this post my sister and I had a lovely meal at the Bouchon Caf\u00e9 in Time Warner Center and since that time I\u2019ve visited the Bouchon in Las Vegas twice, Bouchon Bakery in Vegas thrice, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[115,3,11,13,70,15,61,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bouchon-bakery","category-breakfast","category-cupcakes","category-dessert","category-macaroon","category-new-york","category-pork","category-vacation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/endoedibles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}