Tag: canele

Quick Bites: Emmer, Dear Grain, Craque de Creme

Published on by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Peanut Butter Miso Cookie from Emmer
Peanut Butter Miso Cookie from Emmer

Toronto Life recently called the peanut butter miso cookie from Emmer one of the best new cookies in the city, so obviously I needed to try it.  And yeah, it’s fantastic, with a really addictive crispy/chewy contrast and a deep savouriness from the miso and the generous amount of salt on top.  The level of sweetness here is very, very restrained, which seems like it maybe shouldn’t work, but it absolutely does.

Blueberry Scone from Dear Grain
Blueberry Scone from Dear Grain

I feel like I can’t bring up Dear Grain without grumbling about their refusal to slice most of their (very delicious!) bread (unless you buy it frozen), so: what’s the deal with that??  With that out of the way, I’ll say that their blueberry scone is absolutely fantastic.  Seriously, seriously good.  The exterior is nice and crispy, it’s sweet without being too sweet, it’s got a nice blueberry punch, and the texture of the scone itself is perfect.  It also comes with a little cup of tasty lemon curd, and its pleasant tartness really takes things over the top.  It’s so good.

Canele from Craque de Creme
Canele from Craque de Creme

Speaking of tasty pastries, the canele from Craque de Creme is thoroughly tasty, with a rich custardy flavour and a restrained sweetness that I found to be quite delightful.  The overly crunchy exterior does hold it back from canele perfection, however.  I love a nice crisp, caramelized exterior on a canele, but this one takes a step or two (or three, or four) too far.  The rock hard exterior here kinda shredded the inside of my mouth.

Outstanding Pastries at Steven Tran Chocolatier Pâtissier

Published on by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Steven Tran Chocolatier Pâtissier
Location: 476 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://steventranchocolates.com/

Steven Tran Chocolatier Pâtissier (that just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?) is clearly doing pretty well.  When I visited just after 1:00pm on a recent Saturday, the place was pretty much cleared out, with just a handful of pastries remaining.

I don’t know if I would have tried the salted caramel brownie if it weren’t one of the only things in stock, but wow, I’m glad I did.

Steven Tran Chocolatier Pâtissier

This might have been one of the best brownies I’ve ever had?  It has a perfect chewy texture and a delightfully intense chocolatey flavour.  That’s not to mention the salted caramel on top, which is borderline burnt in all the best ways, with a slight bitterness that balances out its sweetness.

Steven Tran Chocolatier Pâtissier

After I finished it, I was extremely tempted to walk back into the store and order another one, which basically never happens.  Seriously, seriously good.

Steven Tran Chocolatier Pâtissier

I should note that I actually went back a couple of weeks later and ordered the brownie again, and it was just as good.  If I’ve ever eaten a better brownie, I certainly can’t remember it.

Steven Tran Chocolatier Pâtissier

Because I’m a glutton, I also tried the mont blanc, and yeah, that was stellar, too, with a nice creamy/crispy contrast from the cream and the crispy meringue, a satisfying chestnut flavour, and some nice fruitiness from the sauce (blackberry?) in the middle.

Steven Tran Chocolatier Pâtissier

I went back one more time and tried the canele, and like everything else, it was stellar.  Perfect light crispy exterior, and the interior is delightfully custardy.  So, so good.