Bakeries

Where to buy your cookies, breads, and cakes











Vaniero's
www.venierospastry.com
Vaniero's is arguably the most famous Bakery in NYC. For Italian, and Italian-American pastries and desserts it's heaven. For me though, the stuff is hit or miss. Some is wonderful, and some just ordinary and even junky. But if nothing else, it's a NYC landmark of sorts, and the mob scene can be fun to watch.

La Bergamote
169 9th Avenue
(Corner of 20th)
Far and away the best croissants and chocolate croissants I've ever had in America let alone NYC. An amazing little fairly unknown bakery in Chelsea, they have a loyal fan base. Besides the croissants, the cakes and tarts are lovely as well, and apparently they have really nice sandwiches at lunch time too. I would highly recommend a stop in here.

Casa Cupcake (formally The Cupcake Cafe)
www.cupcakecafe.com
The home of ultra rich buttercream. This Ninth Avenue staple has been turning out the prettiest, richest, and most decadent cakes and cupcakes for years. They will pipe a cake with any colors, flavors, and flowers you could imagine, which always puts a smile on people's faces. You can't eat terribly much, but what you can is a total treat!

Soutine Bakery
www.soutine.com
This place holds a special place in my heart being the place where we always got my birthday cakes from. It was the same cake every year, white cake with lemon curd filling, white frosting with yellow flowers. It was always good and always pretty. They still churn out the cakes for Upper West Side's kids' birthdays. They'll put anything on a cake for you, and even do lovely wedding cakes now too.

Amy's Bread
www.amysbread.com
Her website says it all, but she started with one small store on 9th ave, and has created something of a bread empire in NYC. She has three stores now, and the quality hasn't changed. There is an actual Amy who actually still bakes. Her breads are excellent and are always almost completely gone by the end of the day. Besides bread she makes some really great cookies and pastries. My fave are her various Foccacia.

SaraBeth's
www.sarabethsbakery.com
Another success story. SaraBeth (again there is an actual SaraBeth), opened up a Bakery/Brunch place on the Upper West Side and now you can find her jams across the country. I put her stores on here for one reason... the Pain Matain. It's almost always sold out, but if you can get your hands on it, do it! What she very cleverly did was put all of the left over dough from the other pastries and baked them in little muffin tins – it’s AMAZING. You will start craving them, just warning you. If you go and there are none left (which will usually be the case) her Madeleine Cookies and Cheese Straws are also exemplary.

Black Bear Bakery
www.blackbearbakery.org
I can't actually vouch for very much from this place EXCEPT for the chocolate cake. The chocolate cake is fabulous! It's moist and yummy, and rich without giving you a tummy ache, and just pretty damn perfect.

*For the absolute best Chocolate cake I have EVER had, go to Blue Smoke. It happens to be an upscale BBQ joint off Park Ave South, but don’t let that stop you. You need milk with this, and you need more than once piece.

Poseidon Greek Bakery
629 9th Avenue
Bet. 44th & 45th Street
Family run since God knows when, this is one of the only places left in the country that still makes their own Phyllo dough (a flaky paper-thin dough that comes in sheets). They have all the classic Greek cookies, breads, and pastries, and are more than willing to pronounce and explain what everything is. They also have a frozen foods section, so can bring home your own homemade Phyllo and make Baklava.

Payard
www.payard.com
If you’re willing to shell out your life savings, you too can have a cake from Payard. I have to admit, He (yes there is a Payard, Francois Payard), makes a spectacular looking product, maybe the most elegant looking in the city. However, I always find it to be just "too much." They tend to be a little goopy, and quite frankly, I think you can get a better if not equally tasting cake for much much less. They have some nice chocolates and cookies too, but really, treat it like a museum of pastry and keep moving on.

Lady M Confections
www.ladymconfections.com
SO gorgeous, SO delicious, this is one of my favorite patisseries in NYC. Everything is just impeccably made, amazing looking and drool-worthy-delicious. It's not Payard prices, it's still pricey... BUT WORTH IT! Just check out the website (which could use some work I know), and tell me if you don't just want to run over right now.

Balthazar
www.balthazarny.com
Both a bakery (and one of if not my favorite) restaurants in NYC, Balthazar is always a safe bet. Their breads are amazing, perhaps more amazing than their pastry -- bread in every shape color and grain, all lovely and chewy inside, and crispy and divine outside. If you're a bread lover, go and grab a baguette or country loaf.

Magnolia Bakery
www.magnoliacupcakes.com
Made famous for their adorable and yummy pastel cupcakes, there is line around the block every night... no foolin! While I applaud them for making the cupcake cool again, I have to say, I think the hype has gotten the better of their cupcakes by now, and while it’s still fun to wait on cue for them, you can probably find a better cupcake these days.

Junior's Cheesecake
www.juniorscheesecake.com
A NY Institution. Even I, who really hates American Cheesecake, has to admit that nothing is a Junior's. I don't know what they do, and how they've been able to maintain it for so long, but it is damn good cheesecake.

Little Pie Company
www.littlepiecompany.com
Amazing pies. That's really it. Just really really good pies, and perhaps my favorite thing about them, is that the pies are seasonal. No Strawberry Pies in January, because there are no strawberries in January! They ONLY use the fruits and flavors of the season which means you can't get Key Lime Pie in January either... so there.

City Bakery
www.thecitybakery.com
It's sophisticated, sleek, modern, and happens to have the best damn Lemon Curd Tart in the whole city. I don’t know what they're putting in that thing, but it’s seriously yummy. They serve lunch too, but it’s usually too crowded to sit and stay. But get yourself a salad and lemon curd tart to go, and give me some please!

TAI Pan Bakery Chinatown Incorporated
194 Canal Street
(Between Mulberry & Mott)
I have no idea what half the things are, and the only reason I know what I do know is because I pointed to stuff and tried stuff. They have great (and usually warm) Red Bean Buns, and wonderful curry chicken pastry (which isn't a dessert by the way but a great snack). If you’re just a little bit brave, go “try stuff.” It’s incredibly cheap -- so $2 goes a long long way.

Utensils

What tools to use to cook with












A Few words on Knives:
It’s difficult to give advice since this is a decision made more by preference than anything. Personally, I like a heavy well balanced knife; my fave is the Wusthof Culinar line. However many people like the lighter Japanese knives, and others prefer something in the middle. Then there are wood handles, plastic handles, and metal, then the curve of the blade itself etc… you get the point.
However, the absolute first thing I would suggest is going to a knife skills class. You won’t believe how beneficial and how much time it shaves off your cooking. Then I would go to a William Sonoma, or a Zabars, and speak to someone who really knows what they’re talking about, and pick the right knife for you. This will be and should be expensive. Unless it’s on sale, if you’re getting a knife that’s under $75, think twice, the quality can’t be that great.


Mezzaluna:
You might have seen this little doo-dad in home and kitchen stores and have no idea what it is for. The two semi circular blades (half moons or "mezza luna") are very sharp and fine, and used for chopping delicate things like herbs mostly, and they do the job perfectly. Of course, you can chop pretty much whatever you want with it. I like chopping the small hard-to-chop stuff like garlic and shallots too.


Box Grater:
A must for the kitchen. Four sides, one for slicing (great for potatoes), one for large grating (like cheese), one side for zesting, and another for smaller grating.






Mandolin:
If you tend to slice and shred a lot of veggies, then you might want to consider a mandolin. I'm actually not sure how it gets it name, but it is a handy tool that doesn't take up terribly much space. You can control the thickness, and even how you slice your veggies. You can slice with ridges (like for ruffled potato chips), or you can shred (like for coleslaw). Just be careful because as you can imagine, the blade is terribly sharp and you can wind up slicing off more than you want...


Tongs:
One tends not to see these often in home kitchens, but that's too bad because they come in terribly handy. Better than a spatula for flipping your food, and because of their length, great for sticking things in and out of the oven without burning yourself. They come like this or with a heat resistant rubber coating that's gentler on your food. Cheap and useful.


Bamboo Skimmer:
This handy dandy strainer is perfect for getting veggies out of boiling water, or even pasta. Its about 4-6 inches in diameter with a bamboo (or metal) handle, and so much easier than lifting a heavy hot pot of boiling water and straining it. It can be hard to find in a normal kitchen store, but head down to your local Asian market, and you'll find it. Plus, it's uber cheap -- $5 or less cheap.


French Rolling Pin:
I'm not being a snob about this really! The French rolling pins are in fact superior to Grandma's old pin with the handles. First off, because there are no handles, there's nothing to break off or get loose, and more importantly, no rolling pin lines in your pastry. Plus because of its length, it's easier to wrap your dough around the pin before putting it in your pie dish or baking sheet. It is very long, but also very skinny, so it's not too difficult to find a spot for it. Like most things made of wood though, it doesn't really want to get wet, or it can start warping. So if you have a really sticky job, wet a dishtowel and wipe it over the surface, don't let it sit in water or run it under the tap.

What to Cook With

Ready to Sauté and Bake? Here's what you do it with:









Le Creuset
www.lecreuset.com
I love Le Creuset. It's cast iron cookware coated in porcelain (lots of fun colors too), impossibly heavy, indestructible, and heavenly. You could potentially hand these down to your grandkids if you wanted to. Because of the even conductivity of Cast Iron and the non-stick ease of the porcelain, very little beats Creuset. Like I said it is impossibly heavy, but it's also the best. Not cheap, but when I say it lasts lifetimes, I mean it. By far, this is my favorite cookware for almost anything. Nothing makes a better stew, or sears, or bakes as evenly. If nothing else, do your self a GREAT GREAT favor and get yourself at 4-6 quart Dutch Oven from them, you won't believe the quality or the 101 uses! Also, Creuset makes a wonderful line of high quality and colorful aluminum pieces like stock pots.

Emile Henry
www.emilehenry.com
Although I don’t have any pieces, it is absolutely right up there with Creuset. The difference is that Emile Henry is pottery, or clay to be exact, that’s been glazed. It's also very durable, although three generations worth, not so sure, and is a great even heat conductor. Not as versatile as Creuset only because you shouldn't really put one of their stovetop pots into the oven or vise versa, they are cast and glazed in different ways and temperatures. But if Creuset is too heavy or too pricey, this is another great way to go, and it also comes in great fun colors.

All Clad
www.all-clad.com
This is what the big boys use. All Clad is the professional standard when it comes to pots and pans. Walk into any restaurant kitchen and you'll find piles of All Clad pans and pots in various form of decay. They can take a serious beating. As with most of the best cookware it is also heavy, although not nearly as heavy as cast iron, which can make it more practical. Probably the most if not one of the most expensive cooking lines on the market, you either need to be a professional, filthy rich and want to show off, or just a die hard cooking fiend to get this.

Calphalon
They make different grades and styles, from non-stick, to "professional," and "classic." They are sturdy, well made pots and pans, and can fit almost any budget. This is what I use when I'm not "creuset-ing." It's perfect stuff for the avid home chef, and because of the variety you can find whatever you need at whatever price.

Cuisinart
Yes, they do make pots and pans. They're ok. I have had some good and bad experiences with the brand. Some of their styles are great and last well, and some sort of conk out on you after a year. Again, they range in price (although tend to be slightly cheaper than the Calphalon), and materials and styles. If you don’t feel like spending too much, and don't cook all the time, this is a fine option. But, for the slightly more enthusiastic and avid home chef, I would stick with the Calphalon.

Pyrex
Pyrex is a laboratory grade glass that won't crack or melt in heat (and rarely will break when dropped)... basically it's indestructible. It’s best for baking. It can take high temps, and is perfect for lasagnas, cobblers, and even chicken dishes. Because it's clear, it's especially great for layered or colorful recipes.

Copper
I have no specific brand for this, but for delicate fish dishes, omelets, and sauces specifically, it's really hard to beat copper. A good copper piece will be expensive, but worth it. Get yourself maybe one or two smaller pieces. Because of the properties of copper and not being as heavy as cast iron for example, it doesn't burn easily, and the heat is incredibly even. Added bonus, it's beautiful, especially hanging from a pot rack.

The basics: what everyone should have
Small non-stick sauté pan (Cuisinart)
Large non-stick sauté pan (Cuisinart)
Medium sauté pan (Creuset or Cuisinart)
Dutch oven (Creuset)
Grill Pan (Creuset)
Large Baking dish (Pyrex)
Small Baking dish (Pyrex)
Stock pot with lid (Creuset)
Large pot with lid (Cuisinart)
Small pot with lid (Cuisinart)

Basic Quiche Recipe

This is a crowd pleaser, always impressive for how easy it is, and a great anytime meal. Also, it's great hot or cold!

Pate Brisee or frozen pie crust (defrosted)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375
Prepare the crust in its pie/quiche dish (if using homemade Pate Brisee, blind bake for about 10 minutes so that the bottom of the crust cooks through a bit)
Whisk the eggs and the cream together
Add salt and pepper
Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean

That's it! No Foolin! My favorite add-ins are Sauteed Shitake Mushrooms (about 15 or so, they shrink a bit when cooked), a cup and half of grated Jarlsberg, and diced ham. Just put the add-ins in the pie shell first and add the egg mixture.
Other add-ins: broccoli, salmon, bacon, any kind of cheese, any kind of mushroom, shrimp, steak, ground beef... the options are endless. Just remember raw ingredients won't necessarily cook in the quiche, so it's best to cook things first, then bake.