Tag: pastry

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Gem of a French Bread: Fougasse from Fournée Bakery

One thing I’ve noticed after moving up to NorCal is that bakeries here are infinitely better than the ones in SoCal. What I mean is, bakeries in the Bay feel more authentic and artisanal, and often times they are. I think there are better options for bread here than in the south. Please correct me in the comments below if I’m mistaken, but I can’t think of SoCal equivalents to The CheeseBoard Collective Bakery, The Acme Bread Company, Arsicault Bakery, and Tartine Bakery (spots all deserving separate posts of their own!)

Anyways, this post is solely on Fournée Bakery in Berkeley, CA – and the gem of a French bread they make: fougasse.

Front entrance of Fournée Bakery

Fournée Bakery

The Claremont Club & Spa that you see outside the bakery.

Facing the tennis courts of the historic Claremont Club & Spa, Fournée Bakery is located in the small cluster of restaurants and stores at the intersection of Claremont Ave, Russell St, Domingo Ave and Ashby Ave. Its neighbors include Peet’s Coffee, Tulipan Floral, and Rick & Ann’s.

Fournée Bakery and its neighbors.

On a busy day, the line can go all the way down almost to Rick & Ann’s! As you can see in the photo above, there are some parking spots with meters. But this area can get crowded as this area is shared by other restaurants and stores, along with guests and visitors from the Claremont hotel and its tennis courts.

Bread Galore!

Baked goods at Fournée.

Fournée Bakery offers an array of delectable baked goods, including morning buns, scones (fruit, walnut & coriander), croissants (fruit, veggie, chocolate almond, almond, traditional butter, egg & ham, ham & manchego cheese), cheese rolls, pains au chocolat, pains au raisin (says it’s “pain aux raisins” online), and this marvelous French bread called, “gougère” that I fell in love with! It’s this savory puff of a bread that tastes like cheese and egg. Simply delicious!

They also have these sandwiches that seem to be popular amongst visitors. I always see at least one person in front of me order one. I haven’t tried them still, as I’ve already developed my go-to items and always end up ordering them instead. I’ll have to try them soon!

But I did try their Farmer’s Bread and can say with confidence that it’s good!

Pastries Galore!

I sure can’t forget to mention Fournée Bakery’s excellent pastries!

The pastries behind the glass display vary from day to day, but the selection usually consists of Meyer lemon shortbreads, cookies, brownies, and quiches. Often times, they have these seasonal items – I HIGHLY recommend that you get them. I don’t remember regretting getting their seasonal items, like ever! Some seasonal items that I’ve seen include seasonal fruit scones, bûche de Noël (during Christmastime), fruit tart, and my favorite, the rhubarb tart. I fell hard for it last summer and am currently waiting for it to come out again.

The rhubarb tart that I fell for. I didn’t know how delicious a plant could taste in a tart!
Oh…How I miss the taste of the sweet, fruity, cool crunchy bite of Fournée’s rhubarb tart! 💗

The Gem of a Bread: Fougasse

Yet, the item that truly, truly shines the brightest of ’em all at Fournée is fougasse. You may ask – what is “fougasse”? Pronounced “fu-gas,” it’s a bread from Provence, France that’s shaped like a flat leaf. Per online sources, it’s related to the focaccia of Italy, hogaza of Spain, fogassa of Catalonia, fügassa of Liguria, pogača of the Balkans, and pogácsa of Hungary.

Fougasse from Fournée. It’s huge!

Until Fournée, I had never heard or seen of a fougasse. And even to this day, I don’t see fougasse often in other places in the Bay. So when I first laid my eyes on fougasse with its ingredients listed as in the photo below, I had to try it. I mean, it was a bread made with duck fat!

Ordering the strange bread called, “fougasse” was one of the best decisions I made last year. No joke – the first bite was heavenly: a harmonious blend of salty and savory, with just the right amount of the perfect seasoning.

Ever since that fateful day, I’ve shared fougasse with everyone around me, including my sister who also fell in love with the beautiful French bread. I became Fournée Bakery’s unofficial patron & ambassador of fougasse, visiting the bakery almost every week for it and spreading news of its exceptional taste to everyone I meet.

Conclusion

To tell the truth, I thought about gatekeeping Fournée Bakery and its gem of a bread, fougasse. But it’s too good of a spot to keep to oneself, and besides, it’s already well-loved by its frequent visitors and fans like me!

On a final note, not only is the bakery stocked with delectable bread and pastries, but also, they’ve got a nice seating area to enjoy: in front of/behind Peet’s and Tulipan Floral.

Taking a sip of Peet’s and admiring the flowers of Tulipan while taking a bite of Fournée’s gems is such bliss! 😊

P.S. Note: Fournée Bakery is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. For hours and other info, visit their website HERE or their IG account HERE.

P.P.S. FYI, the front window of Fournée is under renovation. I think I overheard someone say that a car had crashed into the store front or something. So be aware that the front of the bakery will look slightly different!

P.P.P.S. IMPORTANT UPDATE: Fougasse is currently unavailable! ☹ The bakery staff told me that they don’t have the duck fat to make them and they don’t know when they’ll have their duck fat again…

Update 1/27/24: Fougasse is back, baby! 🙌

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PADERIA BAKEHOUSE: A Whole New Level of Quality Pastry

Not all pastry shops are the same. There are the good ones that sell pastries that aren’t overly sweet but still taste excellent; the bad ones with tasty but sugary goods that make one feel really guilty for having consumed them. And the ugly, where cheap-looking, sugar-coated treats make one feel sick after a few bites.

And then there’s Paderia Bakehouse, where even a single item (i.e. their Portuguese Egg Tart) makes one visit the shop again and again despite the distance. Not to mention their award-winning Cookie plus their Malasada that I haven’t even tried yet.

The Square Shopping Center

Left turn leads to John Wayne Airport while at the right is The Square.

Tucked away in The Square next to the John Wayne Airport, Paderia Bakehouse may easily be overlooked. In fact, one may opt for the better-known Starbucks several shops away. Yet, once you experience their desserts and/or drinks, the shopping center will become that spot where you get all your Paderia goodies.

The Square shopping center.

On the outside, the bakery looks nothing special with its bland but neat store front and clean fonts:

The Bakehouse

But once you enter, you will be pleasantly surprised by the chic designs of the dark interior with gilded accents. Along with the stylish, modern interior design, the green plants placed here and there help give off an eco-friendly atmosphere.

A few steps further in, you’ll face the counter with the baked goods displayed behind the glass:

Here’s a close up of the baked treats sold at the Irvine location:

A Limited Menu (Serving Only the Good Stuff)

What I also found somewhat unique to Paderia was its limited menu. They only have select drinks and treats to choose from, compared to, say, Starbucks or other cafes.

This is their complete menu from the Irvine location:

I conjectured that this was due to the fact that they were confident in their select items. The limitation, to me, felt like a sign that this bakery only served top-quality food and drinks that they knew (like really knew) how to make.

And I was correct!

Portuguese Egg Tarts

On my first visit, I chose to get some Portuguese egg tarts, cookies, and Mazapan coffee. I had never tried Portuguese egg tarts even though it’s easily available in other bakeries that I visit, as I never expected it to taste particularly good, given the visuals. The egg tarts at Paderia prompted me to try, and little did I know that my life would change forever!

The egg tarts are just…

(How do I type this as accurately as possible..?)

They are SO GOOD that they haunt you. Seriously. After tasting their egg tarts, I became HOOKED. Me, a skeptic of egg tarts and an opponent of the concept of putting more eggs in pastries other than during the baking process, became a FAN.

Portuguese egg tarts with an ensaymada.

It’s warm & soft in the inside, crunchy & flaky on the outside, with hints of sweetness that explode as you savor each bite. It’s COMPLETE BLISS.

Other Items

As for the other items, they were excellent, too. The hot Mazapan coffee, which is hazelnut “harmonized with a crème froth & Mazapan peanut candy bits” is as good as its description on Paderia’s website. The cookies, which are satisfyingly fatter than other cookies, are great. According to their site, their Chocolate Walnut Cookie is an “Award-winning Cookie.”

Who doesn’t want to try an award-winning cookie?

My favorite thing about the cookie was how thick and chunky they were. You really get to just dive in the chocolatiness and the buttery texture. But as such, it can get overwhelming if you eat more than one in a single seating.

On my most recent visits, I tried the Ensaymada, Drip Coffee (both hot & iced), and the Vietnamese Coffee (+more Portuguese egg tarts), and I can say with confidence that they are all good. As for the rest of the items, I haven’t tried yet so I can’t say but they all sound & look delicious. Especially the Malasada that they only sell at their Fountain Valley location!

Paderia Bakehouse: For the Cosmopolitan Connoisseur

Paderia is not some bakery to try out. As their self-description, they are a bakehouse serving traditional baked goods from around the world, with emphasis on “basics, quality and authenticity.” They make “fresh-from-scratch” products in their kitchen with “intentionally sourced” ingredients, making sure to not sell old inventory with their “Open until sold out” policy.

Dear Cosmopolitan Reader, do yourself a favor and check out Paderia Bakehouse next time you’re around Fountain Valley, CA/ Irvine, CA / Santa Monica, CA.

This modern, globally-inspired bakehouse will inspire you.

P.S. Paderia Bakehouse was founded by the two young Vietnamese owners, Nathan Vuong and Davion Tran. Check out the duo’s interview here! 🤩

🍪Official Website of Paderia: https://www.paderia.com/

☕Official Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/paderiabakehouse/?hl=en

P.P.S. They have this cute little egg tart crochet plush displayed with the egg tarts behind the glass display. I’ve asked the cashier if they sold plushies (as I said, I’ve become quite a fan), but she said that they don’t. 🙁

The cute little Portuguese egg tart crochet plush.

P.P.P.S. 2/16/2022 Update: I visited the Fountain Valley location to try the malasada – and it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. It was good, for sure, but not as good as a beignet I’ve tried in Corona Del Mar, CA (view the post HERE.)

It is unfair to compare a malasada with a beignet but the two pastries all share similarities with the doughnut and I can’t help myself from comparing them…

The malasadas at Paderia Bakehouse in Fountain Valley, CA.

The dough and vanilla cream of Paderia’s Malasada were both very light, and I prefer my dough and cream heavier with more substance. I wouldn’t drive all the way to their Fountain Valley store to eat their Malasada whereas I would drive to both their Fountain Valley and Irvine locations to get their Portuguese Egg Tart.

Here’s a short clip of the pretty signage inside the Fountain Valley location to wrap up this post!

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Irvine French Baking Class #1: Lemon Tart

On a crisp October morning, I went to attend a French baking class in Irvine that I had signed up for a few weeks back. To tell the truth, my very first dream was becoming a patisserie. Of course, back when I was little, I had no idea that such a word existed. So I told everyone – my family, relatives, and friends – that I wanted to own a bakery to decorate cakes. I thought it was the same thing as a “patisserie.” But I didn’t become a “bakery owner,” and my dreams shifted around multiple times.

But today, I finally got to revisit my very first dream and bake a lemon tart at the Irvine French baking class! 🍋🥧

Photo by an_vision.

Making a Lemon Tart – The Beginning

The materials all being provided for (with a fee of $10), my fellow classmates and I simply had to follow instructions given by our French instructor, Sylvie Roux. She was efficient and friendly, giving us professional tips and knowledge on the details of making a good lemon tart.

Materials provided.

Everyone received a ceramic pie holder/mold to create their lemon tarts on, and each holder was named with a French word. Mine was “Montmartre,” the famous hill in Paris. Others got “Paris,” “France,” “Merci,” “Bisou,” and other beautiful French words.

Lemon Zest

So the first thing we had to do was create lemon zest. The 11-12 of us got into groups of two to create the lemon zest under the guidance of 3 French instructors. Some people were given zesters and others graters.

I was the only person to receive a knife to cut the lemon peels as supplies were low. If I had been better acquainted with knives, I wouldn’t have had a problem. But as I was only a baker by heart, not by hands or actual skills, I cut myself. (It was so embarrassing!) The cut wasn’t deep so I tried to hide it away, but my caring class mates and teachers got me a band aid.

It had only been 10 minutes into the cooking class and I already hurt myself! 😖

Lemons used for creating the lemon zest and juice! 🍋 🍋 🍋

I thought that I was the only person to cut the lemon with a knife (and cut oneself with it), but others were also given knives later on to cut the lemons. Luckily, no other baker was injured, and we successfully made 200g of lemon juice and piles of lemon zest.

Zests ready to go.

The Sugar Dough

After producing the lemon juice and zests, our next step was to create the sugar dough. In large groups of about 5 to 6 people, we took turns mixing butter, powder sugar, lemon zest, almond powder, egg, yolk, vanilla extract, and flour.

Mixing the ingredients altogether.

After about 40 minutes, we got a gritty dough to work with.

My little batch of dough.

Each of us had our little batch of gritty dough (sugar + butter). As instructed, we covered them up with plastic wrap, left them in the fridge for 30 minutes to get:

Voila!

The Lemon Cream

The lemon cream was created before the sugar dough. Our French instructors were very efficient with time, so we worked on the lemon cream while waiting for the sugar doughs in the fridge. Similar to how we produced the dough, groups of 5-6 took turns heating the lemon juice and mixed it with sugar, zest, 6 eggs, agar agar, and cold butter.

Mixing ’em up.

It’s Baking Time

After creating the lemon cream, we took out our doughs, rolled them on the sheets and put them in our molds.

While our doughs baked in the oven at 370°F for 15 minutes, our French instructor introduced us to making meringues. It was surprisingly easy: you mix egg whites and sugar together at high speed:

The Finishing Touch

Once the doughs were taken out (and cut out of the molds by our instructors), we all poured lemon cream into what had become crusts. And with the meringue our instructor created, we each took turns decorating our lemon tarts.

Mine looked as follows:

Lemon Tart & Dreams

The lemon tart was délicieuse! The sweet and sour complemented each other so well. But I think I can definitely do better next time, especially with the decoration..

The French baking class led by Slyvie Roux was such a treat – a fun experience where I got to reconnect with my younger self who wanted to create pastries and “own a bakery.”

Though I most likely won’t become a patisserie at this point, I can and will bake more pastries. And hopefully create better-looking lemon tarts. 😉

Photo by an_vision.

To learn more about the Irvine French baking class, check out these links:

P.S. I attended the Irvine French baking class again to learn how to bake apple pie and tarte tatin. Check out the post HERE.

*Update: A couple of weeks after the class, I tried to bake the lemon tart by myself at home, and it turned out great!

My lemon tart (feat. strawberries & blackberries instead of meringue)

And it was délicieuse! 😁