Revisit: Italia Bakery (Hastings, Vancouver, BC)

"Another post on Italia Bakery?" Some of you may remember that I posted about Italia Bakery when I was on my quest to find a superb canoli bakery in Vancouver. While that quest was never fulfilled, I have to say, still that Italia Bakery ranks high on my list for mouth-watering canolis.

What led me to Italia Bakery was a post done by Phyllis of Me Hungry!. Phyllis is a Vancouverite who currently lives in New York. The pastries that she featured in her Cake Boss Carlos post made me wish for a bakery like that in Vancouver!

I'd heard about NYCs famous "lobster tail" pastries (named so for their appearance, and not their flavour!) when I saw a segment on the Cake Boss on foodtv. The lobster tails, similar to a pastry known as sfogliatella, are flakey and crunchy like the sfogliatella, but unlike the latter, is filled with creamy French custard, whereas the sfogliatella is filled with a ricotta-based filling.

Watching that segment already made me wish I could eat some NYC pastries, but Phyllis' post made me want it even more! I found out that Italia bakery made some amazing lobster tails, so I dropped by one day to pick some up. Unfortunately, I arrived to late and all that were left were two mini versions.

"I'll take them both!" I said to the lady behind the counter. "And a copenhagen, please."



And then I left, to be shunned by all the Hastings traffic since Olympic-dedicated lane forced regular traffic to be limited to two lanes.

The verdict? While the mini lobster tails were cute and compact (about two square inches), and very crisp and yummy - M says that after taking the photos I hovered over the pastries, coveting them like Gollum coveted his ring. I didn't notice that he had crept up beside me, I was so focused on the pastry! The mini lobster tails, while representative of what I imagine Cake Boss to make, was only common in the pastry. The filling of the pastry purchased from Italia Bakery was a more solid almond paste-based filling, similar to the layer on the copenhagen pastry that I purchased. It was not the creamy filling I was expecting.

While both were good (and I would purchase either of them again!), I'm going to either arrive earlier or reserve some regular-sized lobster tails for next time. Perhaps the larger version has the creamy filling I'm looking for?

Amen to Italia Bakery though! Lord knows they excel at what they do, and parking is easy to find! With the copenhagens and the canolis, I know where to get pastries for future dinner parties!

Italia Bakery
2828 East Hastings Street
Vancouver BC
Phone: 604-251-6800

Bella Cakes (Sapperton, New Westminster, BC)

Bella Cakes recently hit my radar as I was going to my little aunts (sai yee yee!) house for dinner and wanted to bring something. Dessert, maybe?

It ends up that there are two great bakeries in the Sapperton area of New Westminster, separated by just half a block or so. Since I was driving towards Coquitlam, I wound up picking up a cheesecake from Farm Cottage Bakery just up the street, which was great, albeit a little sweet (little yee yee asked me for the location and wanted to pick something up that weekend. :)

This time I got out of work a little early and took the long way home through New Westminster.

Surprisingly, it was actually faster than I thought! Next time there's an accident or traffic jam on the Knight Street, I'm cutting through New West and picking up some baked goods to console myself!

While I picked up a small box to sample Bella Cakes creations, I'm told that their real mastery lies in their specialty cakes. Browsing their website, it deems true. Unfortunately, it may be out of the way oftentimes, so I will have to see if I can work Bella Cakes into a special occasion or something. (Or I could be like my mother and buy birthday cakes [with bogus birthday names!] just because she wanted to have some cake! haha! Oh boy. Thunder gods are going to have my neck.)

Anyways, I ordered up a pistachio cream tart, a hazelnut cream tart, a peanut butter nanaimo bar, a pair of cookies, a cheesecake, as well as a nameless chocolate slab which I *really* wished I had taken note of.

Note well: I had high hopes for the pistachio and hazelnut cream tarts. But they were devoid of little (if any!) fragrant nut flavour. The pre-made tart shells were filled with a light buttercream, coated with a shell of chocolate, and sprinkled with some crushed respective nuts. They were, as far as I could tell, exactly the same except for the hazelnut or pistachio garnish. The cookies, while cheap, were quite average and forgettable.

On the other hand, the peanut butter nanaimo bar was delicious. Even M, who does not crave sweets, wished I had brought home another one! The peanut butter flavour was pronounced, and the smooth flavour was echoed in the texture of the PB layer. The "nanaimo" layer / crust of the bar was a nice complement, and was not too sweet - there was ample coconut and chocolate, but it did not overpower the peanut butter.




The "nameless" chocolate bar (all I can remember now is that was definitely *not* either of the brownies) pictured above was rich, decadant, and exactly what a chocolate treat should be. Should only be consumed with a tall glass of milk. :)

The cheesecake, although small in stature, was slightly denser that what I had experienced nearby at Farm Cottage Bakery. However, it was not overly sweet, so it was an appropriately portioned treat with some dark coffee.

Glad that I found the two "hidden gem" bakeries in Sapperton! I will be back for more sweet treats, and to discover more in the coming months.




Bella Cakes
459 East Columbia Street
New Westminster BC
P: 604-777-2524

Elite Bakery, and an Apology.

First off, I'd like to apologize for being MIA as of late. A close friend was in a car accident a couple weeks ago, and was in a drug-induced coma for a week. It was a trying time, but all his family and friends pulled together, comforted each other, and sent a lot of prayers and positive thoughts his way. He just got out of the hospital a couple days ago and is recovering at home.

I took so many photos of food in my absence that I exceeded my 4 gig SD card, so I *do* have some posts for this next while! I'm aiming to post all of the 2009 eats within 2009...so I hope we're snowed in for a little bit, because there is a fair share of things to write about! ;)



Elite bakery is situated in South Burnaby on Rumble Street, just east of Royal Oak Avenue. On the outside, it looks dingey and old school, but apparently they do catering and do wholesale pastries and other baked goods for other food establishments!

After a harrowing commute from Richmond back home, I spied Elite bakery out of the corner of my eye, and decided to pay them a visit. It was a nice treat and from the moment you walk in the door, you're tempted by the wafts of sweet pastry and buttery goodness. I picked up three items: copenhagens, a mocha boat, and a Kranse Kage.



First up was the copenhagen. I devoured one on my way home happily, as it was made from two layers of puff pastry sandwiched together by an almond paste / butter mixture. The puff pastry was shatteringly crisp, while the almond paste / butter mixture was rich and decadant. Although I bought two and ate one on the way home, I wished that I'd paced myself, as I totally spoiled my appetite. It was very delicious, however, and if the crispness of the pastry was any indication of their other products, I'm sure that I now have to make another stop soon to pick up one of their magnificent looking apple strudels, or their Kringle!



The Kranse Kage is a pastry filled with an almond-meal mixture and drizzled with icing. Do not let its' appearance fool you, the Kranse Kage was actually the least sweet of the three items I picked up that day. There was a strong almond extract flavour, and although I am not a huge fan of almond extract, it would make a nice snack - not too sweet, good chewy texture, and if anything, as a former co-worker used to say, "Nuts are good for you, it contains nuts, so it cancels all the bad stuff out." heehee! Somethings just stick in your memory.



The mocha boat was a tart shell filled with a "light" coffee buttercream and a small strip of fruit (berry?) jelly and coated with chocolate. I say "light" buttercream as it is full-fat buttercream - silky, creamy, and rich, but light on the coffee flavour. It was my second favourite. I could only have a small portion at a time though, as I could almost feel my arteries harden a little. On the plus side, it reminded me of one of the pastries at Notte's Bon Ton. I'm sure I'll visit Elite Bakery again in the near future as I am not too fond of driving all the way out to the west side for a European pastry craving!

Elite Bakery
5238 Rumble Street
Burnaby BC
P: (604) 437-4121

Recipe: Quick (Rough) Puff Pastry

I made a "quick" puff pastry for a mushroom tart with mushrooms that I picked up from the local farmers market.

While I love puff pastry, I don't want to spend three days preparing it, or spend money on expensive store-bought doughs!

After some quick research, I found a recipe for a rough puff pastry that required a food processor. Since I am really ghetto, I don't have a food processor either, so I prepared the puff pastry by hand in a day.

There's a term that my chef instructor (Chef Patrice!) taught us for preparing a tender short crust pastry. Sablé, a method of gently kneading cold butter and flour together to form a thin layers of butter and flour. While I still "turned" the puff pastry a number of times, I believe the sabléing lended some tenderness to the pastry.

Here's a short video on the method (sorry for the graininess - I know *nothing* about video shooting / editing):



Ingredients
1 c unsalted butter
1 2/3 c all purpose flour
3/4 t salt
1/4 c ice-cold water, more if needed

Method
Dice butter and place in freezer for 15 minutes.

Sift together flour and salt into a large bowl. Add about half of the butter cubes to the flour mixture and sable until all butter has been kneaded. Chill if necessary (if it is a hot day, or you feel that the butter has softened too much!). Add remaining cold butter cubes and sable again. Do not work the butter in too much - you want a shaggy appearance.

Mix in ice water with a spoon or spatula. Gather the rough dough together and place onto parchment paper. Place another layer of parchment paper on to and flatten with your hands. Chill the dough for fifteen to thirty minutes at this point if you are working on a warm day.

Fold the dough into thirds and roll out. Turn the dough 90 degrees and fold into thirds again. Repeat the turning process two more times, then chill until firm, fifteen to thirty minutes.

The dough may be used in your recipes, or stored, wrapped, in the freezer for up to two months.

I'll post the recipe for the mushroom tart later - here's a side view of the puff pastry. Not too bad for handmade!

The Quest: Are you my Cannoli? Amici Caffe (The Drive, Vancouver, BC)

I was walking down Commercial Drive one day when a sandwich board sign stopped me in my tracks:



Fresh canoli? From where? The sign was right at the border of the small sidewalk seating area of Caffe Amici.



Quite naturally, as I have been on a quest that began with an innocent lunchtime canoli at La Dario Piazza Ristorante, I had to check it out.

Cannoli!

When I reached the interior of the small cafe, I was kind of glad that the cashier / clerk was no where in sight. It gave me a little time to peruse the offerings in the display cooler. To my delight, I found these little gems:



I was pretty stoked since they looked identical to the one I had enjoyed at La Dario. (La Dario on the left, Caffe Amici on the right.)



See? Identical!!

I was so happy that I pretty much glowed all the way back to the car. I even gleefully attempted to take some photos of a cannoli *in* the car while stopped at a stoplight (you know, because I thought *my lap* would keep it from rolling around. It didn't. I got a sweater nicely dusted with suspect-looking white powder to prove it!). One cannoli didn't make it home. Another didn't make it to the fridge...and then there was one. :)

How was it, you ask?

And I have to ask in turn, Are you my canoli?

The truth is, perhaps I have built up the original cannoli too much! For in fact, if this *were* the bakery supplying to La Dario, they *must* be doing something different with the filling in their own premises.

While the cannoli shell was the same - crisp, thin, and light, and the roasted nuts which the filling was dredged in also the same, the filling seemed a hollow relation to what I remembered of that "fabled cannoli" a couple months ago.

That cannoli filling was creamy, light, and sweetened slightly. This cannoli filling was grainy, slightly heavier, and almost cloying in sweetness. In addition, it seemed to leave a slight chalkiness on the tongue.

What went wrong? How could the quest be so seemingly unfair??

The answer probably lies in the timing. I had La Dario's cannoli in March, when the weather was mild. It is May now, and slightly warmer. I'm guessing the warmer weather made the sugar in the filling crystalized, or some other kind of food chemistry that is beyond my realm. Perhaps that was the answer?

Or perhaps the answer is that I have to revamp the quest itself - so far my *favourite* cannoli, by far, has been the ones at Italia Bakery. *All of them*.

So, while I have probably found the makers of the Dario cannoli, I now want to find the *best* cannoli in Vancouver. Have any suggestions?

Caffé Amici

1344 Commercial Drive [map]

Vancouver BC

Phone: 604-255-7879

The Quest: Are you my Cannoli? Italia Bakery (Hastings, Vancouver, BC)

This is a fun little project!

I continue my quest for the perfect cannoli, or a cannoli that compares to the light, crisp, slightly sweet concoction I had a couple weeks ago at La Piazza Dario Ristorante.

My search directed me towards Italia Bakery, located on East Hastings street, between Renfrew and Kaslo streets (half a block away from the PNE grounds).



I was delighted to find that Italia Bakery had three offerings in the cannoli category, by way of a Ricotta Cannoli, one that seemed to be a combination of light and dark custard fillings, and a Hazelnut Chocolate Cannoli (I was so excited when I read the label that I nearly jumped up and down and started clapping.)

But. I restrained myself.




I will not lie. I *loved* these cannoli. I will definately go back for more. My favourite? The Hazelnut Chocolate Cannoli (no contest).

But, was this the cannoli I had at Dario's? Are you my canoli?

The verdict: It was close! The cannoli shell was fresher than the one from Fratelli Bakery and closer to the one at Darios in terms of texture and size. Mind you, I visited both Italia and Fratelli bakeries close to their closing times, so I can't complain.

I actually ate Italia Bakerys' Ricotta Cannoli first, thinking that since there was only one left on display at the store, it was the least fresh - I was wrong! It was the most crisp out of the three that I bought. This was a more traditional cannoli, with mini chocolate chips folded into the smooth ricotta filling.

I could have easily had the three cannoli for dinner last night, but I paced myself. (I saved one for breakfast! haha!)



These were deliciously creamy and the hazelnut chocolate one made me sigh in content. (Yes, that is a bite missing out it in the smaller photos above! I couldn't help myself!)

If you're a cannoli fan, please do visit Italia Bakery for a gorge-worthy treat!

Italia Bakery

2828 East Hastings Street [map]
Vancouver BC
Phone: 604-251-6800

The Quest: Are You My Cannoli? (Fratelli Bakery, Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC)

I'm on my quest to find a cannoli that compares to, or IS the one from La Piazza Dario Ristorante! I am really really jonesing for that sweet treat again - crisp shell, lightly sweetened, creamy ricotta and the whole thing lightly dusted with sugar. It seems that I am *not* the only one looking for good canoli in Vancouver, a yahoo user posted this question a couple months ago.

After some google-ing and some perusing, I stopped by Fratelli Bakery on the way home from work and picked up Italian pastries. Since I am the only one with a serious sweet tooth in the house, I only picked up five pastries: Sicilian cannoli and pistachio squares.



I was actually so hopeful (and anxious!) that the bulk of these photos were taken in the car. Thats right, only a portion of what I ordered at the store made it home! ...Proof that I was not delivered to the wrong parents as an infant.

The Question: Are you my canoli?



The Verdict: Sadly, no. Although the canoli were more traditional in flavour (than Dario, actually!) with slight citrus overtones and chocolate pieces in the ricotta filling, the shell was noticeably thicker and not as crisp as the one I had at Dario's. I'm sure that many people love the canolis at Fratelli (the place had a line up close to closing time!), but it wasn't what I was looking for. Fratelli also had a regular canoli, but it appeared to have a puff pastry shell with a more custard-like filling.

*sigh* I guess the quest goes on...

Fratelli Bakery

1795 Commercial Drive [map]

Vancouver, BC

Phone: (604)255-8926