When I opened my bakery a year prior, I knew it would be hard. I had taken out loans. I had put in my own savings. I understood that small businesses require money for everything: rent, ingredients, payroll, insurance, and taxes.
Everything feels more expensive these days, especially when it comes to eating out. One place in particular where you might have noticed an increase in prices is at bakeries as owners continue to battle the rising costs of staple ingredients like butter and eggs. But no matter how much your local bakery is charging, you can at least rest assured that there are people paying a heck of a lot more out there, especially at Cedric Grolet in London.
Having spent time at Ladurée, Hakkasan, and The Fat Duck; being the former Executive Pastry Chef at The Dorchester; and currently chairing Team UK for the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie, it's fair to say that Michael Kwan is a master of pastry. Now he's opening his own bakery, ONSU, which'll blend his Asian background with classic European techniques.
Vanilla fudge 10.5 oz. (300 g) superfine sugar 1 oz. (30 g) glucose 3 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp (204 ml) whipping cream 2 tbsp (30 g) chestnut honey 0.5 oz. (15 g) butter Caramelized walnuts 10.5 oz. (300 g) fresh shelled walnut halves Scant ½ cup (100 ml) 30° syrup 4.5 oz. (125 g) golden raisins
Independent bakeries have boomed since the onset of the pandemic and this year they continued to proliferate around bakers' hyperspecific visions, as my colleague Bettina Makalintal has noted. The most compelling examples we scouted around the country this year - part of our regional research for Eater's Best New Restaurants in America in 2025 list, dropping next week - draw influences from personal histories and cultural foodways to create reflective interpretations of traditional and nontraditional pastries.
This cherry turnover recipe from acclaimed pastry chef and cookbook author Claudia Fleming wraps a combination of sweet and sour cherries in flaky pastry to form tidy hand pies that would be a hit at any function, from a backyard BBQ to the most elegant brunch party.
Billows of smoke rise up as Chika Hanyu eyes a pot of boiling sugar. We're in the narrow side room of a commissary kitchen in Sunnyside with the struggling AC on full blast. As any confectioner will tell you, making caramel is something of a tightrope act - take it off heat too soon and it's an anemic syrup; wait a half-second too long and it's a noxious, blackened mess. For her signature Japanese pudding, Hanyu likes to take it to the brink of ruin.
Late-season plums are wonderful to bake with; juicy and slightly astringent as you get closer to the skin, they soften into a rich, almost winey sweetness. And, when they're nestled into soft almond cream and scented with star anise, they make a delicious tart for any time of day. Serve warm with pouring cream as pudding or cold with a cup of tea.
Craftsman and Wolves emphasizes visually striking desserts, such as the strawberry cucumber 'pills' with colorful garnishes, blending aesthetics with taste in each creation.
