Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Beard Papa's Cream Puffs

Popped into Beard Papa's while in NYC to see what the fuss is about with the Japanese cream puff chain with locations only sparsely dotted here and there in the US...and none in the Delaware Valley! You want what you cannot have, and I wanted some Beard Papa's cream puffs when the chance arose. Cream-filled pastries, be they eclairs, Boston cream pie, or Bavarian cream donuts, are at the top of my list of favorites, so I knew I'd enjoy some Beard Papa's.

Daily made, fresh choux pastry puffs filled to order with cream are the main game at Beard Papa's, although they do offer some other goodies. The vanilla cream puff is the original flavor, and a rotating cast of flavors like chocolate, greet tea, coffee, and pumpkin are also up for order. With advice that some of the more adventurous flavors are not the best, I stuck to chocolate and vanilla for my first foray.The chocolate cream puff is dusted with cocoa powder and generously filled with Beard Papa's own unique mixture of custard cream and whipped cream that is not as thick and decadent as the cream in most eclairs, but more pudding-like. Be careful biting into one, or the filling will ooze out any crack and onto your hand. The choux pastry is softer than most eclairs I've encountered, making Beard Papa's cream puffs seem light and airy...well, for something filled with cream!I saved the original vanilla flavor dusted with powdered sugar for last, and this really is where it's at! Same soft pastry shell with pudding-like cream filling, but with classic flavors. Start here, then repeat next time in a city with a Beard Papa's.

Watch the cartoon Beard Papa's story here.

No comments:

Post a Comment