Payard @ Bastille Day Festival!...

I...just can't describe...just...very balanced, not too sweet, decadent. MMMmMMmmmmMmMMmmMMmmmMmmmmMmMMMMMmmMMmMMMM.

.....MmMMMMMMMMMMMM. :)

That, amigos, is a raspberry mousse cake. It wasn't too tart, the creme tasted egg-y, teh cake was moist and dense, but not spongey--a bit on the crumbly side. Very nice...very nice INDEEED. Anddddd that's why it opens this little show :)

Then there was some apricot pastry thing and a lemon tart. I'm not particularly fond of lemon tarts/cakes/WHATEVER so...that was a no-go. I don't care if it's good. I don't like! booo! I do find the smell of lemon cleaning products kind of nice. There might be a connection here :). Onward--there was also an "opera" cake...chocolate..something. There were raspberry AND strawberry tarts. Also good--wasn't as striking as the raspberry mousse but, well, what is. :)

I didn't eat the chocolate caramel tart until I got home. I have to say, it was pretty resilient bouncing around in my bag all and being dragged thru Central Park and the heat! I didn't really know what to think of it first--to be honest I bought it just for pictures and to balance out the fruit stuffs I bough. Opera cakes don't appeal to me so...had to fill my chocolate quota somehow! BUT, just like the raspberry mousse cake and everything else--it was very nice!

I was actually quite surprised that this chocolate caramel tart was one of my favorites of the day--I'm not a fan of caramel but this was like a waterfall of caramely infused chocolate or something reminiscent of such. NUMMAAAAY. sure licked mah fingas clean w/ this one.

Here's some more of the mousse and the...i dunno...but...yay cake! Don't you want to pet it like a pretty, edible chinchilla of sorts? :P TEEHEE!! Too bad Payard...has closed :( le *sigh*. Back to my mousse. So...slick lookin' and so jiggly looking! So good lookin', made me wanna stab it. AND I DID! :) TEEHEE!!!! *whispers*iloveyouuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!** :D

There was a whole sequence capturing the mousse/bomb in various stages of being devoured which makes for a funny series but...it'll just make me sad seeing it all gone w/ enticing little crumbies left :( Maybe I'll insert it later (I did think the ending shots of the mousse's demise was picturesque and evocative :P)

Nonetheless, here's a picture of its innards!...

Veniero's (confection heaven!)...

Oh HEY--yeah what's up?
It's...it's been, uh, a while, huh?
Yah...I know, I should've called but...you know, you know how it is.
Um yeah so...
Me? OH just fine, good times, good times.

So....
...yeaaaaaah....

...VENIERO'S!! After a month and a half lull..I present you...yummy yum yumness u don't even KNOW homeslice. It truly is a uh...a post to reintroduce mahself with.

In terms of italian pastries and just...pastries period, I've never been that big a fan of Ferrara's, and I truly thought that was the best NY had to offer (a little tear drops down my cheekie-poo). Mike's pastries (esp the cannoli) in Boston...seriously. It's the ricotta cheese and the shell and just...how fab it is PERIOD. Ferrara's uses a custard-y filling but Veniero's....RICOTTAAAAAA!!!

I'd like to go to get some cannoli's from Salvatore Brooklyn Ricotta (at the Ft. Greene flea market too!! ^_^) but this bodes well for me since Veniero's just in the East Village. I had just eaten dinner w/ Albee and he took me to Chickalicious and then "oh this little place it's pretty good you should come back to try stuff if you're too full now"...and OH. MY FRIGGIN'. COW.

Rows and rows of impeccably constructed large and mini versions of tarts (multiple, endless types) The colors, the rows, the freezer...THE EVERYTHING!

Albee, love, you sure know how to make a girl feel giddy! ;)
btw...Veniero's is on 11th st between 1st and 2nd ave...it's 110 yrs old (as in how long it's even been in NYC), and has outposts in Rome and Bologna.