Last week I attended a small reception for the Flour cookbook. The eponymous Boston-based bakery and cafe is owned by Joanne Chang, a local chef who also owns the restaurant Myers + Chang down near Back Bay. The cookbook reception included a selection of cheese and spirits from Whole Foods and a pastry demo of Flour’s popular pop tarts.
Some very delicious cheeses available for copious consumption:
There were also mini-cupcakes and cookies:
Scenes from the pop tart demo:
I really enjoyed the demo. Chang patiently explained each step of the process, offering interesting tidbits of pastry science and entertaining portrayals of how things are done at the shop (on a much larger scale) along the way. Her know-how notwithstanding, it was the grace and good humor with which she presented herself that impressed me and left me thinking that her success is both hard-earned and well-deserved.
Flaky pie crust dough, raspberry jam, and a basic glaze = a pop tart fit for adults.
I don’t fawn over Flour’s pastries, except for maybe the pain au chocolat, but I think their sandwiches, in a town overrun with sandwich shops, do stand out. Also, the <$2 bag of assorted bread ends is one of the most delicious food bargains I can think of. That plus a slab of butter would set almost anyone right.
I did indeed eat dessert first that night; we followed the reception with calamari and chowder at Atlantic Fish Co. next door, and a jaunt to Trader Joe’s to cap off the evening, just because we could. Who can resist when TJ’s is within reach? Not I.
