Bouchon Bakery

Bouchon Bakery
3355 South Las Vegas Boulevard 
Las Vegas, NV 89109  
(702) 414-6200
 
Mon. - Fri.:  7am-10:30pm
Sat. - Sun.: 8am-10:30pm

My friends, hubby and I stayed at The Venetian during the groups’ January birthday trip to Las Vegas.  We would stop by Bouchon Bakery for breakfast and coffee.  I must say, their croissants were flakey and burst of buttery goodness!  Their macarons were approximately 3” wide!  My favorite flavor would have to be in order:  Coffee, Pistachio, Raspberry.  They were spectacular and a must try filled with deliciousness.  Their little breads that were cut into leaf baguettes were also amazing when spread with raspberry jam and butter altogether. 

We also had the opportunity to try their Baguettes – Ham & Cheese, Bignets, Apple Croissant, Cream Cheese Danish, and Carrot Cake Sandwich.  Everything was ‘mouth-watering.’

The process of dieting can hold off when you come into this bakery, you will not regret the Classic European pastries they have to offer.  Their coffee is also delightful with low in acidity and no bitterness; that usually take the flavor of coffee away.  I enjoy my coffee mild and aromatic.  It's sad when I returned home, waking up the next morning, all I think about is Bouchon Bakery.  I love this place, it gives me the giggles just thinking about it! 

 Bouchon Bakery @ Venetian Hotel

Muffins

 Pain Au Chocolat

Macarons (Raspberry, Orange, Pistachio, Vanilla, Coffee, Chocolate)

 Window #1 - Left to Right, Top to Bottom
1st Roll - Oatmeal Raisin, Nutter Butter, TKO aka. Thomas Keller Oreo, Chocolate Chip
2nd Roll - Macarons: Raspberry, Passionfruit, Pistachio, Vanilla, Coffee, Chocolate
3rd Roll - Red Velvet Cupcake, Chocolate Cupcake, Coffee Eclair, Chocolate Eclair
4th Roll - Fruit Cup, Pudding, Granola Parfait

Window #2

Classic Croissant, Pain Au Chocolat, Pain Au Raisin

Double Chocolate Cookies

Jin Patisserie

Jin Patisserie
1202 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291

My lovely dessert adventure to Jin Patisserie!  Yay, the first Bakery Adventure of 2011.  It’s crazy to confine myself from eating so many deliciously sweets, but I can’t resist.  In order to continue with these dessert splurges, I do my best to pair my single weekend with an exercise activity prior to visiting a bakery ( ^.^ ).

As David and I walked into the bright Orange Door of Jin Patisserie, the seating areas were filled with guests sipping on teas, eating on their lunch entrees that came with the cake of the day.  There were some whom ordered exquisite desserts from this bakery.  As I walked into the shop, the left wall was a curved wall with a wood like Formica finishing.  The glass window display along the wall were filled with desserts and packed with deliciousness!  The elongated window display were also the perfect height to view what’s inside, an amazing design.  Plus, the window display is a refrigerator with a thermometer on the left side to make sure the desserts are in proper temperature.  You’ll have to go there to see what I’m talking about, I would take photos of the interior, but I asked prior and was told photography was not allowed.  (Should have brought my sketchbook).  

Jin Patisserie showcases 10 flavors of macarons!  You can buy a box of 8 for $12, or a box of 12 for $17.  The best part is you don’t have to buy it by the box; you can also buy it individually for $1.30 ea.  To be honest, I didn’t want to try every single flavor (or have to buy the entire box).  These macarons were smaller than the ones in Bottega Louie, but Jin Patisserie macaron size is what I’m used to making. 

David and I each chose a cake we wanted for ourselves.  Then, we decided to pick two macarons each.  For David, he wanted to try the ‘Sea Salt Caramel’ and the ‘Pistachio.’  I chose the ‘Ume’ and the ‘Yuzu.’  For my chosen cake, I spotted the “Guanaja” and next to the tag it says, ‘NEW!’  Or course I’m going to try something, NEW on their menu.  The description also stated that it was a 70% chocolate, I love any chocolate from 70% and above!  My first bite, mMm Mmm chocolate mousse with either a chocolate sponge cake or chocolate genoise cake at the bottom (very delicate and moist).  Reaching through the center, there was the monello cherries!  This cake reminds me of a similar cake David always buys me from San Luis Obispo (Vons – Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake), sweet memories.

As for David, he loves nutty flavors, so he chose the ‘Noisette’s Dream’ cake that also says, ‘NEW!’ on the tag!  His cake was candied & Mousseline Hazelnut.  As for drinks, we both love the description of their Peche Mignon Tea.  Hope you all enjoy the pictures!  I must say, Jin Patisserie is currently my favorite for macarons.  The bigger the group, the more items to taste!

Our Order! MmmMMm Peche Mignon Tea.. 

Guanaja (70% Chocolate, Monello Cherries)

Guanaja (1/2 way done!)

 Noisette's Dream (Candied & Mousseline Hazelnut)

Macarons!  Left to Right:  Yuzu, Pistachio, Ume, Sea Salt Caramel

Apple Almond Crisp

Hello to the New Year of 2011!  What do we have in store for baking now?  Probably leaning towards the ‘healthy’ version of baking I hope.  My honey tells me to stop baking for awhile so he can stop eating sweets.  It would be a done deal if he’d agree to give up basketball on the weekends.  But I guess he too cannot give up his hobby.  Therefore, baking apples, here I come!

Apples are abundance in the market and although a lovely warm apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream seems like a classic idea and delicious.  It shouldn’t be consider if I’m about to begin my new year with a fresh start.  So, I am going to make an Apple-Almond Crisp.  I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do.

Apple Almond Crisp

Filling

½ Cup – Premium Organic Sugar

1 ½ Tbsp – AP Flour

1 tsp – Lemon Zest

1 tsp – Ground Cinnamon

½ tsp – Ground Nutmeg

4 small – Granny Smith Apples, cored and sliced (can use any apples of your choosing, but granny works best due to its tartness)

1 tsp – Vanilla Extract

½ tsp – Almond Extract

Almond Topping

¾ Cup – AP Flour

¼ Cup – Packed Brown Sugar

1 tsp – Ground Cinnamon

6 Tbsp – Cold Butter, cut into ½ inch cubes

¼ Cup – Sliced Almonds

Slice Apples, then toss with all the filling ingredients.

Arrange apple fillings on desired bowl/dish, refrigerate.

Mix AP Flour, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, pinch of Salt.

Add 1/2" cube butter and combined until butter are size of peas.  Do not over mix.  

Then, add the almonds and toss.

 Sprinkle Almond Topping onto the apple fillings.

Bake @ 350F until apples are tender (35-45 minutes).