La Cuisine, Jerusalem

My apologies for having been short-sighted in naming this blog. For at least the next year, Patisseries of Toronto and I have relocated to Jerusalem so expect this blog to feature pastries from Jerusalem and the Middle East. I expect there will be times to come when I will be ignorant of the name of what I'm eating, but the photos and the descriptions are what count anyway.

This chocolate mound was not my first dessert in Jerusalem (that honor goes to little balls of fried dough soaked in honey and rose water at Pasha) nor my first dessert in the oPt (that honor goes to knafeh somewhere 10 kilometers from Nablus). But it is the first time that I had my camera and was on a deliberate mission to find a dessert for this blog. It was also a good way to memorialize the first week anniversary in my new apartment.

La Cuisine is a small patisserie in Rehavia, owned by Canadians. My wonderful real estate agent tipped me off to this place so I stopped in on a Sunday afternoon. Like everything else in Jerusalem, the prices are comparable to Toronto. The gentleman at the store warned me about it: "It is very rich and full of chocolate". Little did he know he was egging me on. He was also very helpful about telling me to let it rest for a bit at room temperature, which worked out since I got a little bit lost and wandered around.

At its heart, this pastry is very simple (probably the only thing in this region that is simple), consisting of a crushed hazelnut and brown sugar base and what is ultimately a mound of firm chocolate ganache. In terms of texture, the smoothness of the chocolate contrasted with the crumbly paste. I was rewarded with lumps of coarsely ground hazelnut, which I had the option of mixing into the chocolate ganache or eating on its own, if I pleased. I like having options when eating a pastry; it reminds me of the choose-your-own-adventure books of my childhood. Quality ingredients were used, which would expect from anywhere purporting to call itself a patisserie. The chocolate, although dark, was neither acidic nor bitter and the brown sugar in the base added the necessary touch of sweetness.

Admittedly, the density of this dessert was somewhat daunting and knowing that I had no more chocolate in the house for the next day, I saved some for the following evening. I ate the "leftovers" in candlenight on my patio with hibiscus tea (slightly acidic, but not very strong, thereby complimenting the chocolate well) and looked up at the banana tree's leaves and the stars. I might say that it was even better to eat amongst the pleasures of the night, without the critic's concentrated scrutiny.