Savory Pastries For The Win
Onions, jalapenos, cheese, fresh herbs, and more are the stars of the show
For decades, savory pastries have been the steadfast sibling to sweets. Sure, you’d walk into a shop and spy a spinach croissant or an onion roll in the case, but it was always overshadowed by its sweet siblings: cupcakes festooned with frosting flowers, pies overflowing with fruit, and cookies with rainbow sprinkles always got center stage.
For years, I’ve been begging my favorite doughnut spots to make savory doughnuts with cheddar and rosemary or popovers filled with onion or tomato jam.
Now, savory pastries have taken over the spotlight at a host of fine bakeries, and the trend is growing.
At Dominique Ansel’s new bakery, Papa d'Amour, the master pastry chef explores the world of savory pastries with delights such as a pretzel salt egg tart brushed with brown butter and pretzel salt, a scallion basil blossom, and a kurobuta hot dog spiral with sticky rice and sesame furikake.
In Houston, Koffeteria melds Cambodian, French, and Czech techniques to create an ever-changing roster of croissants, breads, and kolaches (which, I’ve since learned, are extremely popular in many parts of Texas). Nearly every item on its menu balances sweet and savory aspects. Take, for example, the Cambodian elote cornbread, made with corn, coconut, green chives, and green onions; or the ube snickerdoodle cookie with a salted egg yolk.
At Miami’s Zak the Baker, owner Zak Stern offers an array of savory pastries, including a mushroom conserva Danish, spinach artichoke boureka, and a “sam and cheese” croissant filled with salmon and cheese instead of ham.
Chef Rory MacDonald, executive pastry chef at T. Cafe in the Tin Building by Jean-Georges in New York City, agrees that savory pastries are having a moment. “There have been so many new ‘sweet’ pastries being created, I think people are looking for more and more savory items, and not just eggs or bagels,” he says.
MacDonald prefers savory over sweet. “Personally, I would go for a savory option because I am surrounded by sweet stuff all day!”
MacDonald says that when creating savory pastries — especially when introducing them to a public that’s used to biting down on sugar bombs — is balance. “Especially if it’s a morning item, we try to avoid really strong flavors, not make it too heavy or rich. The pastry is already full of butter, so it’s best to find something that complements that, rather than just add to it.”
If you’re in the neighborhood, chef MacDonald suggests trying a savory item at T. Cafe. He recommends one in particular: “Our French onion croissant is really nice for a savory option. It's not too big, and the flavor is not overpowering.”
If you need that sweet tooth sated, MacDonald has you covered, as well. “For a sweet option, I really like our Sicilian pistachio and strawberry Danish – it’s filled with pistachio pastry cream, which is topped off with a pistachio praline, then finished with strawberries from Lancaster County, which are really nice at the moment.”