Patisserie Chantilly: Sweets Lovin'

A trifecta of deliciousness from Patisserie Chantilly in Lomita, CA. Bachelor #1 is a chocolate tart(sounds so pedestrian, no? Believe me, it's not.) with a hazelnut-y rice krispy-y ball of chocolate in the middle. #2 is a lovely strawberry parfait layered with sponge cakeyness, fresh strawberries, fresh chantilly cream, and jam at the very bottom. Cheeky little thing. And #3, we have a Black Sesame Choux. I'd like to thank all three contestants for playing and being delicious, but we have a runaway winner in Bachelor #3! *Wild applause, screaming, yada yada*

Enough foolishness, onto the Choux. I'm sure you've probably bought and/or made pate choux in various shapes and forms: eclairs, profiteroles, churros, whatever and you've probably had some good ones and/or bad ones. Me? Whenever I've bought said things, I've been underwhelmed by the flavor of the dough. It was kind of like a tasteless, strangely textured(or worse, just plain soggy) vehicle for whatever the filling was. Not my kind of pastry! P.C.'s usually makes three fillings for their choux: their signature black sesame, plain, and chocolate. They will occasionally have something seasonal, but those three are now always available. They are meticulous over there and obsessive with the quality of their product. Each choux is filled to order in the back kitchen in order to prevent previously mentioned sogginess. It takes just an extra few seconds and it makes all the difference in the world. Plus, their choux is just plain yummier than any other I've ever had, even without the cream filling. It's just got the right amount of crunch and dry(in a good way) inside. And they dust the top with something, I don't know what but I love it.

Can I just say now how freaking delicious the sesame filling is? Cause it is. Not exactly a mainstream flavor, but this is a Japanese take on French pastry anyway. The first time I tasted it, I don't think I was able to appreciate fully the complex taste of the sesame. I just remember liking it for some reason and have since become addicted. I'll confess, I've never even tried the chocolate one and I only once tried the plain filled and instantly regretted not getting the black sesame. My absolute favorite part of the whole deal is the swirl of honey hidden in the middle....

If you are in Los Angeles, especially the South Bay area, you should really consider stopping by Patisserie Chantilly for their delectable goodies. Really, pretty much everything they make is delicious and they brew a good cuppa. What more can a foodie ask for?