Maison Kayser has rapidly opened four boulangerie-patisserie-cafe locations in the city in the past few years, with New Yorkers flocking there for Parisian master baker Eric Kayser's incredible breads and pastries. And it's just the place to go for items to dazzle your guests at Thanksgiving and other holidays meals.
There are Thanksgiving-themed pastries, like the Pumpkin Éclair, a Pecan Tart and a Pumpkin Tart which has vanilla crème brûlée, cassis cream, and a seed nougatine. For Christmas, there are five different kinds of Buche de Noel—Kayser (dark chocolate); Kawa (coffee), Alliance (chestnut and pear); Tropic (coconut and mango); and a classic Seven Layer version with almond biscuit, praline cream and almond—plus different Chocolate Trays with Chocolate Mendiants in dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate.
The ultimate, though, might be the New Year's cake, called the Snowflake, which has a Champagne mousse, with light vanilla cream, cherry cream and a white glaze. The decadent dessert is actually very light and ethereal tasting.
On the other side of carbohydrate indulgence, Kayser has introduced a variety of holiday breads. There's a special Blue Corn Bread—the Columbus Circle location's Signature Bread—made with 30% blue corn flour and 70% white flour, a Chestnut Bread, a rich Onion Bread (my favorite) and a show-stopping bread basket made of bread, featuring Mini Tumeric, Mini Walnut, Mini Fig, Mini Raisin Walnut, and Mini Seed Breads.
Maison Kayser's four Manhattan locations are: Upper East Side (1294 Third Avenue); Flatiron (921 Broadway); Columbus Circle (1800 Broadway); and Bryant Park (8 West 40th Street).
