Friday, March 9, 2012

Pan d'Amore

















Almond Croissant

Pan d'Amore, $2.75

Founded in 2003, Pan d'Amore is a bakery and tiny storefront in Port Townsend, on the Olympic Peninsula (with other branches in Sequim and Bainbridge Island). The huge range of crusty breads and delicate pastries are visibly rooted in a European tradition, while a "no throw away" policy (breads too stale to eat end up as fodder on area farms) is a more subtle indicator of the bakery's ties to the local community.

Whenever I can't make up my mind at a European-style bakery, I default to the almond croissant. The dozens I've eaten over the years have mostly blurred together, with only a few individuals distinguishing themselves from the pack; the unusually restrained dusting of powdered sugar on top of Pan d'Amore's almond croissant was my first clue that this would be one of those worth remembering. The buttery, crisp skin gave way to layers of chewier but equally rich connective tissue, and then to the seam of almond paste that really set this version apart: housemade from unblanched roasted almonds and that are coarsely ground with just enough sugar, it was a mouthwatering mashup of marzipan and almond butter.

Pan d'Amore
617 Tyler St.
Port Townsend, WA 98368
360-385-1199

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