Besaluuuuu, Besalu Mucho

We woke this morning with a smile because for once in our topsy-turvy lives, we were going to indulge in a pastry baked by someone else. We were going to Ballard’s Cafe Besalu. The last time we went to Besalu we were en route to the Sunday Farmer’s market and ordered just one croissant to share with our market buddy--we knew we’d sunk very low when we shouted “Hey look, free beets!” in a ploy to scarf the last bite. This morning, we were going to do Cafe Besalu justice: sit at a table, order a coffee and a pastry and not share with anyone.

Before we proceed, we should probably admit that we used to head up croissant-making at another of Seattle’s fine bakeries, so we are very particular about this sort of thing. In a nutshell: making croissant dough, a process of folding a basic yeasted dough with a big piece of butter until innumerable layers have been created, is a lengthy and meticulous task and truly a labor of love. Thus, it’s not surprising that croissants seem to preoccupy and fascinate the food-inclined, who are often willing to go great lengths in search of perfection. In Seattle, you will find these croissant-seekers at Besalu. Although we refuse to describe Besalu’s pastries in food porny drivel-speak (how flaky, how buttery, and not since we were last in Paris blah blah), we will say that the croissants at Besalu=very good. And on the off chance that you are not an obsessive baker (if you are, we recommend looking to the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook or Baking with Julia for painstakingly detailed croissant instructions), or if you, like us, take a day off once in a while, then Cafe Besalu is our humble recommendation. Also they have marionberry jam.