Houston: Common Bond Bakery Review

Doesn't that look absolutely luscious? Well it tasted that way too. Common Bond Bakery opened up not too long ago in my area. I would have to say it's the first of its kind in Houston. A true French bakery? Now, I've never been to France, but I have had the privilege of getting a taste of what the French get to indulge in by experiencing the patisseries in Las Vegas by French chefs. Common Bond can definitely go head-to-head with those bakeries in Vegas (Bouchon, Jean Philippe, Payard). I had hoped to try their croissants, but I didn't get to the bakery until 4 pm on Saturday afternoon and they were all sold out =(. But I snagged some pastries and a baguette so I was still a happy gal.

I ended up ordering the raspberry pistachio tart (I love pistachio in any dessert), peanut butter chocolate cupcake, kugelhopf, and a baguette. It was tempting to order everything on display, but Common Bond Bakery is here to stay - try it and you'll agree - so I needn't worry about hoarding all the desserts like it's the end of the world. I was in a hurry so I couldn't get any pictures of the cute cafe, but it's right in the heart of the city and the cafe is fun. I'll get some pictures next time of the cafe as well as the flat white I tried.

Where to begin? Let's start with the baguette. The baguette is beautiful - nice crust that's not too thin or too thick with just the perfect crunch to break into the chewy dough awaiting inside. The aroma is lightly yeasty and tastes freshly baked. I can eat this bread every day; paired with some Truffle Fromager d'Affinois, jam, butter, or plain and on its own, this baguette hits all the notes.

The pistachio raspberry tart took me by surprise. I had expected a stronger pistachio flavor - one that I am accustomed to with hints of bitter almond oil which is so often added to pistachio paste. This pistachio tart however was purely pistachio. The shortbread crust was so buttery and not too sweet. Then there was a layer of what was like a pistachio version of marzipan or probably pistachio paste, then a beautifully piped pistachio custard all around, topped with fresh raspberries and some more pistachios. I do wish it had a stronger flavor since pistachios do not have that strong of a taste, but this tart was still good and I would order it again. That crust.... should be the crust of my apple pie for the holidays. Hmmm... then that would be an apple tart, duh.

So I absolutely love peanut butter. Peanut butter in everything. I've eaten peanut butter so many ways, but nothing beats a big chunk of peanut butter frosting. Sprinkled with cocoa nibs, I think there may be a little sprinkling of fleur de sel as well.

I certainly had a hell of a time peeling off the thick liner that encircled the cupcake. It's perfect if you're going to eat out of the liner, but I wanted to see the actual cupcake for pictures. The frosting is most likely an italian meringue buttercream whipped to an airy perfection with just the right amount of peanut butter. I prefer italian meringue buttercream because it's not so gritty and never too sweet. I'm over the cupcake craze but this was the best cupcake I've ever had. The chocolate cupcake was so moist and paired with the peanut butter frosting, it practically melted together in my mouth. I don't think I can ever go back to any other cupcakery, ever. Now I'm curious about the cupcakes at Jean Philippe and Bouchon Bakery - as many times as I've gone, I've never ordered cupcakes there. I shall next year and report back when I do.

It seems in recent years that yeast-based pastries have become ever so popular and I've yet to try a kouign amman, but I did grab this cute little kugelhopf. I think my taste buds have changed and I actually liked this the most out of the three pastries. I chose this over frosting and custard? I can't believe it myself. But I think I've gotten over the heavy feeling after eating globs of butter and cream and prefer something a little drier.

After cutting the kugelhopf in half, I found some yellow raisins! Yeah, I really need to catch up on these yeast-based pastries that seem to always have dried fruit of some sort. I'm not that surprised how much I really liked this considering I'm obsessed with stollen and panettone... especially stollen. If you like either of those, I'm pretty sure you'll like kugelhopf. This little pastry is crusted with sugar and has hints of citrus and vanilla. It was moist but not overly so like a cupcake. I also like that it wasn't overloaded with raisins and it's a nice accompaniment to a coffee break or "light" breakfast. I really liked the contrasting textures of the sugar-coated crust and spongy crumb inside. Oh I need to get another one of these soon!

If you've not been to Common Bond Bakery, hurry on over there and try their coffee and pastries. Hopefully you'll be luckier than I was and get to try their famous croissants!