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Although you may have been to Short Cake for its chocolate chip cookies and Verve coffee cold brews, you might not have noticed that there are some new European-inspired pastries at the little stand nestled in the Original Farmers Market.
Ivan Marquez, a Sylmar native, is the new lead pastry chef who took the reins of the bakery earlier this year when Hourie Sahakian left to take a new position as Culinary Innovations Manager with Arytza. He's been adding some new baking techniques, desserts and savory pastries to the menu using skills he learned on the job at renowned eateries like French Laundry and Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, California.
LAist recently stopped by Short Cake for a tasting of the new items on the menu where Marquez shared his creative tarts. His peach tart had hints of thyme and raspberry jam in it with a layer of frangipane (an almond custard) on it. It was flavorful, light and not overly sweet. His fig tart was paired with blackberries, a walnut frangipane, and this time sage as his herb. It was bursting with a natural sweetness.
Marquez said he'll be changing his tarts as fruits come and go throughout the season. It's something we're looking forward to since we enjoyed these ones that had complex flavor profiles and we're curious as to what he has planned for his next tarts.
And for the croissant lovers, Marquez changed up the way Short Cake made these pastries through their laminating process and even the way they're shaped. There seemed to be a million thin, crispy and flaky layers in his classic croissant. His ham and cheese croissant had the same flaky texture, but with the added bonus of cheese oozing out the sides that became "crispy cheese," as Marquez called it. He said he hadn't seen that happen before with their croissants and decided to keep it on instead of cutting it off and discarding it like other bakeries would. (We are always fans of crispy cheese—that's the best part.) There were also square-shaped croissants topped with sweet and juicy, roasted cherry tomatoes, goat cheese and watercrest—the veggies were a refreshing touch to the pastries.
Marquez is looking forward to playing around with kumquats, persimmons, squash, and pumpkins this fall season as he comes up with his next menu items. There may even be a miso plum tart with a sake glaze in the mix. Count us in.
Short Cake is located at the Original Farmers Market at 6333 W. 3rd St., Stall #316, in Los Angeles, CA 90036, (323) 761-7976
