Serious Eats: New York
Sugar Rush: Payard Patisserie's Vanilla Rum Truffles
I'm a big fan of dark chocolate truffles, but they hardly get Sugar Rushed because it's rare that a truly fantastic one comes along. Decent ones are a dime a dozen, but finding those in the league of Kee's Chocolates in SoHo or La Maison du Chocolat is another, more difficult, matter.
So you can imagine my delight when I received a box of vanilla rum truffles from Payard Patisserie. The classy little numbers make for a heady single drop in the mouth. The crisp, cocoa-dusted shell is lusty enough alone, but then you break into the dark and smooth ganache, kissed by the lightest hint of vanilla rum. Beware. Each truffle goes down far easier than you'd ever expect. I wiped down half of the thirty-piece box ($38) in just over an hour. "Just one more, just one more." You know how it goes. Glutton? Perhaps. Blissful? You bet.
Payard Patisserie
1032 Lexington Avenue, New York NY 10021 (b/n 73rd and 74th Streets; map)
212-717-5252
Order them online at payard.com