[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]

One big batch is baked each morning, out of the oven at 8:30am. Make it there by 10:30am, or your chances are likely over until the next day. The earlier you rise, the better your odds of scoring croissants at Borne Confections, a Park Avenue shop best known for stocking the confections of Oriol Balaguer, Dandoy, Taste Gelato Artigianale, and previously, Pierre Marcolini (I would give anything for them to bring back Marcolini's marshmallows!)

These croissants are spectacular, the dough specially made for Borne Confections by a Philly-based bakery (the name of which they won't disclose except to say that Oriol Balaguer himself recommended the baker). The dough is shipped frozen, and baked off at Borne Confections daily. Your pick: Plain, Chocolate, or Almond. On your first visit though, I'd recommend the plain ($3), deep golden in color, flaky shatters with each buttery bite. That is the only way to justify a side ($.75) of Christine Ferber jam, as this is the only place you might come across it.

Christine Ferber is the goddess of jam from Alsace, and the only other place in the city I know one can find her jams is at db Bistro Moderne. They won't sell you a jar, though. You have dine in the restaurant for breakfast, and they serve it as a side. You can order the jams online, but there's a certain satisfaction in being able to find it in person.

At Borne Confections they sell it by the jar if, and that's a big if, there is extra in stock. Unsurprisingly, they never have extra in stock on my visits, but till then, I'll settle for many $.75 sides with my croissant. A chunky apple jam, cinnamon-spiced, was served yesterday morning and it took all my willpower to not steal that one jar when the sales clerk had her back turned.

And while it might sound ridiculous to have chocolate early in the morning, you'll kick yourself later if you don't pick up Oriol Balaguer Chocolate Pods ($2.50 each) as an afternoon sweet. He's best known for the Mascleta pod, filled with hazelnut praline and pop rocks, and I've been making detours for the rose pod and the saffron with milk chocolate. But a neighboring morning shopper offered to share her "little secret." I leaned in. "Soy is the best," she declared. Soy? Soy as in edamame, yes. Sultry, slow melting dark chocolate ganache infused with edamame beans, the borderline-savory confection is enrobed into a dark chocolate shell. It's Balaguer-only pod topped by a single red dot. The best of the pods? It's high up there, but I could never settle on just one favorite.

Borne Confections

485 Park Avenue, New York NY 10022 (map)
borneconfections.com

About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan writes A Passion For Food, where she chronicles her eats and travels adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.