Elina Patisserie is serving up commendable canelés

• Elina Patisserie, 443A Sussex Drive

Sometimes we all need a reminder to follow up on certain things and that’s where a dedicated readership can be a help. 

I’d heard about Elina Patisserie, but with so many new shops and eateries opening, it’s easy to get distracted. Nevertheless, I finally made my way to the Sussex Drive shop and was glad I did.

As soon as you step through the door you are awash in aromas of butter and caramelizing sugar. For many, it’s a kind of paradise.

Several years ago, the great French patisserie Madeleines et Macarons on Wellington disappeared from the landscape. The owner decided to move back to France. This left a void in my life as I would no longer get to enjoy the canelé he made. 

Canelé are a unique pastry baked in copper molds at extremely high temperatures. The copper conducts these temperatures that, in turn, brown and crust the exterior while firming up the custard-like interior. 

They’re simple enough but take some work to prepare. They also win over all who eat them. At Elina this pastry is as good as any as you’re likely to find. If you can find them.

The team here put out some first-rate products and after inspecting the “jewel case” I took home a black currant opera cake and their version of a Black Forest cake in the shape of a cherry.

Sadly, the pastries had not been fastened securely to the floor of the box and some damage occurred. The chocolate stem to the cherry had also gone missing so apologies for an incomplete representation. 

There’s little question that the work being done here is top drawer using the finest of ingredients. Both pastries were terrific, but as with all things Black Forest (at least in Canada), there was no kirsch spirit (a clear, colourless brandy from Germany, Switzerland and France).

Kirsch in a Black Forest cake is not optional. It is essential to this cake as kirsch is a signature product from this part of Germany. No patisserie should be allowed to use the term Black Forest unless it contains kirsch. Now we’re getting into labeling laws.

Still, with its airy, sweet cream core, it was a well-crafted and tasty confection that would have been perfect with a good coffee.

The black currant opera cake was also a delight, but the various components were just a melange of dark flavours and I’m not certain that this worked as well as Elina might have hoped.

There was little to distinguish between the dark chocolate and the black currant other than the acidity of the berries. I expect that a layer of pastry or butter cream between the currant layer and the chocolate might have added an interesting buffer.

One other thing of note: the prices here are considerably higher than at any other regional patisserie I’ve visited. That’s the Sussex effect.