Japonaise Bakery & Cafe

A friend and I have been working on a project where we are studying Japan and their life expectancy. In case you didn't know, the Japanese have the highest life expectancy in the world! Today, I had a revelation--it must be their baked goods!

At lunch today, I stopped by a Japanese bakery to order some treats for our presentation next week. Located in Brookline, Japonaise (that's French for Japanese) serves up some very delectable treats. They have bread, rolls, pastries, specialty breads and cakes--some being traditional baked goods, such as croissants, others are Japanese specials, such as azuki cream and an pan. Most of the Japanese treats are filled with azuki, sweet red beans. 

I tried the Azuki Cream, which is similar to an American cream puff. Made with puff pastry, it has a small layer of azuki paste and the rest is filled with a light whipped cream. The entire puff is then coated in powdered sugar. Just in case your not drooling from the mouth already, this dessert was incredible! For anyone who has not tried azuki beans, I really suggest you do. Growing up, I remember eating azuki beans on my fried ice cream and how much I loved them! I'm glad to know that now I can have them at a great local bakery. I will definitely be back to get more treats from this bakery in the near future. 

Give it a try and let me know what you think of azuki beans!