Beard Papa's Vanilla Cream Puffs

I guess I am late to the Beard Papa's party. The franchise that specializes in "the world's best cream puffs" originated in Osaka, Japan in 1999 and now has outposts on the East Coast, California, and Hawaii. I first had a BP cream puff last year when my mother's neighbor gave her a box. I thought they were just okay, but then again they were eaten after they had been in the refrigerator which always leaves the exterior rather stale and spongy. I thought I'd give them another try when I was recently in the Westfield Shopping Center on Market in San Francisco.

Caramel was the flavor of the week (Chocolate, Green Tea, and Strawberry are among the rotated flavors), but I opted for the original Vanilla upon my friend's suggestion, which is also the flavor I had when I first tried BP. I watched as they pumped the puff with the fresh vanilla cream right then and there (each one is filled to order), and, as it is with Krispy Kreme, you have to eat it right then and there to get the full effect of the freshness of the cream puff dusted with powdered sugar. Of course, I went back the following day to try the Eclair, which isn't really an Eclair in the traditional sense, but is really just the cream puff topped with chocolate. The Eclair was not as good as the original, mostly due to the fact that the puff had been in the refrigerator (death to cream puffs it seems) presumably to extend the longevity of the chocolate.

Overall, my recent experience redemeed my earlier one, and it is probably a good thing that I don't live near a BP's, otherwise I'd be perpetually walking around with a smattering of powdered sugar on my nose.

www.beardpapas.com