The LA Bakery Giving A Mexican Twist To French Pastry Classics

A perfect kouign-amman has crispy, buttery layers of laminated pastry with a crunch of caramelized sugar. It's one of the great French pastries you need to try at least once in your life, and it has recently gained in popularity here in the U.S. One of the best examples of the treat can be found in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Highland Park at Santa Canela. The bakery's take on the classic pastry from the Breton region in France adds a giant dollop of sweet, rich, and bright cajeta, caramelized goat milk that originated in Celaya, Mexico. It's a perfect pairing.

The blend of France and Mexico doesn't end there. It continues with a churro croissant that's soft, flaky, and cinnamony. Other croissants are filled with potato and soyrizo. Elsewhere on display are Mexican conchas full of French Chantilly cream. Dipping a concha into a bold carajillo foam-topped cold brew is a great way to jumpstart your morning. The bakery is also home to one of the best churros in LA. Piped to look like the classic LA on Dodgers apparel, it could just be the perfect Instagram fodder for tourists visiting the city, but it is light and fluffy, with a crisp exterior coated in the right amount of cinnamon and sugar (a lot).

Chef Ellen Ramos, the pastry wizard behind the bakery, is the executive pastry chef for the Mexico City-based restaurant group behind Loreto and the now-closed LA Cha Cha Cha. She was born and raised in Los Angeles' El Sereno neighborhood and draws inspiration from the city and her parents. Her Salvi Quesadilla is her take on the cheese pound cake popular in El Salvador, where her father is from. It's sweet and cheesy with a bit of nuttiness from the sesame seeds, the perfect breakfast with a cup of coffee while you sit on the sidewalk watching Highland Park wake up. Her Mexico City-born mother has a chicken tinga recipe that makes an appearance in one of Ramos' danishes.

You can find her LA churro at Loreto, where it comes with delicious dipping sauces. At the mariscos restaurant in the Frogtown neighborhood, you can also order her carajillo foam atop a chocolate cake with pecan toffee and ice cream, and shaved Oaxacan chocolate. It's rich, sweet, and a necessary way to end your meal.