Little Missy Patisserie
If there was another career option on the
table, I’d be a pastry chef.
Gateaux, biscuits, croissant, mousse, tarts,
meringue, toffee, praline, curd, coulis, chocolate, any sweet dessert: you name
it, I’m into it.
Except banana cake, banoffee pie, banana slice,
or anything else that vaguely smells, looks or tastes like a banana. But that’s
another story.
Hobart is not without its fair share of cake
establishments, but a stand out is Little Missy Patisserie.
Cute name huh? For this purpose, let’s just
call them Little Missy.
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| New York apple cake with shredded apple, vanilla cream, brown sugar crumble and caramel crème patisserie topped with blackberries. The cake uses tapioca, corn starch and rice and potato flours. It’s a very hard decision, and I don’t think you should play favourites, but this is the dessert I enjoyed best in my taste testing. |
If their name reflects any aspect of their
business or personality, it is their attention to detail. This is no uptight
establishment but a beautiful array, individually served, of cakes, tarts and pastries.
Little Missy operates from Saturday’s Salamanca
Markets providing their menu of delights dictated largely on seasonal Tasmanian
produce.
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| Lemon brulee tart – a standing item on the menu – shortbread pastry case, the tangy lemon custard, the caramel of the brulee crunch, the sweet crème patisserie topping and the crunch of the decorative topping. |
Little Missy is a love partnership, Oonagh the
pastry chef, and Peter, the public face of the business at the markets (when
he’s not moonlighting as a scallop pie merchant in the latest Tassie tourism
marketing campaign). Oonagh brings around 25 years experience in fine dining to
the business. That’s plated desserts and Michelin star restaurants. Peter is
more than the happy helper, he is sales man, produce aficionado, and cake-styler.
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| D’Agen plum and semolina cake. |
Fun
fact: D’Agen plums are a sweet plum that are also used to make prunes.
If you work in a Hobart office you might
remember their entrée into the Hobart food establishment as Little Missy Muffin
– not your average muffin – delivered door to door at morning tea time. They
made their mark on me. It must have been ten years ago. I remember specifically,
a lemon muffin which held a secret heart of lemon curd.
 |
| (left) Yoghurt and orange teacake topped with rhubarb |
If you arrive at Salamanca at peak hour you may
well notice Little Missy by the queue, many of who are regulars. When I get to
the markets, I make a beeline for Little Missy.
If you get there a wee bit earlier you might
bear witness to Peter finishing off some of the sweets.
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| Peter finishing the lemon brulee |
Apart from how pleasurable they are to eat,
they are beautiful to look at.
Not one of these gorgeous creations comes in
over $5. If you were not so inclined in the kitchen, then you could do much worse
than buy individual cakes for your dinner party’s dessert course at Little Missy.
Others have. As a dessert maker, in fact, the Dessert Queen amongst friends,
this is a sensible option for a busy schedule.
When you pop by to pay your regards and pay for
your cake, you’ll notice there’s no product description. Little Missy like to
engage with customers and they want to convey the detail each creation has to
offer.
What’s that? You’re not a sweet person? These
delights do not cloy with sugar. They are delicate adult desserts.
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| (left) Manhattan Cheesecake with organic vanilla bean sable pastry and Tasmanian apricot |
This Girl loves their food ethos: if you’re
going to do food then do quality food, do it well – totally – and they do their
damnedest to use local produce.
Little Missy are a unique, delightful and
quality addition to what is on offer at Salamanca on Saturday mornings. Go
treat yourself. You can find them on the Silos-end, green side, opposite
Salamanca Arts Gallery – more or less.
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| Paris Brest – an ode to the French bicycle race – a pastry throne topped with Belgium chocolate and toasted almonds and filled with crème patisserie. |
You can also find them at the Farmgate Market, Melville Street, every Sunday.
