A Sweet New Cookie Shop in Essex Market

By Tejal Rao Mon., Sep. 24 2012 at 11:00 AM

Categories: 100 Dishes to Eat Now

Rao

Dish #23, French-American shortbread from a cookie master

Welcome to 100 Dishes to Eat Now, the tasty countdown leading up to our "Best of 2012" issue. Tune in each day (weekends too!) for a new dish from the Fork in the Road team.

[See More 100 Dishes: Roasted Bone Marrow at Hillside | Fig Paste Stuffed French Toast from Enid's | Breakfast Dosas in Tribeca]

Cookies, $2.50 to $3 each

Beurre & Sel is a tiny counter set among the stalls of Essex Market, calling to passersby with a small menu of seasoned, butter-rich shortbread. Mother and son duo Dorie and Josh Greenspan opened the shop last week, where they're selling beautiful cookies with crisp, browned edges and golden centers.

Plain sablés are about the size of biscuits, sweet and salted, with a sparkling, sugar-encrusted top. They are lovely with a small, strong, coffee in the afternoon. And there are others to explore, like the chocolate-studded espresso -- fine and sandy -- and a wonderfully chewy blondie flecked with caramel.

The savory sesame cookies ($10 a packet) will make an excellent addition to cocktail hour, or a nice hostess gift, if you can resist polishing them off on your way home. Good luck with that.

Beurre & Sel
120 Essex Street
917-632-3239

Read the most recent posts on our food blog or check our longer weekly reviews. Contact the writer at trao@villagevoice.com.