If you read last week’s Cocoa Crawl, then the name Pittsford Farms Dairy might ring a bell.
Between the market sections and the pastry counter, Pittsford Farms Dairy offers a vast array of fresh products (homemade and not): hummus, pastries, ice cream cakes, pastas, maple candies, pierogies, quiches, and oils, to name a few.
Ryan and I completely devoured four large pastries in a single morning. These were perhaps the best pastries I’ve had in my two-ish years here in Rochester, and I was not about to waste a bite. No matter how full I got, I persevered.
The exterior of Pittsford Dairy Farms
First up was the pecan sticky bun, definitely a positive note to start on. The flavors were lovely, with light cinnamon, sugary glaze, and butter all around. What most impressed me, however, was the glorious bake on the pastry. The cake was moist and spongy on the inside with a crispy outer crust.
Next on the menu was the black-and-white cookie. This has been my favorite cookie variety since I was just a wee lass. I typically prefer the traditional black-and-white with icing on top, but I appreciated the frosting. It was set solidly, so biting through provided a buttery texture. The cookie itself was caky and crumbly on the inside with a harder shell, just as a black-and-white should be.
On the even sweeter end of the spectrum was the white chocolate raspberry mousse. I loved this one, not only because it was shaped like an adorable heart. The flavors were phenomenal. The mousse had a light tangy raspberry flavor that was paired perfectly with the sweeter white chocolate glaze. The texture was a technical dream: beautifully aerated and fluffy. The layer of cake, which served as the foundation for this pastry, was luxuriously light and marvelously moist. A perfect parcel of pastry.
Then, our undisputed favorite: the lemon bar. This was the best lemon bar I’ve ever enjoyed. The flavor was second to none: bold and powerful, but in perfect balance. It was lemony and tart, but with an addictively sweet aftertaste. And the crumbly shortbread crust was thin, making way for the sumptuous silken custard.
Pittsford Farms Dairy offers tons of options in the department of ice cream, milkshakes, and frozen custards. We decided on the hot fudge sundae, featuring vanilla custard, hot fudge, and a topping of whipped cream, nuts, and cherries.
This sundae left us unsatisfied. The custard was nice — rich and creamy, not too heavy — and the hot fudge was what we’d hoped for as well, but the whipped cream brought the whole thing down. I don’t understand why a place that specializes in fresh dairy products, and literally has “dairy” in its name, wouldn’t use homemade whipped cream. That fake whip stuck out like a sore thumb in a place with otherwise impressive dairy goods.
Overall, I’m super happy that the Cocoa Crawl (2K19) led me to Pittsford Farms Dairy. I can’t stop thinking about how lovely it would be to sit outside on the benches with an ice cream in one hand and a tasty scone in the other. Now the hard part is just waiting for weather warm enough to do so.
