Philadelphia's Night Kitchen Bakery adds seating and a cafe

For years, the Night Kitchen Bakery made do with a cramped kitchen in which to turn out raspberry crumb tarts, pecan pies, double fudge brownies, lemon curd, hazelnut buttercream, three-tiered wedding cakes, and a personal favorite, snails.

At a single small table by the front door, engaged couples could leaf through photos of wedding-cake options, but other customers had to pretty much get what they wanted and go because there was no other seating.

Amy Beth Edelman, who bought the bakery in 2000, often looked with longing at the consignment shop next door (later, a hair salon) and pondered the possibilities an expansion might bring.

At first, she was told it couldn't be done structurally. But last year, when the space next to 7725 Germantown Ave. was empty once again, Edelman and her husband/business partner, John Millard, sought out other opinions, found the right contractor, and tripled the bakery's space.

(Edelman married Millard, a fellow chef, formerly of Cafette, in the summer of 2002. He bakes, makes delicate deliveries, and tends the cafe's herb garden.)

Now with seating for 16, the cafe serves breakfast parfaits and stratas, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, plated desserts, seasonal specials - plus La Colombe coffee - all prepared with care in what is now a quite manageable kitchen.

"We're still a bakery first," Edelman says. "The cafe experience makes it more pleasant for shoppers, but we have no plans to serve dinner."

"Each of us worked in restaurants for many years and we're done with that," Millard says, finishing her thought.

Special-order cakes for weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, birthdays, and anniversaries are still a specialty here, and that side of the shop is busier than ever, Millard says, with the popularity of television shows like Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes.

In fact, the cafe's Tiffany-blue and chocolate-brown decor is reminiscent of a specialty cake - but with pine floors, marble table tops, and reclaimed church pews. Closed-circuit TV cameras let customers watch the goings-on in the front room of the bakery, where the cakes are decorated. And at the same time, passersby can watch the cake decorators through the window.

Edelman, who prides herself on treating employees well, now has four pastry chefs and two bakers, and is seeking another baker.

"As an owner, you don't want to give away the shop" in order to do right by your workers, Edelman says. "But I always found that if I wasn't learning on the job, I wasn't happy. And when the staff do move on, we want others to be impressed with their abilities."

Besides, Millard adds, "We both worked for tyrants in the past."

Alex Kugawa, her first pastry chef, is still here, working magic now with fondant to turn out fanciful cakes disguised as handbags or high heels.

And Edelman's mother, who helped out at the bakery for its first six years, is 73 and retired now, but still living in the neighborhood and keeping watch on the bakery.

Eco-concerns are another of Edelman's sensitive spots. With sustainability in mind, the cafe was constructed with VOC-free paint. It serves local ingredients from a farm cooperative, uses no plastic or Styrofoam, and has a full-scale recycling and composting program.

But really, it's about the baked goods. The cafe's double-fudge brownies were featured by Rachael Ray and can be shipped nationwide.

And about those snails mentioned earlier - they're a small sweet treat ($1.75) made from cake scraps that are crumbled and baked in a Danish dough. Unless you just happen to have buckets of cake scraps in your own kitchen, don't try those at home.

Makes 8-10 servings

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Shortbread crust:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Almond cream:

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups almond flour

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

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1. For the crust, in a mixer with a paddle attachment, blend the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth.

2. Add flour and blend just until it is incorporated.

3. Let the dough rest in refrigerator for an hour. Take the dough out of refrigerator and allow to soften a bit.

4. Press dough into the bottom and sides of two seven- inch or one 12-inch tart pan, about a quarter of an inch thick.

5. Par-bake the shell in a 350-degree oven for about 12-15 minutes, until light brown.

6. Allow the shell to cool completely.

7. For the almond cream, blend the room-temperature butter with the sugar until smooth in a mixer with paddle attachment.

8. Add eggs and extract and blend until smooth. If the butter is cold, mixture may look a bit grainy.

9. Add flours and blend just until incorporated.

10. Divide 21/2 cups of frozen blueberries (still frozen) between the 2 shells.

11. Press the almond cream on top of the blueberries, using a small offset spatula. Smooth over the top and to the edge.

12. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20-30 minutes, until evenly light-brown on top.

13. Serve at room temperature out of cooking pan.

Per serving (based on 10): 786 calories, 9 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrates, 30 grams sugar, 54 grams fat, 158 milligrams cholesterol, 81 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber.

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Makes 8 servings

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3/4 pound Berkshire bacon

Butter or nonstick cooking spray

1/4 loaf challah bread (6 ounces)

7 eggs

3 cups milk

1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella and white cheddar cheeses

1/2 tablespoon hot sauce (sriracha)

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1. Cut the bacon into 1/2-inch chunks and cook until crisp.

2. Drain the bacon thoroughly.

3. Butter or use nonstick spray to grease an 8-inch round Pyrex dish or cake pan.

4. Slice or cube the bread and lay in the bottom of the pan. Add the cheese and cooked bacon.

5. In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients, then pour over the bread mixture.

6. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

7. Bake in a 350-degree oven, in a water bath, covered with foil for 30 minutes.

8. Uncover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the center is set.

Per serving: 435 calories, 21 grams protein, 16 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams sugar, 32 grams fat, 245 milligrams cholesterol, 1,102 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.EndText