Levine Patisserie, a kosher bakery

Levine Patisserie

346 Great Neck Rd.,

Great Neck, 516-482-3644, levinespatisserie.com

Levine Patisserie in Great Neck doesn't just want to compete with other kosher bakeries, said Alex Levine. It wants to take them all on.

Like most kosher bakeries, the patisserie, which was opened in May by Alex and his son, Eric, is pareve: it uses neither dairy nor meat ingredients so the baked goods can be consumed with either type of meal. And that means no butter, the fat that is central to both European and American baking traditions.

Levine's head baker, Youssef Samba, is up to the challenge. In place of butter, he uses coconut oil, a vegetable fat that, like butter, is solid at room temperature. "And it's natural," Samba said, "not processed."

Samba, a transplanted Frenchman, has worked with some of France's best patissieres, including his mentor Jacques Mahou, owner of the renowned Au Vieux Four bakery in Tours.

Samba uses coconut oil in the picture-perfect pear-frangipane tarts ($4.50), Danish pastries ($2.50) and pound cakes ($7). But he also makes great use of olive oil in the muffins ($2.50) and, especially, in the luxuriant challahs which Levine sells in a profusion of varieties. The loaves come in classic braids, crowns and larger "breakaways" composed of six big, pull-apart balls. Flavors include olive-rosemary and cranberry-pecan; some loaves also are imbued with the golden hue of turmeric. (Prices range from $4 to $8, depending on size and flavor.)

Sweet enough for dessert is the almond challah ($10; $3 for a mini) that is filled and topped with almond cream and sliced almonds. It's Samba's homage to the almond croissant.