French Pastries

French Pastries

I must confess: sweet and pastries are my “péché mignon”. And French bakeries are the best place to find and discover something nice.
There was a time when I used to keep, my "pocket money" to discover a new pastry or viennoiserie once a month. It was my Wednesday Rendez-vous (children don’t go to school on Wednesday so I used this day). I started with a simple croissant and never finished... Any way there are so many new pastries with foreign or/and modern inspirations that could be impossible.
But I keep having great pleasure having a good pastry for dessert or by an afternoon. So, why not giving you some ideas about what I tasted and like the most?


L’Eclair “For never being disappointed”
Generally made on chocolate or coffee flavour, the Eclaire is a natural flavour choux pastry filled in with flavoured cream (coffee, chocolate, pistachio…) and covered with “glaçage” with the same flavour.
I prefer Éclair to Religieuses as in Religieuses there is much more cream.
I also prefer them on Coffee flavour and especially I always buy them in a good bakery. Supermarket éclairs have often the taste of defrosted water.

La Tarte au Citron “International”
You may find it in most countries and I don’t really know its origins.
It is one of my favourites.
But pay attention before buying this delicious lemon pastries. Some times the lemon cream or the meringue are like liquid, sometimes its been so long at the fridge that it becomes like a “purée” or the worst it can bee too much sugar.
They also can be delicious and I keep trying them everywhere.

Paris Brest
A very sweet cake and difficult to achieve (by Parisian bakers at least), almost never buy it, I have always afraid of ending up cloying. It also is made of pate a choux, filled with praline cream and icing sugar dusted everything and decoration.
The only thing I liked is that. I dared to try and pay the price (although smaller than in bakeries) and Sylviane Sophie and delight he had said. I regretted this very rich. But it is not my favorite
Find a shop here


La Viennoise au Chocolat
Something really good for breakfast

When you are like starving, there is no case stopping at the patisseries. It is better to go directly to the viennoiserie and why not start (the day) with la Viennoise au Chocolat, accompanied with a glass of juice or milk.
I think that the small chocolate chips are what make it so delicious!
Macarons
I could not dare tasting these delicious pastries with such a perfect and elegant form.
Nowadays you can find them almost every were. There are even preparation-kits.
I finally decided to go to La Durée. “You should put them in a fresh place but not in the fridge” said the lady at the shop. Finally we prefer eat them for desert in the evening.
With a large variety of colours macarons are good. Concerning the ones at la Durée I am sure you will find one to like (if not to love passionately): chocolate, blueberry, licorice, mimosa.
The flower ones have often a strong taste. The coconut are delicious. We did not like a lot the apple ones.
Soon I realised I had bought too much for 4 (16 small macarons). It is better to have few to enjoy their flavour!

Photo © Marc Bertrand - Restaurant


Crèpes,
There are lots of persons that when coming to Paris want to try the crêpes.
Personally I don’t really prefer the “Real buckwheat Crêpes”, and if I have one it will be a salty one (ham and cheese for example), so I did not try to make them at home. If you want to try one, you can read the message of Valérie or Geraldine who talk about good restaurants (label Paris-crepes).
So as we love crêpes at home I had to learn how to do them and it is really simple! It is like a pancake recipe without yeast. I always melt first little milk (less than 1/2littre) with 3 eggs and then add flour (2 or 3 cups), salt and melted butter (a small spoon of it). If we want sweat crepes I add some vanilla sugar.
I see if it is liquid enough and add milk or flour according to my needs. Then I leave it for 15 minutes (recipes say more, but I’m not patient enough), and start trying the first one in a really hot pain where I passed a small paper with few butter. I sometimes miss my first crêpe. But then they are all ok.
I really believe that crêpes recipe changes according to one’s taste. At Grands-Boulevards station (line 8 or 9) they sell thick crêpes, personally I prefer them thinner.
My favorite crêpe is the sugar one (just few sugar inside). But you can add chocolate, marmalade, almonds, honey, chestnut…
Bon Appetit!

Croquant Royal,
One can’t love every thing
I had the occasion to taste a new pastrie for my dessert. A Croquant is a delicious chocolate mousse, delicately accommodated on a small sponge cake and with few walnuts on it centre.
It was very good but “Croquant” should mean crispy or crunchy to eat, and as you could read the only thing to crunch are the few walnuts!!!
Amarilys
I discovered it in one of Gerard Mulot boutiques. It is a sort of Macaron with a vanilla flavored center with fresh and delicious raspberries.
Really good…
Anaïs
Regetel