© Chau Doan
The ‘sweet food’ wave is the latest fashionable trend to sweep over Paris. These days, desserts have become real luxuries and some patisseries could almost be mistaken for high-end jewellers. There is such a buzz that all of Paris’s foodies rush to be the first to discover new patisserie creations. From macaroons to eclairs and profiteroles, let’s take a look at some of the French capital’s cult desserts!
The uncontested star of ‘sweet food’ is the macaroon. Round, delicious, beautiful and so glamorous, this little cake, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, is a dream for dessert lovers. It is so popular that there is even a ‘Jour du macaron’ (Macaroon Day) on 20 March.If you love macaroons, don’t miss a visit to Pierre Hermé, macaroon-maker par excellence. A veritable alchemist of flavours, this avant-garde patissier continues to push the boundaries of flavour to create more and more inventive recipes. His star product: the Ispahan rose-flavoured macaroon.
Another mecca for these little cakes is Ladurée, whose macaroons were popularized by Sofia Coppola’s film Marie-Antoinette. Don’t miss the chocolate and salted caramel flavours. Ladurée also offers two new collections each year.
© Louis Beche Flickr
If you like choux pastry, you’re in the right place, as it comes in a million and one different ways: eclairs, Paris-Brest, profiteroles … You won’t know which choux to choose!
L’Eclair de génie is a concept store also entirely dedicated to this French speciality. Of all the bestsellers, the most irresistible has to be the salted caramel eclair.
People come from around the world to the legendary tea room Angelina to taste the iconic Mont-Blanc: it has been famous for its mountain of chestnut cream with a meringue centre topped with homemade whipped cream since 1903!
© Eclair de Génie
Sweet flavour from faraway places
If you want to taste something new, Paris is the ideal place to sample flavours from faraway places. All aboard for a world tour of sweet specialities. First stop: the USA. The essential American dessert is the cheesecake, a famous cake from New York made of cream cheese and crumbled biscuits. She’s Cake has made it their speciality and offers numerous flavours, from classic to more exotic varieties like wasabi cheesecake with the Japanese mustard, white chocolate ganache, fresh raspberries and lime zest. For a change, you can even try a savoury version: with goat’s cheese, salmon or camembert … Change of culinary scene guaranteed! The cookie, from Boston, is the USA’s star biscuit. Crispy and crunchy, it has it all! At Scoop Me a Cookie, you can choose from among twenty or so different varieties, from a mini version for a small bite to eat, to XXL format, ideal for when you’re really hungry!On the other side of the globe, Japan also boasts plenty of delicious treats …
© Aurore Sacuto Marina Losa
With shops selling only eclairs, macaroons or angel cakes, desserts are no exception to the single product trend and more and more patisseries are specializing in a single product. There is also the famous tarte tropézienne, based in Saint-Germain-des-Près. This regional speciality from the French Riviera is made of a soft brioche filled with two velvety creams and sprinkled with sugar. Often copied but never equalled! To taste the original version, head to the patisserie Tarte Tropézienne which offers several different types: filled with raspberries or strawberries, millefeuille or Saint-Honoré style. The Baby Trop’, a mini tarte tropézienne the size of a little macaroon, is a firm favourite.
Visitors to La Maison Elysée - Café have the exclusive opportunity to taste exceptional desserts, such as the Brest-Paris Praliné, prepared by chef Fabrice Desvignes, Meilleur Ouvrier de France and winner of the Bocuse d'Or, accompanied by the Palais' pastry chefs. A unique experience in a prestigious setting.
At Hugo & Victor, home to a myriad of different flavours, all the classics of traditional French patisserie are reinvented: millefeuilles, saint-honorés, religieuses …
Celebrity chef Cyril Lignac has opened his own cake shop: La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac. And what’s twice as good is that there are two shops in Paris. They have everything: classics, revisited classics and new creations. Highlights are the excellent rum baba with vanilla cream and the delicious Paris-Brest. Or for something a bit different, there is a dessert creation like no other: the Équinoxe, made with a light vanilla bourbon cream, salted caramel and crunchy speculoos praline, is eye-catching and aesthetically unique.
Or why not drop into the Cake Shop at the Mandarin Oriental hotel and sample gastronomic cakes created by Adrien Bozzolo in a charming setting. Not to be missed: the signature cake, the Saint-Honoré.
