Pastry Chefs In Paris Are Dreaming Up Delightful Twists On Classics

"(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- The French don’t typically feel the need to update a classic anything—the Hermès Birkin bag hasn’t changed in decades. It’s been a similar story in the pastry world, where such staples as croissants are essentially perfect as they are. (The French-born pastry chef Dominique Ansel had to go to New York to invent the Cronut, after all.).But professional Parisian bakers are getting very experimental these days. In part, they’re inspired by the local chefs who have embraced “bistronomy”-style menus that casually tweak classics and highlight seasonal ingredients. They’re also seeing fresh competition from cities like London, where laminated dough—that is, dough that’s been layered with butter—currently reigns..And it turns out they’re not immune to the pull of going viral either, bringing tourists and locals to try the latest wild creation inside their doors. Here are seven of our favorites right now..Read more: Your 2024 Guide to Summer Travel in Europe—for Less.Tarte au Sirop d’Erable at Tapisserie Once upon a time, you never would have seen maple-syrup-flavored desserts in Paris; it’s the kind of intensely sweet, very North American ingredient that would make French chefs hold their noses. But at the modernist shop Tapisserie, chefs Bertrand Grébaut and Théophile Pourrait, owners of the popular nearby restaurant Septime, make it the filling for their now-signature tarte au sirop d’erable. The maple syrup custard is contained within a high-sided, crisp tart shell and topped with generous mounds of softly whipped cream that spill over the side. The cream, sprinkled with powdered vanilla bean, provides a contrast to the intense, indulgent filling and gives the tart a casual, welcoming appearance when considered against the precise construction of classic Parisian pastries. .Tarte Citron at Jeffrey Cagnes Cagnes got famous baking at Paris’ oldest pastry shop, Stohrer, which opened in 1730. He started his own bakery in September 2021 and now has three chic boutiques and hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram. His specialty is tweaking classics in fun new ways. A fanciful twist on a Paris-Brest, the praline-filled choux pastry confection, is piled up with swirls of mousse and chunks of cake with crushed nuts pressed into the base. His tarte citron highlights the often overlooked crust by adorning it with toasted hazelnuts—an ingenious move that catches your attention with its extra-crunchy texture. Basil and olive oil accent a double dose of lime both in the pillowy filling and the intense creamy ganache layer underneath. .Croissant Tout Chocolat at Frappe Boulangerie Urbaine At this bright corner shop, owner Solenn le Squer was one of the first bakers in Paris to sell the round, glazed Supréme croissants that went viral in New York, but the item to order is the seasonally changing viennoiserie, or yeasted dough pastry. This winter she served a knockout one filled with rice pudding that was so creamy, it pooled out of the sides when the shell was cut. The current selection is a “croissant tout chocolat.” But unlike its close relative, pain au chocolat, with its plain pastry and rigid sticks of filling, the base here is a cocoa-infused dough with a voluptuous chocolate pastry cream in the center. A sprinkling of praline and sea salt chocolate crumbs gives it a final savory note. Soon, it will be replaced by a brand-new viennoiserie filled with strawberry preserves and cream. .Marbled Flan and Hazelnut Praline at Butterfly PatisserieThis corner space in the lobby of the palatial Hôtel de Crillon, a Rosewood Hotel, used to be a souvenir shop. Last year, the place became a fairy tale-evoking, floral wallpapered space that could be a Wes Anderson set. Colorful eclairs called “fingers” are offered in flavors like yuzu and vanilla popcorn and displayed in glass cases like jewelry. A bestseller is the marbled flan, which at first glance looks like a slice of cheesecake. But pastry chef Matthieu Carlin goes way beyond that: The slice boasts a double crust, with crackly sugared pastry topped by a cookie-like, caramelized-nut studded layer to contrast the custardy smoothness of the chocolate-laced flan. . View this post on Instagram .A post shared by THE FRENCH BASTARDS (@the_french_bastards).Roule Charbon Pralines Roses at French BastardsThere are now a half-dozen locations of this ultra cool pastry shop around town. Though the branches have the feel of a classic patisserie—and excellent flaky classic croissants—founders Julien Abourmad, Emmanuel Gunther and David Abehsera are also a forward-thinking, visually motivated group with a high-design online catalog of sweets. Exhibit A: the the jet-black roule charbon, or rolled black stuffed croissant. Its striking color comes from charcoal incorporated into the buttery croissant dough; the flavor is courtesy of the intensely sweet-salty praline filling that’s thickly slathered inside. An extra hit of sweetness is provided by the hot pink candied almonds on top. .Pistachio Babka at Le Pain RetrouvéA few blocks up the steeply inclined Rue des Martyrs, one of Paris’ seminal food shopping streets, is Le Pain Retrouvé; the name is handwritten on a large piece of brown paper hanging behind the counter, once you’ve waited in the inevitable line. The “sign” also proudly shouts the store’s emphasis on natural grains and long fermentation. Amid the crowded display is babka, the Eastern European pastry that’s become an unlikely darling of the city’s dessert set. Le Pain Retrouvé’s elegantly twirled rounds have a notably yeasty flavor; when you get a sweet, earthy bite of pistachio, it’s like a surprise. .The Crookie at Maison Louvard BoulangerieChef Stephane Louvard was quietly making a twirl of croissant and cookie dough for regulars until TikTok sent the Crookie spiraling out into the universe. The hybrid dessert has made the shop a destination while racking up millions of views worldwide on social media. The boulangerie, which is attached to the bistronomy restaurant Maison Louvard, now sells upwards of a 1,000 Crookies every day. What makes them so addictive—besides the obvious over-the-top croissant-cookie dough combo—is the pairing of the crispy, buttery croissant layers with melty chocolate. It’s held together with a little chewy sugar cookie that fills the croissant and also crowns it. .More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com.©2024 Bloomberg L.P."

Pastry Chefs In Paris Are Dreaming Up Delightful Twists On Classics

The seven treats that are upending the city’s baking hierarchy.

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Pastry Chefs In Paris Are Dreaming Up Delightful Twists On Classics

The seven treats that are upending the city’s baking hierarchy.

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