Paris Pastry Obsessions

Pastry shops in Paris have always been a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds. But there are some important differences between the pastry shops of then and the pastry shops of now. In the past, you walked in and saw all those rows of classic French desserts standing at perfect attention. Typically, the same pâtisseries appeared at shop after shop – éclairs, millefeuilles, opéras, palmiers, tartes au citron, tartes aux fraises, financiers, macarons. What varied was the quality of flavors and ingredients. In some ways, it was reassuring to know that a Paris pastry shop was a Paris pastry shop was a Paris pastry shop. But somewhere in the last several years, pastry shops in Paris changed – they became a hotbed of hipness.

Take French almond macarons for example. Once upon a time, they were just great little almond cookies. And yes, in Paris, you knew that Ladurée was one of the best sources for them – especially for favorite flavors like chocolate or coffee. But the macaron craze hit, and Paris (and then the rest of the world) became obsessed with the sugary treat. Various pastry shops began competing to create the hippest, most chic macarons on the planet. Now you find exotic flavors like passion fruit-basil, mango-coriander and even grapefruit-wasabi. I kid you not.

The almond macaron case at Gérard Mulot in the 6th arrondissement – the coconut macaron is to die for!

Human and media attention spans being what they are, it was only a matter of time before hip pastry designers moved on from macarons and set their sights on other trend-worthy sweets. The millefeuille, or Napoleon, has been getting the spotlight of late. Similarly, the Paris-Brest has emerged from pastry-case oblivion to become a darling of French pastry chefs.

If you’re not familiar, the Paris-Brest is a circle of choux pastry filled with praline flavored cream made to look like a bicycle wheel. It supposedly was created in 1891 to commemorate the first Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race, a 1200-kilometer competition that goes from Paris to Brest in Brittany and back again. I have never thought much about that particular pâtisserie but recently, I found myself conducting an informal taste-test at Paris restaurants and pastry shops.

After a dinner one night at the Bistrot Paul Bert in the Marais, I chose the homemade Paris-Brest for dessert. It was énorme – I couldn’t quite finish the whole thing. But the praline cream was so good, I gave it my best effort. Then I hit several pastry shops and found myself really starting to take notice of this French treat.

Which brings me to the Paris-Brest at La Pâtisserie des Rêves (LPDR). For ages, I avoided going into this over-the-top hip pastry boutique in the rue du Bac. The futuristic decor – think French pastry shop meets the Jetsons – had totally put me off. But ever since the French newspaper Le Figaro had voted LPDR’s Paris-Brest as the best in Paris in 2010, I knew I’d have to try it.

So I walked into the LPDR pastry shop on a recent afternoon trying to appreciate the high glass domes over the featured pastries – there were no traditional pastry cases here. I made straight for the Paris-Brest and asked the mod young man for an individual one (you can also order a large version to serve several people). Wearing an earphone and a mike, he quickly passed the order along to an unseen colleague in the back who packed my Paris-Brest into one of LPDR’s signature melon-pink pyramid boxes – like a darling paper purse, I thought – and brought it out to the front. At over 5 euros, it’s not une bonne affaire (a bargain) but I was determined to see what the hype was all about.

After getting it home, I tasted several bites and immediately conceded that this Paris-Brest was in every way DIVINE. The choux pastry and praline cream were absolutely perfect. And the creative touches by LPDR’s pastry chef Philippe Conticini showed real genius in the reinvention of this classic: the circular choux pastry breaks off into round cream-puff-type bites making it super easy to eat. In addition, the praline cream includes a touch of chocolate for flavor and richness. Finally, the praline cream in each ‘round’ also has a bit of a liquid praline center for a surprise taste and texture.

As a follow up, I did a bit of research on what the French would drink with a dessert like this one. Several wine experts recommended a glass of Sauternes with it. Of course, the heavenly French dessert wine with the divine Paris-Brest.

Next time you’re in Paris, be sure and stop by one of LPDR’s two boutiques to taste this fabulous French pastry concoction. They’re open every day but Mondays. And the shop in the 16th arrondissement includes a salon de thé so you can enjoy your sweet snacks on site. Meanwhile, I’ll be scanning the horizon for the next Paris pastries to become the hip new thing!