Macarons, Pains perdus, or crêpes, here are names of desserts that we all know. Indeed, France is not only known for its museums and monuments, but it also has an important culinary heritage, among which
Macarons, Pains perdus, or crêpes, here are names of desserts that we all know. Indeed, France is not only known for its museums and monuments, but it also has an important culinary heritage, among which are delicious cakes that we love to eat. In the land of sugar, butter, and whipped cream, our cooks and pastry chefs are always coming up with more and more delicious treats.
If you don’t know what to do in Toronto, a little visit to the local bakery can’t hurt. I love desserts, and they are a way for me to discover new cultures. So, without further ado, let’s dive into this blog and learn some of the best french desserts that everyone should taste at least once in their life.
1. The Paris-Brest
The most romantic will think that a pastry chef invented this cake on a train between Paris and Brest, leaving his sweetheart… and the most greedy will add that it was 4:00 pm and that he was very hungry! No… you are not there! The Paris-Brest was invented by a pastry chef, Louis Durand near Paris, who was asked by Pierre Giffard, founder of the bicycle race, to invent a cake to celebrate the race and its riders.
The idea of a bicycle wheel was an obvious choice, hence the initial rounded shape of this delicious pastry. The Paris-Brest is made with praline buttercream or praline mousseline cream, a mixture of flaked almonds, hazelnuts, and powdered sugar on a bed of rounded choux pastry.
2. Millefeuille
The origin of this delicious pastry remains a mystery throughout the millennia! Everyone has attributed the recipe of the millefeuille to themselves, even the Byzantines! Its name is justified by the superposition of layers of puff pastry.
Although it does not have a thousand leaves and so much the better for the assembly. To realize a perfect millefeuille, it will be necessary to have 3 layers of puff pastry, between which will slip 2 layers of pastry cream (declinable as one pleases: coconut, praline, fruit, mocha, caramel, almond, vanilla, …) The top will be glazed with powdered sugar or fondant.
3. The Moka
It is a dessert made mainly with coffee from the port of Yemen (the port of Mocha where the coffee shipments to Europe were made); hence it’s pretty little name. It is generally made of alternating layers of sponge cake soaked with coffee and coffee-flavored buttercream on which a veil of roasted almonds is placed for decoration. Although it is declined with chocolate, the mocha remains a cake very appreciated by the good amateurs of caffeine.
4. The Rum Baba
As its name indicates, the rum baba is a soft cake, more precisely a savarin soaked in rum. Its name comes from an 18th-century anecdote where King Stanislas of Poland found his Kouglof too dry and sprinkled it with Malaga wine to make it softer. Nicolas Stohrer, a Parisian pastry chef, had the idea of replacing the wine with rum! It is also available in Italy with limoncello liqueur.
5. Fraisier
There is no top 10 classic French pastry without the presence of the fraisier! So the origin of the fraisier is still a mystery… But whatever it is, its exquisite taste is not. You have to find the perfect balance between the sponge cake, the mousseline cream and… and… and the strawberries! Yes, you’re right! Whether you make it round or square, have fun with the dressing. Once again, this is an easy recipe to make.
6. The Saint Honoré
The Saint Honoré owes its name to the patron saint of bakers in 1850 (it’s not getting any younger). Originally, it was a large brioche filled with pastry cream that had been reworked. From now on, we use a puff pastry as a base, and we put choux pastry balls filled with chiboust cream on top. A chiboust cream is a mixture of pastry cream and meringue). You will have to fix the choux to the pastry with caramel for the assembly.
Looking for good pastry?
In my book, there is no better place to start the weekend than a bakery. Are you in Toronto? Are you craving something sweet or have a sweet tooth? Then look no further than Nord Lyon. They have a variety of French and Canadian pastries, and they have something for everyone out there.
The restaurant and bakery feature a wide range of handcrafted pastries and fresh bread baked daily on-site and a vast selection of pizzas, pastas, and salads. They are one of the most famous French pastry shops and bakeries in Toronto, and we cannot help but recommend them. So, what are you waiting for? Give them a visit and satisfy all your french pastry cravings.