25+ Irresistible French Pastry, Desserts And Sweets: Insider’s Information

Some of the “sinful” issues you possibly can probably do when visiting France is stopping by a café or salon de thé (tea room) in mid-afternoon and having a snuffle across the French pastry desserts counter.

Chances are high you will not come away empty handed.

all probably the most well-known french pastry desserts

There’s little doubt: France is aware of the way to do desserts.

Not too candy, not too tart, not too sickening. 

Excellent. So proper, in reality, that the place you may often eat one, in France you will need two. Perhaps three.

Many people (particularly if we’re French) are satisfied that France is a temple of gastronomic gratification, with scrumptious dishes which might be extra akin to expertise than only a meal (though France does have its share of bizarre meals too).

A meal right here will be chic, with French pastry desserts being the ultimate crown.

A conventional French meal (the everyday French breakfast excluded) will often contain an entrée, which is a starter, adopted by a plat principal (a fish or meat dish, or, in an upmarket or very conventional restaurant, one in every of every), a fromage (cheese) and, lastly, dessert (or ought to I say French pudding for my British associates).

It is this remaining merchandise that considerations us right here.

Beneath I’ve listed France’s favourite desserts, in alphabetical order of French dessert names, or my biases will come by means of!

These are those we eat roughly frequently (thought not in extra), those you will discover most frequently in your native French patisserie. I’ve additionally added just a few regional specialties that are equally frequent, however principally of their respective areas.

Lastly, I counsel you may have a chew to eat earlier than settling right down to learn this piece, otherwise you may be rudely interrupted by the sound of your abdomen gurgling.

Baba au rhum

You have most likely seen this in your native pastry store however handed it over, as a result of it is plain and comparatively unadorned, in contrast to the brightly colored pastries most likely sitting proper subsequent to it.

It is an unpretentious little factor, a easy cake soaked in rhum, with the standard addition of a little bit of whipped cream.

Whereas many French desserts have overseas origins, this one could sound tropical however it’s resolutely French, from Lorraine, in reality, close to Nancy.

And there is a story behind it.

It could appear that through the first half of the 18th century, the previous king of Poland, Stanislas Leszczynski – he was residing in Lorraine on the time – appreciated to eat a sure cake that reminded him of the Polish babka (appears like baba?). However they had been a bit exhausting and he was a bit previous and his tooth had been a bit worn, so his chef Nicolas Stohrer had a superb thought: soaking the muffins with candy wine.

Some years later, a Parisian pastry chef – a descendant of the Polish king’s chef –got here up with a correct recipe, and changed the wine with rhum, and so the Baba au Rhum was born, as a result of an previous ex-king had wobbly tooth.

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canelés

I first tasted these on my maiden go to to Bordeaux, which claims this delicacy as its personal. On the time, you could not discover them simply elsewhere, though as of late France has woken as much as the scrumptious style and texture of this little cake. It has a spongy texture, with the thinnest of skinny caramel coatings.

It appears to have emerged from muffins as soon as baked by nuns in a Bordeaux convent someday within the Sixteenth century. Its title would then have been canelat or canelet, as a result of it was wrapped in cane earlier than frying. Apparently the nuns recovered flour left within the holds of ships and used it to bake the canelés

In one other legend, the title may come from breads baked by so-called canauliers through the Seventeenth century.

It appears it was as soon as spelled with two “N”s, however one N was dropped with the creation within the Eighties of the Brotherhood of the Canelé, one in every of France’s many food- and drink-related brotherhoods. Lately, it may be spelled both approach. It is nonetheless the identical cake.

Such a easy recipe for such a scrumptious little factor — flour, milk, sugar, vanilla and rhum. And that simplicity usually yields probably the most scrumptious outcomes.

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café gourmand

All that is very properly and good, however what if there are such a lot of decisions you merely can’t determine? When that menu of French pastries arrives and ten minutes later you are still studying?

Enter the café gourmand, for which there actually is not a translation: the closest I can come is connoisseur espresso… or assorted mini French pastries.

Mainly it is a espresso, which you may have on the finish of your meal (espresso is rarely with your meal in France), accompanied by 3-6 mini-pastries, usually samples of the bigger desserts that may be on the menu. It’s a good way to style a little bit of every part with out being overwhelmed… In a superb restaurant, the pastries might be as excessive in high quality because the precise desserts. In a lesser institution, you may be getting one thing barely under-par, so I might save this one in your higher outings.

I do admit I discover this difficult to withstand after I see it on a menu…

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clafoutis

Mmmm, reminiscences of childhood. As a result of it’s so simple to make, some of the easy French desserts, this is without doubt one of the first recipes our moms educate us.

I nonetheless bear in mind my shock at seeing the cherries peeking out of the custard like darkish little half-moons.

The French cherry clafoutis appears to have develop into common within the Nineteenth century and comes from the Limousin area. It is a easy flan (lots of people would dispute it, preferring to name it a cake), with cherries added, though typically it may be made with different fruits, like plums or blackberries (through which case it’s known as a flaugnarde). It is a easy combination of eggs and milk and sugar. Whip it up, add cherries, fill a pie shell. Does not get a lot simpler.

And for those who’re not scared to swallow one or break a tooth, it’s possible you’ll go away the pits in.

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crème brûlée

Oh so cherished, this easy dessert, principally egg yolks and milk, dates again to at the least the late 1600s and in some way hits chic notes, with its unbelievably creamy and easy insides and an impossibly skinny but crunchy crust. It’s kind of wealthy, so I want to eat it with meals that do not embrace cheese.

Some say crema catalana, or Catalonian cream, predated crème brûlée and will have even been its inspiration. A later cookbook in 1740 talked about one thing known as English Cream, and a sure “burnt cream” appears to have made its formal look at Cambridge College in 1879, with its coat of arms branded on the sugar crust.

French crême brûlée actually hit its stride within the Eighties, when it grew to become some of the common French desserts, popping up on each menu. It is nonetheless a mainstay…

However is it actually French? Since we do not know, we will merely declare it.

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crème Caramel

It is exhausting to imagine that the flan, or custard, really originated in Rome, not stunning for the reason that substances are eggs and cream, and the Romans had each chickens and cows.

Not solely did it see the day in Rome nevertheless it survived by means of the centuries, grew to become candy (earlier variations weren’t) and finally made its method to the New World, making it most likely the favorite dessert of Spanish-speaking nations.

In the present day, it stays extensively and wildly common all through Europe, and you will find it on many French dessert menus.

This French creme caramel merely is not… French. However we deal with it as such.

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crêpes suzette

That is an old style dessert, the type my grandmother used to like, however you’ll nonetheless discover it on menus, particularly in hoity-toity eating places, because it includes really setting fireplace to a dish to flambé it, one of many extra fancy French desserts.

However its origins are disputed.

The most typical goes again to 1896 in Monte-Carlo. This story credit Auguste Escoffier, who was head chef of the Grand Hôtel on the time, with their invention. He would have created them in honour of the Prince of Wales, future King Edward VII. The prince could have been accompanied by a sure Suzette and when Escoffier supplied to call the dessert after him, he demurred, claiming it was so good he was undeserving and that it must be named after Suzette as an alternative.

Different origins are claimed: Henri Charpentier, Rockefeller’s chef and a scholar of Escoffier; by Escoffier himself (on the Savoy in London in 1890); or by a Paris restaurant proprietor, however for a similar Suzette.

We could by no means know however the recipe itself stays comparatively unchanged: crêpes, coated in a sauce (sugar, butter, orange or tangerine juice and lemon zest), splashed with alcohol (often Grand Marnier or triple sec), and set on fireplace on the desk.

The alcohol, by the best way, may need been an accident… whereas making ready the crêpes, the inventor (or the particular person serving them) spilled alcohol over them and, unable to repair the mess, merely flambéd them. It was an amazing success!

However, please word: this implies Crêpes Suzette aren’t French, however from Monaco…

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Éclairs

Who would not indulge within the occasional éclair?

It is a easy little dessert, a choux pastry − the identical one used for profiteroles − crammed with a custard (often chocolate, espresso or vanilla) and glazed with icing of the identical flavour. And one you are sure to search out in virtually any French pastry store.

Lately they’re modernising the éclair and you will find a zillion fillings, from whipped cream to pistachio to fruit salad with lemon glaze. I am a traditionalist and nothing beats a superb espresso éclair…

It appears the éclair entered the world of French sweets in Lyon in 1850, nevertheless it wasn’t known as an éclair however a duchess: it had the identical form and filling however was rolled in crushed almonds. Nonetheless sounds scrumptious.

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fondant or moelleux au chocolat

I will be sincere with you right here: I usually cannot inform these two aside. They’re each manufactured from chocolate, and so they each have a comfortable inside. But there is no foundation for confusion as a result of the 2 are considerably totally different.

The moelleux all the time has a runny middle, surrounded by a cake. To make the within run, a frozen ganache or chocolate is inserted into the cake and melts when heated.

The fondant, then again, would not have a liquid coronary heart however melts in your mouth due to its creamy texture. It often would not comprise any or a lot flour, actually lower than the moelleux. And it is actually amongst France’s favorite desserts.

After which there’s the mi-cuit… it is sufficient to drive you across the bend. They’ve the identical substances, and all that adjustments is the quantity of baking.

In the long run, it would not matter, does it? Should you love chocolate, at the least strive one in every of these, or higher but, strive all three.

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fraisier

No two fraisiers look alike, I’ve discovered. A fraisier often includes vanilla whipped cream, cake, marzipan (typically) and strawberries (all the time.).

Like strawberry shortcake, the fraisier appears an virtually pure residence for the comforting strawberry.

It is such an apparent dessert that there is little likelihood of ever unpacking its origins. There are traces of it in Escoffier’s Culinary Information, and subsequent pastries have integrated bits and items of it.

In spite of everything, for those who had strawberries and needed to make a pastry, would not it seemingly find yourself trying a bit like a fraisier?

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gâteau basque

As its title implies, it is a regional delight you will discover in France’s Basque nation, that southwestern tip that borders Spain.

Its title, Basque cake, could also be barely unprepossessing, however whenever you have a look at the unique − etxeko bixkotxa − you will be glad its creator discovered one other title for it.

Sure, it is a dessert whose origins can really be traced: it’s a household recipe elaborated within the early Nineteenth century by Marianne Hirigoyen, pastry chef at Cambo-les-Bains’ one and solely pastry store (Combo-les-Bains is a small thermal city within the Basque inside).

It sped round by phrase of mouth and shortly grew to become so common it even got here to the eye of Napoleon III (nephew of the primary) and his spouse, Empress Eugénie.

It’s often stuffed will custard or black cherries (typical of the Basque nation), though apricot, nut and even chocolate fillings have been noticed − a wealthy combination of crunchy and moist, and sure, candy.

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glaces

Easy.

Ice cream. A lot cherished in France.

How cherished is it? We eat 5.5 liters of ice cream per particular person per yr. In whole, that is about 360 million liters of ice cream yearly. Extra staggeringly put − France eats 11 liters of ice cream per second.

As for flavour, conventional French desserts are, properly, hopelessly conventional: vanilla and chocolate.

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Île flottante

That is the Île Flottante I simply sampled in a Lyon restaurant.

You understand how many desserts can range from place to put? That hardly ever occurs with Île Flottante: it tastes remarkably the identical, wherever you go: a ethereal meringue, floating on a mattress of vanilla-infused custard and coated with a lightweight sprinkling of slivered almonds and a ribbon of caramel. It is the proper “mild” dessert after a heavy meal; it’s wealthy, however in some way mild.

As with many French desserts, this one (in its vastly totally different unique model) was invented by Auguste Escoffier, a pillar of French gastronomy. The unique recipe is not clear. In a single, a biscuit soaked in alcohol and coated in jam, raisins and almonds and coated in whipped cream. In one other, apples may need been concerned.

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Kouign amann

This explicit regional delicacy is from Brittany and dates again to the mid-Nineteenth century. It even has an inventor: Yves-René Scordia, a baker, naturally.

It isn’t too troublesome to explain: take a croissant, add extra butter, add sugar, and bake it as a cake, reduce off items as you want them. At occasions it is also baked individually. It would not matter, proper? However for those who’re a butter fiend…

The title, by the best way, comes from cake (kouign) and butter (amann).

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Macarons

This little stuffed wafer, a royal member of the fraternity of French sweets, has taken the nation by storm, despite the fact that it wasn’t born right here. As is the case with quite a lot of candy delicacies, this one originated within the Center East, making its method to Europe as Europeans started to journey (maybe by way of the Christian Crusaders of the Center Ages) and, finally, into France by means of Catherine de Medici (spouse of Henri II of France, and mom of three later kings), whose Florentine savvy introduced so many alternative meals into France.

And from there the standard macaron took off, was tailored, morphed and advanced. It appears to have began life as a single wafer, doubling up in Paris round 1830 and held collectively by a filling − catapulted by Ladurée in Paris, and now some of the well-known French desserts ever.

However there have been loads of regional variations, for instance the Basque macaron, which persists to at the present time in southwestern France.

It is extra common flavours are the usual ones: raspberry, hazelnut, pistachio, vanilla… however innovation is rarely far on the subject of macarons and you will find them starting from the loopy to the ingenious − liquorice, foie gras, sesame, saffron…

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Marrons glacés

As autumn rolls round and Christmas begins to make its first sounds, a crinkly sound will be heard in candy retailers and chocolate shops.

That sound is the unwrapping of marrons glacés, which often come tucked right into a sq. of golden foil.

The little gem in query is a straightforward chestnut coated in sugar. Who knew such a bit of factor may present such a style explosion?

It could be easy, nevertheless it’s not simple and takes a number of days to make. The chestnuts are soaked, peeled, protected in a web (in opposition to breakage), boiled, soaked in sugar syrup for 48 hours or extra, drying for per week, triage (to get rid of damaged chestnuts or undersized ones), iced with glaze, and eventually, baked briefly to present them their sheen. They’re then individually wrapped and packaged in particular foil, in a wood field for upmarket merchandise, in cardboard containers or plastic sachets. They’re even offered individually, in order that afficionados like myself can purchase one or two when want strikes.

They need to be saved at room temperature to retain their style however, frankly, they hardly ever final lengthy sufficient to dry out.

Beware, although − spend the additional and purchase the highest quality, as a result of a poorly ready marron glacé will be gritty, dry, and easily would not do that justice.

That mentioned, such a well-liked candy could not even be French! The glazed chestnut is claimed by each France (in the time of Louis XIV) and by Italy, however no matter its origins, it’s a ubiquitous a part of the Christmas holidays.

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mille-feuille

There’s one thing deeply comforting a few mille-feuille. Maybe it is as a result of it’s a conventional French dessert, one we equate with childhood Sundays or a particular deal with. All I do know is I’ve been consuming all of them my life and nonetheless, in the present day, my senses go on rapid alert when a mille-feuille is in sight.

Traces of the unique pastry will be present in an early Seventeenth-century recipe, though in the present day’s iteration is made with vanilla and the unique contained alcohol.

However then it will get murky. The most typical story has the delectable mille-feuille rising in 1867 in a Parisian pastry store and is touted as a ‘specialty’. Phrase-of-mouth did its job and shortly, folks had been lining up within the streets to purchase this fragrant mixture of puff pastry, custard, vanilla, and icing.

However there are different, rarer spottings of those in pastry retailers as early as underneath Napoleon Bonaparte, earlier within the Nineteenth century.

Its title? Mille-feuille means one thousand sheets, as in sheets of pastry. There aren’t that many, however there are fairly just a few. Lately it has been ‘improved’ with the addition of fruits, or chocolate, or different gadgets. Actually, many earlier variations appeared to incorporate jam. My native pastry store has taken to utilizing jam, however so far as I am involved, you should not mess with perfection.

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mont-blanc

Of the numerous pastries on this web page, this one could also be extra of an acquired style than the moment candy explosion we have come to anticipate. It is common in a number of nations the place chestnuts are frequent, like Italy and Switzerland – nations that are additionally neighbours of Europe’s highest mountain.

And whereas it is known as Mont-Blanc in France, in neighbouring Switzerland it is known as ‘vermicelli’. You may see why in a second.

The essential substances are easy: chestnut purée, a coronary heart of meringue (not all the time!) and whipped cream (in some instances you may discover cake or pie crust on the backside however, pointless).

The purée is run by means of a big sieve and comes out in strings, spaghetti-like, on the different finish (therefore its Swiss title).

It appears this dessert was imagined in Italy in the direction of the tip of the fifteenth century earlier than making it to France a few many years later. However that is not the one risk. One other is that it was created by the famend Parisian patisserie Angelina. Both approach, Angelina made it well-known. It suffered a dip in reputation for just a few many years however has been reinvented because the quintessential winter warm-up delight.

Mont-Blanc, by the best way, additionally occurs to be the title of a Caribbean coconut-based cake…

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mousse au chocolat

Ahhh, who hasn’t had a meltdown whereas consuming an impossibly wealthy chocolate mousse? And wouldn’t it shock you to know the chocolate mousse had been invented by a Swiss chef?

Charles Fazi was Louis XVI’s chef and was already being talked about round 1755, althought the recipe itself − chocolate, cream, egg yolks and sugar − emerged greater than 60 years later in André Viard’s Cuisinier Royal, a commemorated recipe guide.

From then on, the mousse will develop into more and more common as the most effective French desserts, and one to be made at residence. Apparently Toulouse-Lautrec could have even contributed to the recipe!

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opéra

I don’t know why I like this little pastry a lot − to me it’s the queen of French pastry desserts. Maybe it’s due to the correct proportions of its varied elements… cream, icing, cake, every part completely layered. Or possibly as a result of it has a type of French pastry names that soars and makes you dream…

The Opera could have been first marketed in {a magazine} in 1899 however actually joined the mainstream round 1955, when the pastry cooks at Dalloyau − Cyriaque Gavillon and his spouse Andrée − named it after the Opéra Garnier.

It wasn’t simple crusing, nevertheless. Gaston Lenôtre, founding father of the Lenôtre culinary empire, claimed the dessert (or a remarkably related one) as his in 1960. Lastly, the newspaper Le Monde determined the unique did certainly belong to Dalloyau…

When it was created it was thought-about exceedingly fashionable, due to its geometric and minimalist traces, and due to its substances − the elimination of alcohol (which was a part of the unique) and a discount in sugar. The thought behind was novel as properly: every layer could be seen, and would all be tasted in a single bit.

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paris-brest

This scrumptious puff pastry crammed with praline mousse and sprinkled with icing sugar and slivered almonds, was really designed to appear to be a bicycle tire. It additionally occurred to be made with a secret ingredient (slightly than butter).

In 1891, the Paris-Brest biking race was inaugurated. Alongside the route, within the city of Maisons-Lafitte, a pastry chef by the title of Louis Durand determined to rejoice the race with, what else, a pastry.

He original it within the form of a bicycle tire (though some would favor to interpret the form as a victor’s crown). Regardless of. What counts is the style…

Individuals now come from throughout France to style the unique Paris-Brest on the Patisserie Durand, which continues to thrive underneath the watchful eye of the unique inventor’s great-grandson.

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Pâte d’amande

You most likely know this as marzipan and in France, it is available in two varieties: almond paste, which often comprises egg whites, and marzipan, which doesn’t. So as to add to the confusion, each are known as marzipan right here!

Regardless of… Many pastry retailers or confiseries (sweet retailers) could have rows of little marzipan collectible figurines. You possibly can eat them as snacks (I get by means of a bag shortly), or they could seem as mignardises, sweets in France (or petits fours) which might be typically served alongside your espresso. They are often formed like animals, or fruits, or furnishings, or something underneath the solar. Marzipan can also be utilized in a wide range of recipes, as icing, or as cake decorations. It is splendidly versatile and has innumerable makes use of.

As for marzipan itself, its origins lie in Historic Persia, and like many different sweets, it made its approach westward in the direction of Italy, Germany and Spain.

In France, it’s first heard of alongside St James’s Manner, probably introduced again from Compostella by returning pilgrims.

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pâtes de fruits

Ah, the childhood reminiscences of dipping my hand into the proverbial cookie jar, often a plate with a bell on prime to maintain out the summer time flies…

Easy little squares of fruit paste coated in sugar – historically these are native fruits like apples or apricots, however the choice has expanded to extra fashionable or unique fruits like lichee or pomelo and even mixtures like pineapple and basil.

The pâtes appear up to now again to the tenth century however would garner some renown solely 5 centuries later, within the Auvergne area – in reality, they had been then generally known as pâtes d’Auvergne… and this was the area that produced them. Later, Provence would take over and in the present day, that is the place most are made (however the Auvergne nonetheless makes among the greatest).

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profiteroles

Certainly this French chocolate pastry is not going to solely thro your food regimen out the window however will lock the window afterwards to ensure it may possibly’t get again in.

I merely must see the phrase ‘profiteroles’ on a menu and my focus immediately zaps to dessert. The most effective desserts in France.

And one of many easiest: a plain choux pastry is often crammed with crème patissière, or custard, and coated in chocolate syrup or sauce. That is the fundamental recipe. Generally, the choux might be crammed with vanilla ice cream (my favorite) or whipped cream, and topped with a craquelin, a crunchy caramel wafer.

The addition of ice cream, by the best way, could have come from Louisiana, the place profiteroles had been exported greater than 200 years in the past. However given the recent local weather, custard would curdle and so was changed with the cooler and extra steady ice cream.

The primary ingredient, the choux pastry, is believed to have emerged from the kitchens of Henry II’s Florentine spouse, Catherine de Medici, within the mid-Sixteenth century

Initially, although, the choux pastry wasn’t a dessert in any respect. The choux pastry was full of savoury goodies, like pheasant items or truffles or chopped mushrooms. Generally, they had been even utilized in soup.

The primary reference we have now to its sugary model involves us from an amazing French chef and culinary author, Antonin Carême, in his 1828 guide, Le Cuisinier Royal Parisien.

In Paris, strive the Profiterole Chérie at 17 Rue Debelleyme, a couple of minutes from the Picasso Museum, for profiteroles of each potential flavour.

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Religieuse

That is fairly much like the éclair, a puff pastry with a filling, however there the similarity ends. Just like the éclair, the filling is crème patissière and there may be icing. You get not one, however two choux,  held collectively by some piping.

That is yet one more invention we will lay on the ft of Catherine de Medici’s chef through the sweeping culinary transformations she introduced alongside along with her from Florence.

It is a type of French desserts which might be shrouded in thriller: Why is it known as a religieuse? It appears its form is harking back to a bishop’s mitre… though that does appear a bit farfetched.

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tarte au citron Meringuée

That is your particular person portion French lemon meringue pie, which is not fairly just like the one it’s possible you’ll be accustomed to – though in fact they share a narrative of origin. The North American model has a jelly-like lemon middle and a lightweight and creamy meringue, each layers fairly thick. The French model is extra compact, with a barely extra textured lemon cream and a stiffer meringue. If achieved correctly, it will even be much less candy.

The modest tarte au citron has fairly a historical past, and every little bit of this dessert appears to return from some other place: the lemon cream has its roots among the many Quakers of England, usually eaten by sailors to spice up their consumption of Vitamin C and assist stop scurvy. The early lemon pie appears to have made its method to Switzerland, the place an Italien chef invented the meringue in 1720.

However it will take almost a century for the lemon pie and the meringue to return collectively. In 1806 in Philadelphia, an American pastry chef, Elizabeth Goodwell, would have pioneered its creation.

In response to the newspaper Le Monde, one of many best pies in France is to be discovered at Les pÂtissiers, 29 Rue du Marechal Foch, 67190 Mutzig.

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tarte aux myrtilles

This one is straightforward: blueberry pie.

It’s an alpine dish, and blueberries abound within the mountains, so the place on a regular basis provides are more durable to return by, folks use what’s at hand – blueberries and a pie crust (substances aren’t exhausting to search out), with a blueberry glaze.

It could have totally different regional names, however asking for a tarte aux myrtilles (tart-o-meer-TEE) will ship this to your desk.

Initially a winter dish, you possibly can just about discover all of it year-round when blueberries are in season. I have not been capable of finding out far more about it, nevertheless it stands to purpose: you may have fruit in your doorstep, you decide it, and also you discover a method to eat it. It’d simply be as previous because the invention of fireplace.

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tarte tatin

It is a kind of French the wrong way up apple cake, or pie, with the crust baked on prime and unctuous, caramel-slathered apples beneath. Eaten heat, you possibly can add ice cream, and a few fashionable variations have it surrounded by custard cream (far too candy so far as I am involved, not a type of innovations that improves on the unique) or recent cream (a bit much less prison, in my view). It is without doubt one of the most classical French desserts…

Legend has it that the Tatin sisters, who owned a restaurant in central France, invented it unintentionally. Having forgotten the crust, one of many sisters determined so as to add it over the apples within the oven. One other story has one of many sisters dropping the pie whereas taking it out of the oven, choosing it up, and serving it the wrong way up. Hmmm.

In reality, whereas throughout the Belle Epoque, in the direction of the tip of the Nineteenth century, the sisters did promote this pie and provides it their title, the Tarte Tatin has in reality been round for hundreds of years, a recipe handed down from mom to daughter. The Tatin sisters made it common. There’s one other hearsay although – that the chef on the well-known Parisian restaurant Maxim’s may need snooped round their kitchens to purloin the recipe (this story appears considerably suspicious).

For a wonderful Tarte Tatin, head for Berthillon at 29-31 rue Saint-Louis en l’île, good for whenever you’re all museum-ed out. (Berthillon additionally makes fabulous ice cream.)

And now, having perused this checklist of French pastries, you will be oh so educated when you lastly make it to that patisserie!

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