3 Must-Try French Pastries

Paris is sweet on the eye, sweet on the romance, and sweet on the palate. It is a dessert lover’s dream, and the only real problem you’ll have is deciding which one to choose. Here are 3 must-try pastries for your visit to France. And if you have to eat more than one a day to get through them? Well, c’est la vie!

3 Sweet Treats to Eat While Visiting Paris and Where to Find Them

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The Tartes Aux Fruits – The tartes aux fruits are prepared with fresh seasonal fruit inside a buttery pastry crust. The fruit sits atop a heavenly vanilla custard and is brushed with an apricot glaze for a mirror finish. You can enjoy these tartes in both individual and full sizes. One of my favorite spots for super seasonal fruit tartes is Yann Couvreur. This master pastry chef has three namesake patisserie locations in Paris, near Pere Lachaise cemetery, the Marais, and Galeries Lafayette.

Insider tip – Don’t skip the savory tartes! Try the quiches, they look like mini vegetable gardens, so cute and so delicious.

The Éclair – A very popular dessert in Paris, the long French choux pastry can be filled with a rich custard, a pastry cream or mousse then topped with a sweet fondant. By definition, the term éclair means lightning or thunderbolt in French. Go figure!

There is a pastry shop dedicated solely to the eclair; L’eclair de Genie. The mastermind behind the shop, Christophe Adam, infuses his creations with interesting flavor combinations, inspired by his travels and years in Michelin-starred kitchens. Inside, you’ll find eclairs using yuzu and citrus, mascarpone and raspberry as well as pistachio and blood orange to name a few.

Insider tip – While you can find your way to this Eclair mecca on your own. A better option would be to take a pastry tour of Paris where you can sample not only the marvelous creations of Chef Adam but those of his peers as well.

The Paris Brest – This pastry was created to celebrate the Paris to Brest bicycle race in 1910. To represent a bicycle wheel, it’s a circular choux pastry filled with hazelnut praline flavored crème and topped with caramelized nuts. The patisserie that created the original pastry is located just outside of Paris, in a town on the bicycle route to Brest. Maisons-Lafitte is home to family-owned and operated pastry shop Durand et Fils. Louis Durand is at the helm and claims that they are the only ones with the original recipe. This favorite dessert is copied in kitchens all over Paris and the world.

Insider tip – Closer to home in the USA, LA’s transplanted French chef, Ludo Lefebvre, has the Paris Brest on his menu at Petit Trois. He missed his favorite iconic dessert so much that he tried it out on his American clientele. They were hooked at once and the Paris Brest has been offered at his restaurant since 2015.

Want to learn how to find all these sweet shops and more about Paris? Set up a complimentary vacation consultation call with me today HERE. I would love to help you navigate the fabulous foods of France, it’s kinda my thing. 👨🏼‍🍳🇫🇷 You can read about other delectable French treats and more must-try pastries in THIS ARTICLE. Bon appetit!