French cuisine might be a little démodé these days, with not so many people claiming it as their favourite in the world. But show me someone who will not get excited at the thought, sight and smell of an authentic French patisserie?
With the elegant eclairs, petit (or full size) fours, tiny macarons and giant meringues, tuiles and profiteroles, they are real treasure troves to anyone with a sweet tooth.
Contrary to common perceptions, not all of those goods require Michelin star-level of pastry expertise. You will find that croquants, madeleines or even stylish dacquoise are not at all difficult to master, as my collection hopefully proves.
That’s the iconic and the classic pastry, though you won’t find it in pâtisserie shops as madeleines should be served warm, straight from the oven. Almond and brown butter madeleines are even lovelier than the classic ones, but just as easy to make.
A close relative to madeleines, financiers are just as soft, moist, light and tender. They are mini almond cakes made with brown butter and named by Parisian pâtissiers due to their popularity with the staff of the French stock exchange.
My easy version of the classic French, ‘thousand leaves’ dessert uses ready made all-butter puff pastry. Filled with Chantilly whipped cream and sweet pistachio crumbs, it looks and tastes positively Parisian!
Pistachio and cream mille-feuille
RECIPE
Petit beurre biscuits: the childhood throwback. But it’s a French-originated, British-adopted biscuit, easily made with a special stamp cutter. A plain and simple accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee.
Authentic French almond macarons are truly luxurious, but surprisingly enough, you can make a very good version at home. With dark chocolate ganache and lemon curd filling, they will be the most exquisite dessert you can possibly make.
That’s something I learn to bake at primary school and also the most versatile type of pastry. Choux pastry balls filled with Chantilly and chocolate mousse, glazed with white and dark chocolate sauce make triple chocolate profiteroles, one of the best desserts ever.
Triple chocolate profiteroles
RECIPE
Orange dacquoise biscuits, chewy almond cookies made with egg whites, are like a meringue that changed its mind at the last minute and turned into sponge batter. So easy, which you’d never guess biting into one of those little delights.
Orange dacquoise biscuits
RECIPE
Dacquoise can also be used to make cake layers, elegant and fabulously tasty. Cherry cream dacquoise is an exquisite gateau of almond meringue layers filled with fresh cream and homemade candied cherries. It’s the French twist on Black Forest gateau.
Sablés are French shortbreads: sandy coloured and deliciously crunchy. Poilâne corn sablé biscuits are made to the recipe from the famous Poilâne bakery with very fine corn flour, and they look like little suns.
More almond biscuits, and the way to use up leftover egg whites. Croquants aux amandes are the French almond cookies. ‘Croquant’ means ‘crunchy’ and these biscuits are wonderfully brittle, softening a little as they stand.