Kinds of French Pastries

French pastries come in a variety of textures and sweetness levels.

French cuisine is renowned throughout the world for its sophistication and delicacy, and this couldn't be more true than in its pastries. While the number of French pastries are in the thousands, several pastries are known for their flavor, history and true French flare.

Éclair

An éclair is a long, thin pastry made out of choux dough, which is then filled with a rich cream and topped with icing, typically chocolate icing. The term éclair is French for lighting and while the exact origin of this French pastry is unclear, it is speculated that the royal family pastry chef, Marie-Antoine Careme, created this treat in the early 19th Century. Traditionally, the éclair has a slight, chewy texture and features a vanilla or chocolate cream filling topped with a chocolate-flavored icing.

Saint Honoré

In 1846, the famed French pastry chef, Chiboust, created a desert that features two caramelized choux pastry buns stacked atop of one another with a delicate cream made out of whipped cream and beaten egg whites. This French pastry garnered its name by its heavenly taste, thus it is named after the patron saint of bakers, Saint Honoré. The Saint Honoré may be featured without any garnishments; however, fruits, such as raspberries adorn the top of the pastry and flower petals may be placed on the pastry for effect.

Madeleines

Madeline cakes are in the shape of a scallop shell and feature a light sponge cake texture with a hint of lemon. The origins of the madeleine pastry differ according to who you ask. Some speculate that this French pastry was first made by a servant girl for the exiled king of Poland who was residing in Commercy. The king's pastry chef supposedly walked off the job and the servant girl swiftly made a dessert. Upon tasting, the exiled king was overjoyed by this delicate cake named it after the servant girl, Madeleine.

Paris Brest

The Paris brest is a choux pastry baked in the shape of a bicycle tire and topped with almonds and filled with praline-flavored buttercream. Like many French pastries, the origin of the Paris brest is under debate among French pastry connoisseurs however, it is believed the pastry was made to celebrate the famed bicycle race from Paris to Brest in 1910.

References

• Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses; A History of Ëclairs
• The Old Foodie; Saintly Pastry; May 2006
• What's Cooking America; Madeleine Cakes -- History of Madeleine; Linda Stradley
• BC Randonneurs Cycling Club; Paris Brest...The Pastry
• The Travel Provocateur; A Brief History of the Classic French Pastries We Love; December 2010

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish