Florentines (florentins), the crunchy almond cookies with a chocolate base, are said to have been introduced to France during the reign of King Louis XII (1462-1515). King Louis’s second wife was Anne, Duchess of Brittany (1477-1514). A master pastry chef who had worked for the Medici family in Florence came to Brittany and brought with [...]

The invention of madeleines, the small, rich shell-shaped cakes popular throughout France, is believed to date back to the 18th century, when they were first made in the town of Commercy (Lorraine region). In 1755, Madeleine Paulmier, a servant of the marquise Perrotin de Baumont, is said to have created some little scallop-shaped cakes for [...]

What could be more divine than  chocolate mousse? Light yet satisfying, silky smooth and flavourful, it is the perfect finish for any meal. This classic French dessert has been served in France since the early 19th century. Alexandre Viard, a chef to Louis XVI and Napoleon, described it in the 1820 edition of his culinary encyclopedia, Le cuisinier royal [...]

A review of Macarons, by Pierre Hermé (Grub Street, 2011), would not be complete without whipping up a batch of scrumptious macarons from among the many delicious recipes presented in this fabulous collection. With dozens to choose from, I decided on coffee macarons, one of ten flavours Pierre Hermé has grouped together under the heading “classics.” (The [...]

Clafoutis is a speciality of the Limousin region of France, a simple flan traditionally made with black cherries. The name clafoutis (sometimes spelled clafouti) is said to come from the Occitan word clafotis, in turn derived from verb clafir or claufir, which means “to fill.” And a filling dessert it is. Made with just a [...]

The French writer Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) noted during his travels in 1580 that innkeepers of Bâle, Switzerland served “cooked pears with the roast” and that the locals “mixed cooked plums, apple and pear tarts with meat.” While the noble pear has a long and illustrious culinary history, today pear tart is of course served [...]

This delicious recipe for Gâteau au chocolat de Nancy (Nancy chocolate cake) comes from a bound volume of regional recipe supplements from the magazine Modes de Paris dating from the late 1960s or early 1970s. The book is filled with tried and tested sweet and (mostly) savoury recipes from across France, including lovely desserts like flan au [...]

The invention of pralines dates back to the 17th century and is most often attributed to Clément Jaluzot, master chef to César de Choiseul, Comte du Plessis-Praslin (1598-1675). Chef Jaluzot is said to have hit upon the idea of coating almonds with caramelised sugar, producing a sweet and crunchy treat that delighted his employer’s palate. [...]

The first chocolate cakes in Europe date back to the 17th century, when bakers began adding cacao powder, newly imported from the Americas, to their traditional cake recipes. During the 19th century, pastry chefs, notably in France and Austria, concocted sophisticated chocolate desserts to be enjoyed by the privileged elites. For everyone else, chocolate in [...]

The invention of dessert bars and squares is attributed to an American housewife who won a prize in 1971 for an original dessert she created by combining cake mix with pecans and other ingredients. Today, countless variations are found in coffee shops across North America. While they may be less refined and sophisticated than the [...]

Gâteau Savarin, a classic French sponge cake, was invented by Parisian pâtissier Auguste Julien in 1845. It is basically a rum baba baked in a circular (ring) pan. The cake is named in honour of Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), a French politician, lawyer and gastronome, who also has a cheese named after him. Monsieur Brillat-Savarin is [...]

Ganache is said to have been invented sometime in the 1850s when a chocolatier’s apprentice accidentally poured boiling cream over some chocolate. Furious, the master chocolatier chastised his apprentice, calling him “ganache,” a term that at the time meant “dimwit” or “moron” in French (it also refers to a horse’s jowl). But as it turns [...]

A recipe for the classic galette des Rois, a traditional cake consisting of flaky puff pastry layers with a dense center of creamy frangipane, or almond cream. The recipe can easily be adapted to make a delicious chocolate variation.

The invention of these luxury chocolate confections is credited to French pâtissier Louis Dufour, who is said to have created the first chocolate truffles in the town of Chambéry (Savoie department) in December 1895 after running short of ingredients while making his Christmas sweets. Rather than turning to his competitors to purchase supplies, Monsieur Dufour [...]

The traditional French dessert at Christmas is the bûche de Noël, known in English-speaking countries as Yule log. Usually prepared on Christmas Eve, this light sponge cake roll is garnished with either chocolate, mocha or chestnut filling. It is then covered with chocolate icing, raked with a serrated knife or fork to give it a [...]