La Maison du Chocolat‘s springtime duo de ganaches pairs Menton lemon and Japanese wild yuzu (misho yuzu). Inspired by the tanginess and flavour of these two citrus fruits, chocolatier Nicolas Cloiseau has reworked the classic Andalousie ganache recipe created by Robert Linxe, founder of La Maison du Chocolat. Ganache noire Andalousie (dark chocolate Andalusia ganache) [...]

Sébastien Gaudard of Pâtisserie des Martyrs has created a succulent strawberry dessert in honour of Mother’s Day, celebrated in France this year on Sunday, May 26. Chef Gaudard’s “macaronade aux fraises” is a heart-shaped fresh-berry dessert that features a scrumptious macaron base filled with marzipan and pistachio cream and topped with fresh strawberries. This gorgeous [...]

A la Mère de Famille head chef Julien Merceron‘s twist on one of the traditional symbols of Easter deliciously combines humour and imagination. Exquisitely handcrafted, “La poule mouillée” — a playful hen basking in a tub of crispy chocolate spheres — comes in dark chocolate (68 per cent cacao) or milk chocolate (36 per cent cacao). Its [...]

A glittering gold-leaf-covered chocolate egg is the highlight of this year’s Easter chocolate collection at Maison Dalloyau, the Paris luxury pâtisserie and gourmet caterer whose origins date back to the 17th century. “Œuf ORsérie” is available in either dark chocolate (70 per cent cacao from Venezuela) or milk chocolate (40 per cent cacao from Côte d’Ivoire). It comes [...]

Nicolas Cloiseau, chef and creative director of La Maison du Chocolat, has created a cute little flock of chocolate sheep for this year’s Easter collection, called “A saute-mouton !”  Inspired by Ouessant sheep, a breed of dark sheep from the island of Ouessant in Brittany, Chef Cloiseau’s curly-coated sheep, Frisoton and Frisette, come in milk and dark chocolate, [...]

These magical chocolate Easter bunnies are handmade by Paris chocolatier Jean-Charles Rochoux, renowned for his wondrous chocolate sculptures of animals and other figurines. Rochoux’s “Maître Lapin Chocolatier” (pictured below) is made with 540 grams of either dark, milk or white chocolate and has an additional 150 grams of chocolate surprises tucked inside its hat. “Chapeau Lapin” (following [...]

Paris chocolatier Jean-Charles Rochoux‘s shop on rue d’Assas (6th arr.) resembles something of a cabinet of (chocolate) curiosities, with its shelves full of chocolate animals, bas-reliefs, statuettes and other edible figurines. In addition to the amazing array of chocolate sculptures, the shop also sells a full range of delicious ganaches, pralinés and chocolate-dipped fresh fruit pieces. For Valentine’s Day [...]

At Sébastien Gaudard’s Pâtisserie des Martyrs (9th arr.), the focus is always on classic French pâtisserie and traditional recipes. For Chef Gaudard, Valentine’s Day and classic desserts go hand in hand, especially when it comes to chocolate! This year’s Valentine’s Day desserts include three heart-shaped cakes: Rose Noire (pictured), which features a chocolate-almond cake and chocolate mousse covered with a layer [...]

La Maison du Chocolat master chef Nicolas Cloiseau has created five new ganache and praliné flavour pairings for Valentine’s Day. These exotic fruit and spice flavour “duos” are selected for both contrast and complementarity, reflecting harmony, passion and tenderness, according to the chocolatier. Pictured below are: Peppery vanilla, dark chocolate ganache and almond-hazelnut praliné with [...]

Abanico Chocolat‘s recently launched champagne truffles are the latest addition to the company’s range of delicious artisanal chocolates. The sparkly chocolate truffles are infused with subtle fruit flavours (black currant and raspberry) and are made with two kinds of champagne: “rosé” (copper sheen) or “brut” (gold sheen). Available in a 16-piece metal gift box, Abanico’s [...]

Founded in 1761, A la Mère de Famille, is Paris’s oldest sweets shop. With its period exterior and furnishings, the store on rue du Faubourg Montmartre is like a time capsule, filled with traditional sweets of all kinds: artisanal chocolates, jams, candied fruit, calissons, marrons glacés and teas from around the world line its shelves [...]

“I wanted this year’s collection to be simple and mysterious. A structured combination of crunch, crackle and smoothness in streamlined shapes,” Brussels-based chocolatier Pierre Marcolini writes on his website. And indeed it is. Pierre Marcolini has created a collection of “sphere-themed” Christmas chocolates, inspired, he explains, by the spirit of sharing and family get togethers during the [...]

One of this year’s most distinctive bûches de Noël can be found at the upscale Hôtel Le Burgundy, in Paris’s 1st arrondissement. This limited-edition chocolate dessert is in fact an edible replica of the hotel’s colourful bar, painted by artist Véronique Charpy. It features a chocolate and chestnut sacher sponge, delicate mandarine jelly and cognac mousse topped [...]

Founded in 1802, Maison Dalloyau is one of the oldest pastry shops in Paris. Charles Dalloyau, personal chef to King Louis XIV, was the first in a long line of Dalloyau family members to master the art of pâtisserie, long before the company that bears the family name was born. In fact, the Dalloyau family’s descendants [...]

Since his arrival in Paris from Tokyo in 1991, Sadaharu Aoki has established himself as one of Paris’s top pastry chefs and chocolatiers. His creations artfully combine the aesthetics and flavours of traditional Japanese confections with classic French pâtisserie. Chef Aoki has won numerous awards both in France and Japan. He was recently awarded 5 bars [...]