French bakeries are overwhelming. How could you be expected to buy only a modest amount of pastries when they all smell and look so good? For someone like me with major FOMO (fear of missing out) and a measly student budget, this decision seemed nearly impossible. However, thanks to a generous Parisian neighbor and many trips to the patisserie, I was fortunate enough to sample many of these delicacies. French pastries became an integral cultural component of my yearlong study abroad stint in Paris. Luckily for you, I’m here to take the agony out of French pastry shopping and narrow it down to ten you must try.
1. Macarons.
Description: A filling of either cream, ganache or jam is sandwiched between two cookies that are made out of almond flour, sugar and egg whites. They look like mini Pretty Patties from that episode of "SpongeBob."
Fun fact: Blair Waldorf from "Gossip Girl" prefers to eat her macarons from Ladurée.
Delicious variations: rose, raspberry, orange, coffee, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, pistachio.
2. Croissant.
Description: Flaky pastry made by layering butter and dough and then carefully rolling the layers into a crescent shape before baking. They are best eaten by flaking off individual layers and sipping espresso in between bites.
Fun fact: German author Karl August Schimmer stated that the first croissants (called "kipferls") were made in Austria in the 1200s. They looked like Islamic crescents to celebrate the victory of the Franks over the Islamic Umayyad forces at the Battle of Tours in 732 A.D.
Delicious variations: butter, pain au chocolat, almond.
3. Escargot.
Description: Croissant pastry dough rolled into a spiral with nuts, raisins, chocolate, custard or fruit tucked into the folds. Very fun to pull apart.
Fun fact: Pain aux raisins is the most common type of escargot.
Delicious variations: raisin, lemon nougat, praline, chocolate pistachio, chocolate raspberry, cassis.
4. Tarte.
Description: Crumbly shortcrust (pâte brisée) baked into a tart mold and then filled with a sweet filling. This filling can be fruit, custard or jam.
Fun fact: According to The Kitchn, pies and tarts are not the same. Whereas a pie is made to be served straight from the pie plate and has a crisp, flaky pie crust covering all sides of the pie, a tart is made to be removed from the pan before serving and has a thick, crumbly crust that does not cover the top.
Delicious variations: lemon meringue, apple, rhubarb, berry, cherry, grapefruit.
5. Financier.
Description: A fluffy tea cake with an almond taste. A key ingredient is beurre noisette, or brown butter that is cooked in a pan until it turns a light hazelnut color and smells nutty. Light and dainty.
Fun fact: This pastry is called a financier because the traditional cake is rectangular in shape, like a gold bar.
Delicious variations: plain, orange, praline, strawberry, raspberry.
6. Madeleine.
Description: Another teacake made with almond flour and baked in a shell-shaped pan to give it a distinct form. Sometimes lemon is added for a zesty flavor.
Fun fact: In his novel "A Search of Lost Time" (“À la recherche de temps perdu"), French author Marcel Proust spoke of an involuntary memory that resurfaced from his childhood after tasting a madeleine.
Delicious variations: plain, lemon, chocolate, chocolate-vanilla.
7. Éclair.
Description: Tubular pastries made from choux dough baked until the center becomes hollow and is then filled with cream and frosted. Éclairs come in endless delicious flavors and are usually decorated to highlight their flavor.
Fun fact: According to the Dictionnaire de l’Académie française, the pastry is called an éclair (French for “lightning bolt”) because they are eaten so quickly, like a flash of lightning!
Delicious variations: chocolate, Speculoos, vanilla, coffee, raspberry, passion fruit.
8. Opéra.
Description: Coffee-soaked cake stacked between layers of ganache and chocolate buttercream and topped with a chocolate glaze. Typically garnished with a gold flake because it is just that fancy.
Fun fact: According to Dalloyau, the opéra cake was invented in 1955 by Cyriaque Gavillon and named after the stage of the Opéra Garnier in Paris.
Delicious variations: chocolate, apricot pistachio, orange vanilla, mango blueberry, white chocolate raspberry.
9. Saint Honoré.
Description: Round layer of puff pastry base topped with a ring of choux pastry. Small cream puffs dunked in caramelized sugar encircle the ring. Two different creams fill the inside of the ring and top the pastry.
Fun fact: Saint Honoré is the French patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, and this cake is named after him.
Delicious variations: vanilla, strawberry, chocolate.
10. Millefeuille.
Description: Three layers of puff pastry alternating with two layers of cream. The top layer of the pastry is usually glazed with marbled chocolate and vanilla frosting or dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
Fun fact: Millefeuille is French for “a thousand leaves” and refers to the many flakes in the puff pastry.
Notable flavors: vanilla, caramel, raspberry.
My final piece of advice is to gather 10 friends and split all of the pastries, because your tastebuds deserve to experience each one. Bon appétit!
