Just a Little Cake…
I think everyone knows the story about how Marie Antoinette famously said “Let them eat cake,” when told that the starving masses of France had no bread. Whether or not, she really said that, there is no questioning that the French have a taste for really good pastry and baked goods. “French pastries” are considered some of the best in the world.
Not only do French pastries taste good, many of them have a unique history or story behind their origin. Just as France had its culinary schools where chefs could learn the trade, different schools sprung up for pastry chefs. These “patissiers” specialized in working with all kinds of doughs and pastries. Much like everything else in the French culinary world, the art and design of pastries and bread was heavily influenced by the aristocracy. The pastry chefs were free to experiment to please the palates of the king, queen and their court.
France has given us such delicious pastries, desserts and breads as
- Madelaines
- Macarons
- Baguettes
- Croissants
- King’s Cake
- Pain au Chocolat
- Eclairs
- Brioche
- Tarte Tatin
- Opera Cake
- Cream Puffs
- Palmiers
- Creme Brulee
- Crepes
As you can tell from this list, French pastries make use of plenty of chocolate, butter, fruit and cream. Not to say anything about sugar! But the methods that are used to make these delicious desserts and breads often have many steps and involved processes. Baking with puff pastry, laminating dough, knowing the right time to pour on the chocolate or how to make perfect layers are skills that can take years to perfect.
