Pastry on the road: “L’éclair de genie” in Paris
A recent trend in pastry is mono-product shops. Some sell only macarons, some only cream puffs, some only cupcakes or cookies.
Christophe Adam is the former executive pastry chef at Fauchon, a great French gourmet food shop, and now he decided to sell éclairs.
Éclairs are the long version of cream puffs, and the gourmet version created by Christophe Adam features hundreds of different flavour combinations, with eye-catching decorations and flashy glazes.
The available flavours change very often, so you might try something new every time you go to L’éclair de genie.
Some of the flavours I found when I went there were:
- Walnut, caramel and coffee
- Pistachio and candied orange zest
- Lemon and yuzu
- Vanilla, pecan nuts
- Fig
- Salted caramel
The prices are almost all in the 4.50€-5.50€ range, which I found a bit too much for an éclair. But don’t get me wrong, these éclairs are perfect under every angle, just slightly overpriced exactly like most things in Paris! 🙂
Assorted chocolates were also available (and they were all sooo perfect and inviting)…
…but for my first time at L’éclair de genie, of course, I didn’t want anything else but éclairs!
I tried those with salted caramel, vanilla and pecan nuts, and pistachio-orange zest.
They were all delicious, with a perfect balance of ingredients: never too sweet and never too strong (they don’t tire you after two bites).
My personal preference went to the pistachio and orange zest one, which was very “fresh” and original (much more than the salted caramel, at least, which is available everywhere in France).
I really recommend paying a visit to this nice shop of the 4th arrondissement (but it is can also be found in the 2nd, 6th, 9th, 16th and also at the majestic Galeries Lafayette). Or even more than a visit, since the flavours keep on changing! 🙂
