Éclair Researches

What the heck is an éclair anyway?

To me it looks much like a straightened out glazed, cream-filled donut that's been flattened a bit on top... Wikipedia says otherwise - it's a delicate pastry made with choux paste and filled with crème pâtissière (pastry cream or custard) and then topped with (often but not always) chocolate icing.

My curiosity was piqued when I spotted these Sadaharu Aoki Matcha-green éclairs...although not enough to buy one and see what color/flavor lurked inside. I'm "chicken" when it comes to dark green pastry that has no relationship to pistachio :)
Fauchon's iconic symbol must be the éclair!

What their secret pastry laboratoire is doing to these petit-fours is close to torture, if you can torture a pastry? True they are celebrating their 120th year in the food business. AND their colors are black and white when not flinging around the pink and fushia all over the place.

These superb éclairs au café at the Patisserie Cador are more tradional. And they reside in the perfect Louis XVI-style salon de thé just across from the Louvre at 2, rue de l'Admiral Coligny. Now this is a real French éclair and you get to eat it in the appropriate setting!

Here is Fauchon's Éclair Aquatique! I love going to the pool and French piscines are the best anywhere, but would I be tempted to eat a pool-style éclair? Being in Paris for a week of is all about making choices, so I passed on these crazy looking éclairs for a Pierre Hermé tarte citron. I don't even want to guess what lurks within...

Gérard Mulot can be depended upon to be creative and still dish up classic French pastries if he chooses. His shop at 76, rue de Seine in the 6th is open at 6:30 AM and on Mondays when most Paris patisseries are fermé (closed).

You can not go wrong here.

Green, in all it's shades seems to be the hot color in Paris this trip and especially in the patisseries. I love the way the pistachio nut (or the coffee bean) is planted neatly on top at Jean-Pierre Carton on 6, Rue de Buci, so there's no question in your mind what you're in for here.

Did I mention that éclair is the French word for lightening and it's thought the pastry got its name because it glistens when coated with confectioner's glaze.

Antonin Carême (1784-1833), had much to do with developing French pastry and recipes. The "Paris Pastry Marathon", if such a thing existed, would beat out New York in a heartbeat as the most competitive in the world. There seems to be a running battle who can come up with the most outrageous pastry creations in Paris. It's certainly fun to be a bystander in this marathon.

Tasting the results isn't so bad either :)