Talk about obsessions.
My 1st two days in Paris were spent taste testing chocolate eclairs. I'd read Amy's eclair smackdown and felt some important chocolate eclairs has been left by the roadside - neglected - overlooked...
My idea of a tasting is small amounts of many, rather than large tastes of a few. I began at Fauchon - eclair experts par excellence.
I was a tad disappointed :(
The chocolate icing was fine.
The pastry creme inside -too Sweet for my taste buds.
One down - 10 + to go.
Galeries Lafayette with it's plethora of pastry shops was the next stop and Dalloyau...
This was one of the most chocolatey eclairs sauf La Maison du Chocolat. The pastry creme inside and the icing were a happy marriage in my humble opinion.
Sadaharu Aoki does not offer chocolate eclairs, just Matcha and Sesame.
I adore his sesame, but not the Matcha - too sweet inside again, but a very pretty looking eclair as eclairs go - and exceedingly nice striations on the sides indeed.
Le Figaro, master tasters of Paris, have deemed patisserie Stohrer owner of the best eclair chocolat.
I do not - too sugary on the pastry creme again. Maybe something's wrong with me, but when I'm in Paris I do not want sugar as a top note. Much as I adore your shop Stohrer I can not concur.
In my opinion the best eclair chocolat resides at La Maison du Chocolat and it's residency is short-lived. Twice I went in the afternoon and all chocolate eclairs were gone gone gone.
But before I had this La Maison epiphany I had to try...
Thin slices of a few others - Stohrer, Lenotre, Gerard Mulot and an anonymous no-name eclair chocolat. None of them came up to La Maison. I didn't taste test M. Jean-Paul Hevin's chocolate eclair and I have a feeling his would stand up nicely to LMDC. After all they are displayed on the outside of his cookbook, but by this time I could not look another eclair in the face.
Just give me a plain old marshmallow milk chocolate nounours/bear and I'm happy as a clam. In future I'll let Amy do all the smackdowns she wants and keep my thoughts to myself. I learned my lecon. HMPH
BEAR says he's sticking with the religieuse
My idea of a tasting is small amounts of many, rather than large tastes of a few. I began at Fauchon - eclair experts par excellence.
I was a tad disappointed :(The chocolate icing was fine.
The pastry creme inside -too Sweet for my taste buds.
One down - 10 + to go.
Galeries Lafayette with it's plethora of pastry shops was the next stop and Dalloyau...
This was one of the most chocolatey eclairs sauf La Maison du Chocolat. The pastry creme inside and the icing were a happy marriage in my humble opinion.
Sadaharu Aoki does not offer chocolate eclairs, just Matcha and Sesame.
I adore his sesame, but not the Matcha - too sweet inside again, but a very pretty looking eclair as eclairs go - and exceedingly nice striations on the sides indeed. Le Figaro, master tasters of Paris, have deemed patisserie Stohrer owner of the best eclair chocolat.
I do not - too sugary on the pastry creme again. Maybe something's wrong with me, but when I'm in Paris I do not want sugar as a top note. Much as I adore your shop Stohrer I can not concur.
In my opinion the best eclair chocolat resides at La Maison du Chocolat and it's residency is short-lived. Twice I went in the afternoon and all chocolate eclairs were gone gone gone.
Enfin third try lucky and I ate it in the street, just in case someone grabbed it away from me. It met all my expectations. Chocolate of the finest quality was the top note inside and out. Super fresh with a bit of crunch to the biscuity outside = Perfection.
But before I had this La Maison epiphany I had to try...
Thin slices of a few others - Stohrer, Lenotre, Gerard Mulot and an anonymous no-name eclair chocolat. None of them came up to La Maison. I didn't taste test M. Jean-Paul Hevin's chocolate eclair and I have a feeling his would stand up nicely to LMDC. After all they are displayed on the outside of his cookbook, but by this time I could not look another eclair in the face.
Just give me a plain old marshmallow milk chocolate nounours/bear and I'm happy as a clam. In future I'll let Amy do all the smackdowns she wants and keep my thoughts to myself. I learned my lecon. HMPH
BEAR says he's sticking with the religieuse
He can have it. I'm off chocolate for a while until tomorrow...
BONJOUR PARIS ECLAIRS!
Ah ha, if my count is correct you ONLY tasted EIGHT!
ReplyDeleteGo back to the well for 2-3 more to keep the record straight
Those marshmallow bears do look very yummy though..
annie
How painful is your bloggers work in Paris..
ReplyDeleteI feel for you deeply
I will henceforth go in your place for all future tastings.
Waiting for the ticket happily :)
Taking very unfair advantage this morning with these excruciating closeups of chocolate eclairs..
ReplyDeleteMy bagel is looking lousy right now. Tant pis indeed
Oh, way too much sugar. Wow. Now, after that, I want a healthy frittata or something! But great photos, M'lle!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand and sympathize with your obsession :)
ReplyDeleteMon amie, I am tres impressante! Thank you for doing this hard, difficult field work for us all... duly noticed. I work right around the corner from a Maison du Chocolat... uh oh...
ReplyDeleteGreat review. But I can't believe you prefer marshmallow bears Carol!!! Those éclairs are just so beautiful; bring on the sweet crème patisière for me :D
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I laughed out loud when I read you ate your éclair in the street for fear someone would snatch it!
I never want to see an eclair again
ReplyDeletecould this be a good regime?
Over exposure kills the urge.
OUI bien sur!
I need about 300 mini macaroons for my daughters wedding. Have you got any idea where the best place is to source (not too expensive) ones in England? Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteDavina
Thank you for taking the guesswork out of eclair shopping in Paris!
ReplyDeleteThey all seem to have a chocolate filling...it's always vanilla pastry cream here. I think the French are on to something! (except for the green tea and that doesn't bear contemplation!)
ReplyDeleteNext trip, can I come along to eat your leftovers?
Galeries Lafayette with it's plethora of...
ReplyDeleteshould be: Its plethora of....
Contente de revoir Max sur sa religieuse !
ReplyDeleteDear me. Every time I stop by your blog I get the most terrible cravings for both Paris and pastry! Lovely post. Now to see if I can find a decent eclair in this city...
ReplyDeleteJeanette, I am BEGGING you to come along and eat the WHOLE thing.
ReplyDeleteI will just shoot and sniff.
You can report to me your findings. I would be most appreciative!
Most apprecitive! ! !
I just can't imagine eating a green eclair. I'm sorry. It's chocolate or nothing!
ReplyDeleteI love the opening shot!
ReplyDeleteThe chocolate looks fabulous on the eclairs. I'm not an eclair nut, but I love the chocolate pics.
Dear Dr. Eclair:
ReplyDeleteLoved reading about your eclair excess!
I love even more the side effect of reading about tasting so many eclairs: I feel an urge to go have an apple. Strange. Should I worry?
P.S.:
ReplyDeleteLoved reading your readers' witty comments.
Always do, they are fabulous! :-)
It sounds as if you are suffering from acute eclair overload. ----oh dear. What a fate.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny - my daughter felt similar, we ate pastry until it came out our ears and for breakfast all she wanted was a plain egg.
---to indulge once in a while ---pure bliss. x
What a tough life you live Carol!!
ReplyDeletenow tell me how do you pronounce "Dalloyau" ??
xx
Dianne
Yum! Now you're talkin'! I'll take an eclair over a macaroon any day!
ReplyDeleteI looked up 'plethora' Pia and I got it right!?
ReplyDeleteDALLOYAU = doll-oy-oh
but I made that up so it could be very wrong ALL THINGS FRENCH.
Argh! I would give so much for a "nounours de mon enfance" right now!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post!
... catching up on my blogs ... lovely post ... but it's lettuce and water for me for a while, too much yum yum over Thanksgiving ...
ReplyDeleteI think I gained 10 lbs. just looking at these photos....very nice!! :)
ReplyDelete