Pastry & bakery

Lorraine Baba au rhum Stanislas Leszczynski, exiled King of Poland and Duke of Lorraine, had fragile teeth and a kouglof that… Alsace Berawecka A dense loaf of dried and candied fruit, barely held together by a veil of dough, sliced thin like a… Champagne-Ardenne Biscuits roses de Reims The colour of rosé champagne, with a texture that stands up to the bubbles — since 1690, the little… Alsace Bredele As Christmas approaches, every Alsatian kitchen fills with the scent of cinnamon, aniseed and browned… Alsace Bretzel alsacien A twist of glossy dough, sprinkled with coarse salt, with a mahogany-brown crust and a soft crumb — the… PGI Pays de la Loire Brioche vendéenne Hand-glazed plaited brioche, scented with orange blossom and eau-de-vie, the sweet emblem of every… Poitou-Charentes Broyé du Poitou The broyé du Poitou is a rustic galette elevated to the status of regional pride: a single blow of the… Burgundy Cacou In Paray-le-Monial, the cherries in cacou are never stoned — it is this little stubborn streak, handed… Aquitaine Cannelé bordelais Dark caramelised crust and a soft heart of rum and vanilla — the cannelé is Bordeaux's mysterious little… Midi-Pyrénées Casse-museau du pays brassagais Back in the Middle Ages, it is said, a dragon emerging from the Agoût broke its snout on it — ever… Limousin Clafoutis limousin ‘Limousin clafoutis is the pure taste of a black summer, the black cherries that whispered their sweet… Picardy Cœur de Picardie A heart-shaped madeleine, born in a kitchen in Crèvecœur-le-Grand, and thoroughly steeped in apple eau… Brittany Craquelin de Saint-Malo “Born in the Middle Ages in the Rance valley, between Saint-Malo and Dinan, the craquelin was the… Brittany Crêpe bretonne Impossible to speak of crêpes without mentioning Bretagne, their spiritual home. Midi-Pyrénées Croustade aux pommes A lace of pastry stretched by hand until transparent, filled with golden apples with Armagnac — the… Nord-Pas-de-Calais Faluche A round little bread, barely golden, split in two while still warm to take a knob of butter and a… Brittany Far breton Far breton is the soul of Bretagne poured into a mould, baked golden in the oven — a delectable flan… Brittany Farz pitilig Neither quite a far, nor quite a crêpe, nor quite an omelette: farz pitilig is browned in the pan, one… Corsica Fiadone A crustless, flourless flan made purely of beaten brocciu, eggs and lemon zest — the dessert that Corse… Pays de la Loire Fouace (Fouée) A puffed, hollow little bread baked for 2 minutes in a blazing wood-fired oven — a warm flatbread split… PGI Pays de la Loire Gâche vendéenne A dense, buttery brioche, rich in crème fraîche, the Easter bread of the Vendée bocage — ancestor of its… Brittany Galette de sarrasin "Galette or crêpe? The distinction is fundamental and strictly observed: one says galette for savoury… Midi-Pyrénées Gâteau à la broche A golden pyramid bristling with gilded spikes like a frosted fir tree, the Pyrenean gâteau à la broche… Aquitaine Gâteau basque Beneath its golden, crackled crust lies the pastry soul of the Pays Basque — velvety cream or black… Picardy Gâteau battu “A golden chef’s hat of pure indulgence, where every strike of the beater raises heavenly richness.” Brittany Gâteau breton A thick, golden sablé made with demi-sel butter, scored with fork-drawn crosshatching, born in Lorient… Pays de la Loire Gâteau nantais “Three ingredients alone tell the story of Nantes: Breton semi-salted butter, ground almonds from… Nord-Pas-de-Calais Gaufre flamande fourrée Tucked between two thin, crisp waffles lies a melting, lightly caramelised blonde vergeoise buttercream.… Alsace Käsekuchen Lighter than an American cheesecake, richer than a simple tart — Käsekuchen has been the pride of… Alsace Kougelhopf A crown-shaped brioche, open-crumbed and scented with kirsch, studded with almonds — Alsace's… Brittany Kouign-amann “A cake of dough, butter and sugar, where time caramelises into crisp layers.” Languedoc-Roussillon Le Somptueux Created in 1920 for spa visitors to Amélie-les-Bains, the Somptueux is a moist, generous travel cake… Alsace Le Stollen Every winter, from the very first frosts of Advent, the scent of melted butter and candied fruit wafts… Alsace Leckerlies d'Alsace A dense square of honey and spices, almonds and candied citrus peel, beneath a pearlescent glaze or… Alsace Linzertorte Beneath its golden lattice, the Linzertorte tells of a crossing of paths between Linz and the Sundgau… Picardy Macarons d'Amiens Nothing like the Parisian shell — the macaron d'Amiens is a rustic, soft disc made with almonds, honey… Lorraine Macarons de Nancy In 1792, two nuns driven from their convent by the Revolution had nothing left — except a secret almond… Lorraine Madeleine de Commercy A taste of madeleine dipped in tea is enough to bring an entire world rushing back: Marcel Proust… Alsace Mannele Every 6 December, on Alsatian windowsills, a warm little brioche man awaits well-behaved children — the… Île-de-France Mille-feuille Three tiers of puff pastry, two of crème pâtissière, seven hundred and twenty-nine layers counted by the… Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Navette de Marseille Since 1781, the Four des Navettes has sculpted the legendary boat of Marie-Madeleine into a hard biscuit. Alsace Osterlammele Three ingredients, a glazed earthenware mould from Soufflenheim, and spring returns: since the 16th… Alsace Pain d'épices d'Alsace Dried fruit, spices, honey and citrus notes: at the heart of the Alsatian Christmas markets, pain… Burgundy Pain d'épices de Dijon A dark loaf, fragrant with honey and aniseed, moist and spiced — a medieval delicacy that Dijon has… Île-de-France Paris-Brest A choux pastry bicycle wheel, invented to celebrate the convicts of the road between Paris and Brest. Pays de la Loire Pâté aux prunes Beneath its golden pastry pierced with a chimney, the Anjou summer concentrates into a reine-claude… Centre-Val de Loire Pithiviers A puff-pastry cake as golden as a Beauce sun, scored in rays with the tip of a knife, puffed to its core… Pays de la Loire Préfou vendéen Bread stuffed with garlic butter — created to test oven temperature, now the quintessential Vendée… Picardy Rabotte picarde A whole apple nestled in golden pastry, as crisp as it is melt-in-the-mouth — the whole of Picardie is… Île-de-France Religieuse Two stacked choux buns, a ruff of cream and a name that recalls the habit of nuns. Languedoc-Roussillon Rousquilles du Roussillon The rousquille: a small Catalan ring, lemony meringue dancing between sugar and salt. Île-de-France Saint-Honoré A crown of small caramel-glazed choux buns, a heart of Chantilly cream — the dessert Paris gave to all… Alsace Schneckekueche A spiral-rolled brioche dough, sliced into little golden snails filled with almonds — the cake to share… Alsace Streusel alsacien A golden, crisp crumble atop a soft brioche — the Sunday breakfast that every bakery in Alsace knows by… Picardy Tarte à l'badrée Beneath a golden crust lies the "badré", a vanilla custard that made the reputation of the Picardie… Lorraine Tarte aux brimbelles In the Hautes-Vosges, people do not pick bilberries but 'brimbelles' — and come summer, the whole… Centre-Val de Loire Tarte Tatin A caramelised apple tart, turned upside down like a happy accident — born in the Tatin sisters' hotel in… Normandy Teurgoule "To twist one's mouth" — that is what Norman etymology claims one does when tasting this cinnamon rice… Poitou-Charentes Tourteau fromager “Born of a cook's mistake, the burnt black crust of the tourteau fromager conceals a creamy-white centre… Aquitaine Tourtière landaise Dough stretched so thin it is called the "bridal veil", melting apples and fragrant Armagnac — tourtière…