In a city like Paris, which is bursting with pastries, it is very difficult to proclaim one pastry maker as The Best, unless his name is Pierre Herme, the undeniable King of pastry. There are so many spectacular patisseries in Paris, some with star pastry chefs almost as big as Mr. Herme, but none as revered as him. Pierre Herme is a spectacular pastry chef, chocolatier, author of many books, and let's face it, a great businessman with patisseries all over the world (but nothing in the USA, go figure!). He began his career as an apprentice to Gaston Lenotre at the age of fourteen. The rest as they say is history, sweet, creamy history.
I can't really say that I have a favorite pastry chef or a favorite patisserie; I do have favorite pastries in many different places in Paris. At Pierre Herme I happened to love, among others, his pain au chocolate, the Kouign-Amann, the Fraisier, the 2000 Feuilles, and some of the macaron parfum (flavors).
The mere sight of the storefront, which, just like the pastry, changes with the season, is exciting. I like that one can't peak through the window to see the tasty creations inside. Pierre Herme boutiques are like little jewel boxes full of delicate and beautiful little things. The sales people are sweet and super helpful, always making sure to include a fork, a napkin, or a free chocolate sample.
There are several pastries which are available year round, and a few that are introduced with each season.
His macaron are almost iconic, and the flavors vary from the traditional vanilla, caramel etc., to very creative like green asparagus, black currant, jasmine flower or green olive.
For those living under a rock, a macaron is a maringue-based confection made of egg white, almond flour and sugar. A macaron consist of a crisp shell and a ganache, jam or a buttercream filling.
The chocolates should not be overlooked, although the beautiful macaron and the stunning pastries are a very formidable competition.
The freshly baked Viennoiserie are a perfect quick snack any time of day.
The croissant Ispahan, available all year round, is glazed with rosewater, sprinkled with candied raspberry flakes and filled with rose flavored almond paste filling.
Ispahan, a blend of litchi, rose and raspberry is a fall favorite of Herme, that is when he unveils different types of pastries with that flavor combination. I love most of what Mr. Herme creates but am sadly not a fan of the Ispahan.
What I did go wild for is this Kouign-Amann with berries. This is a caramelized pastry made with a ton and a half of butter; this one has berries baked in the middle. Words cannot convey how heavenly delicious this little thing is, and I don't know why I don't weigh 600lbs.
I can't say that summer is the most exciting season at Pierre Herme but the pastries are lovely since the chef can take advantage of all the fresh produce that is available.
This is Desire - lemon cream, strawberry and banana marmalade, and a soft biscuit.
This Emotion Fragola was something that I tasted for the first time this summer. I loved the first three layers, of cream, strawberry compote and spaghetti in strawberry cream, but did not care for the balsamic vinegar on the bottom. The salesperson instructed me to dip the spoon all the way down in order to experience the entire array of flavors but the vinegar was too strong and overwhelming. I found the dessert fantastic once I ate just the first three layers and avoided the vinegar on the bottom.
Another delicious summer dessert is this peach tart with cumin.
Tarte Croustillante aux Cerises et aux Pistaches is another delicacy. What's not to love about a cherry-pistachio crumble? I say nothing!
This lovely Fraisier is an almond cake, pistachio mousseline cream (fancy pastry cream), and strawberries.
This strawberry, rhubarb and passion fruit tart is almost too pretty to eat. I like to walk over to the Luxembourg Garden to take photos of the treats, and then enjoy them while sitting on one of those comfortable pale green chairs.
Another summer creation with fresh fruit, cream and marshmallows.
Fall is another exciting season and the beginning of Pierre Herme's Ispahan fetish. As I said before, not my favorite but thankfully usually either my mom or husband are fine with eating what I buy.
These are different variations on the same concept; he likes to change it up a bit each season. This choux pastry with a layer of crumble is filled with rose mascarpone, raspberries and litchis.
Baba Ispahan - a raspberry syrup soaked brioche, litchi, rose mascarpone cream.
The litchis are in the center.
These two are winter creations.
What would Paris be without a mille-feuille? Pierre Herme has his own version of the quintessential pastry and the flavors change with each season. This citrus flavored 2000 feuilles is my all time favorite.
So that is a sampling of Pierre Herme, and leaving him is the worst part.
Pierreherme.com - for locations and hours.
I like the shop on 72 rue Bonaparte which is open daily 10-7
Joanna
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