Emily In France Exclusive 🇫🇷 The 7 Pastries You Must Try in Paris

Got a sweet tooth?

The fact that I spend as much time as I do tasting pastry will certainly come to a surprise to anyone who's ever seen me give the dessert menu the side-eye. The reality is that I do not have a sweet tooth. I'm one of those annoying people who isn't really that fussed about chocolate. Cheese is my jam.

So why should you be listening to my opinions about pastry?

Well, for one, because while I don't crave sweets, I can certainly appreciate a well-executed dessert. Pastry takes precision and balance. (A balance that's even more present, these days, seeing as many pastry chefs are departing from the classic codes to incorporate more savory flourishes into their work. Huzzah.)

And for another... well, if a dessert has conquered the heart and palate of even someone who's not generally that fussed by them... doesn't that mean it's worth a second look?

With that in mind, please accept my humble offering: a list of seven of my favorite places to enjoy pastry in Paris – and the pastries I think are the stars of the case.
 

1. Tarte Tatin from Benoit Castel

Benoit Castel's pastry shops are some of my favorites for a couple of reasons, but one of them doesn't actually have to do with his pastry at all.

It may surprise some to learn that rare is the Parisian pastry shop where one can actually consume the wares on-site, and given the frigid, rainy temperatures Paris has been not-enjoying of late, my go-to pastry-consumption locale of a nearby park bench is less pleasant than usual. But Benoit Castel's shop in the 20th actually has a whole dining room, complete with beautifully mismatched wooden tables and chairs – the perfect cozy spot in which to enjoy his famous cream tart, seasonal cheesecake, and my favorite: the tarte tatin.

Castel's play on what is arguably the Loire Valley's most famous dessert is more modern than most. Sold in an individual tartlet form, it's made with many layers of thinly sliced apples rather than huge chunks that the French mystifyingly insist on calling quartiers even when they are actually sixths or eighths.

Mathematics aside, this pastry boasts the still-same contrast of caramelization on the outside and tenderness within, all balanced atop a nutty, rye-based shortbread base and further glazed with cider. In a word, it's bomb.


 

2. Seasonal Chou from Tapisserie

First came Septime, the creative tasting menu spot from Bertrand Grébaut that quickly earned itself a Michelin star. Then came Clamato, the seafood-focused spot across the way, boasting a no-reservations policy and a maple syrup tart folks swooned over. I never actually tried the aforementioned tart until the team opened their Tapisserie, a pastry shop and bakery known not just for this maple creation (which is, for the record, dope) but also for glazed croissants with a slightly sweeter edge to them and fairly consequential cream puffs.

Like an éclair, a cream puff is a creation made with a choux pastry base. Ethereal and light at its best, with an egginess reminiscent of Yorkshire pudding or popovers, it unfortunately suffers the longer it sits in contact with the cream that so often fills it, which is why an éclair or religieuse bought from a pastry shop with less turnover or a wider selection can often be stodgy or even soggy. I've not encountered that issue with the small-batch choux at Tapisserie, which I've sampled filled with everything from chocolate to flouve (vernal grass) to this heavenly combo of fresh raspberry and vanilla.

I can't promise you'll always encounter the same flavors, but I can say that in my experience, no matter which one you do encounter, it will prove delicious.
 

3. Tartelette Pistache et Fleur d'Oranger from Jardin Sucré

I don't have a photo of this delightful creation, unfortunately, as the only time I tried it was at an evening picnic along the Seine (yes, friends, this is my life...), but ever since, I've been dreaming of that perfect blend of sweet and savory, nutty and floral. It's unsurprisingly the star of the collection at this 17th arrondissement pastry shop, with a pâte sucrée base filled with pistachio ganache, runny pistachio praline, orange blossom mousse, and a toasted pistachio topping. For those who don't want to venture so far, they are often on order at Fou de Pâtisserie, one of my favorite pastry shops, known for having no pastry chef but rather a curated collection of some of the best cakes from pâtissiers around Paris.

And if you read French, you can also try your hand at making it at home!

4. Paris-Brest from Yann Couvreur

The Paris-Brest may well be my favorite of the classic pastry offerings, boasting a choux pastry base familiar to lovers of éclairs. It's usually piped in a ring to evoke the Paris-Brest bike race for which it's named, and it's filled with a hazelnut cream. At Yann Couvreur, the cream conceals a second, more concentrated layer of hazelnut praline, and a sprinkling of toasted hazelnuts finishes things off nicely.

5. Lime-Thyme Madeleine from Gilles Marchal

A native of Lorraine, Gilles Marchal may well be the madeleine king of Paris, with 70 different flavors on offer at his eponymous Montmartre boutique (albeit never all at once). One of his tried-and-true staples, however, is the thyme-lime, a marriage that rhymes in English but not in French and that, the chef told me while I was reporting this story for Food52, is his personal favorite. With its slight acidity and lovely herbal aroma, I can certainly see why.

6. Lemon Choupette from Les Choupettes de Chouchou

A second cream puff (can you tell I like choux pastry?) But I swear, it's worth trying both. The choupettes from this Montmartre specialist are the only thing on the menu, and frankly, they're worth the hike. To make them, a chouquette base sprinkled with pearl sugar breaks with tradition in two ways. Not only are chouquettes usually sold unfilled, but choupettes hide a heart, not of pastry cream, but rather organic whipped cream, a far lighter offering. Flavored with coffee, chocolate, vanilla, lemon, or one of a few guest flavors, the whipped cream is piped in to order, ensuring that your puff never goes soggy. The lemon is my favorite thanks to its brightness.

7. Lemon-Basil Tartlet from Boris Lumé

At the risk of making this list both lemon- and Montmartre-heavy, my final contender for the pastry you absolutely must try while in Paris is this beautiful lemon-basil tartlet from Boris Lumé. A buttery pastry shell is filled with luscious lemon cream and topped with pleasantly tart lemon curd, while the middle boasts a surprise line of basil pesto.

What about you? What are your favorite pastries in Paris? Let me know which ones I missed!