crème patisserie | cheriecity.co.uk

Amazing Choux at Profiterole Chérie Paris

April 2, 2015 by cheriecity

On my recent trip to Paris, I caught up with my friend Coralie for an afternoon of shopping and a bite to eat in the Marais. Steven headed over to the Palais de Tokyo to check out the latest exhibition, allowing us a few hours of girl time.

We met up at our hotel Bourg Tibourg and headed out into the Marais for a bit of an adventure. We shopped at Maje, American Vintage, Comptoir des Cotonniers and Repetto and Coralie showed me her favourite jewellery boutique, Marine de Diesbach. It has the feel of an artist’s studio with handmade pieces that you can’t find anywhere else.

Another stop was at the wonderful Palais des Thés, where we sampled green tea and jasmine tea paired with financiers. Continuing the tea and cake theme, we headed up to rue Debelleyme in time for the ‘quatre-heures’ (tea time).

Coralie took me to a new profiterole place that had recently opened, but she left the name as a surprise until we arrived (needless to say I was thrilled). Profiterole Chérie is a bijou little patisserie and tea salon that simply offers traditionally French choux with a twist.

Profiterole Chérie is the first Parisian patisserie by acclaimed pastry chef Philippe Urraca (awarded Best Craftsman of France in 1993). It’s pretty and oh so Parisian with dreamy pastel pink walls, marble tables and highlights of dove grey.

Profiteroles are freshly-baked at the store and prepared to order at the open counter. The menu features choux filled with ice cream or pasty cream in a variety of flavours, as well as a special profiterole of the moment.

Knowing that I would be eating dessert later on, I went for the light and fruity Ma Chérie citron meringué (€6). The crisp, freshly-baked chou was filled with smooth, cool lemon curd cream and topped with meringue sticks and lime zest. It was accompanied by a pot of zingy, sharp citrus coulis to pour over the top.

Coralie’s Ma Chérie Paris-Brest (€6) was a delicious blend of velvety praline cream, roasted hazelnuts and rich chocolate sauce (if you love Nutella, this is the one to order).

We washed down our profiteroles with cups of Earl Grey tea (€3), although I would be tempted next time to try the chocolat chaud.

Profiterole Chérie is a delightful spot for an afternoon pastry fix and a good gossip. It’s surprisingly affordable for the area and feels friendly, intimate and unpretentious. I can definitely see it becoming our new Paris tradition.

All photos by Chérie City

Cafes, Paris, Patisserie

Hot Chocolate and Éclairs at Angelina Paris

February 21, 2012 by cheriecity

One of the joys of visiting Paris in the winter is ordering a thick, traditional hot chocolate and some of the best can be found at Angelina, the historic tea salon within the arcades of the rue de Rivoli.

Founded in 1903 by Austrian confectioner Antoine Rumpelmeyer, Angelina was furnished by Belle Époque designer Edouard-Jean Niermans and occupies a prime spot just opposite the Tuileries.

Famous guests

Originally a haunt of Coco Chanel, Marcel Proust and later Audrey Hepburn and Catherine Deneuve, Angelina continues to charm Parisians and visitors today with its signature African Hot Chocolate and famous Mont Blanc cake.

We visited at the end of the day, not knowing that Angelina closes at 7pm, but even though time was ticking, we still couldn’t resist having a late afternoon tea.

The problem with arriving at this time is that the usually bounteous pastry counter was looking a bit sparse, but we managed to bag the last two éclairs of the day – one Éclair au Chocolat (€7) and one Éclair Toute Vanille (€7.50).

The hot chocolate

Perhaps it was chocolate overload, but we just had to try Angelina’s much-loved Chocolat Chaud à l’ancienne dit ‘L’Africain’ (€7.90) and Chocolat Chaud au Chocolat Blanc (€7.90).

The African hot chocolate, made with cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast, was rich, slightly spicy and full-bodied. By contrast, the white hot chocolate was super sweet, creamy, smooth and just heavenly. Each hot chocolate was served in a china jug with a small pot of whipped cream and a glass of iced water. I recommend ordering one of each and sharing, starting with the white hot chocolate, as there is enough for two cups.

The éclairs

The éclairs were incredibly indulgent and the best I’ve ever tasted. The choux pastry was fresh, not at all dry, filled with thick, rich chocolate crème patissière and topped with a crisp layer of dark chocolate.

The vanilla éclair was filled with fragrant vanilla-infused crème pâtissière and topped with a layer of white chocolate containing crunchy little vanilla pod seeds.

Angelina is full of old-world character with faded wall murals, white wood panelling and marble-topped tables. It features a large white marble counter where you can buy cakes, macarons and hot drinks to take out. There is also a little boutique, so you can pick up gifts including tea, coffee, chocolate and jams, all with the pretty Angelina packaging.

Angelina isn’t quite as palatial and frivolous as Ladurée, but it has a certain charm and that white chocolate must be tried at least once in life!

Angelina, 226 rue de Rivoli, 75001, Paris. Open daily from 8am-7pm.

Cafes, London, Patisserie

Afternoon Tea At Ladurée Covent Garden

January 22, 2012 by cheriecity

Towards the end of last summer, I met up with my French pal Coralie of Tea Time in Wonderland for an indulgent afternoon treat at Ladurée Covent Garden.

The latest London outpost of the iconic Paris pâtisserie and tea salon, Ladurée Covent Garden occupies an enviable position on the edge of the piazza. The space may be small, but it manages to include a chic terrace, upstairs tea salons with outdoor balcony seating, a marble-covered pâtisserie counter and petite boutique.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been working my way through the macaron counter and my favourite new discoveries have been Salted Caramel and Violet Blackcurrant.

We ordered pots of thé violette and thé rose, which came served in large silver teapots with monogrammed paper handle covers and Ladurée’s exquisite signature pastel-coloured, gilt-edged china.

Coralie ordered a Raspberry Rose Saint-Honoré – an impressive dessert including a choux pastry base filled with rose-flavoured crème patisserie and rose icing with mini iced choux buns, whipped creme Chantilly and fresh raspberries.

My usual favourite is a Rose Religieuse, but this time I tried the chocolate flavour – a double choux pastry dessert filled with chocolate crème patissiere and covered in dark chocolate icing. Both were deliciously fresh and typically perfect – an indulgent Ladurée delight.

The two tea salons are small and cute, in a colour palette of Ladurée’s signature colours, with illustrations of birds and trees on the walls and comfy red velvet seating. The outside terrace and upstair balcony are perfect in the summer for people watching and basking in the sun over a macaron ice cream coupe.

Ladurée Covent Garden may not have the exquisite, palatial interiors of the Champs-Elysées salon or the gloss of the Harrods store, but it’s perfect for a relaxing break, or a hard-to-resist macaron-fix.

Afternoon tea, Cafes, France, Paris, Restaurants

Last treat in Paris at Ladurée

December 15, 2009 by cheriecity

Ladurée is a real institution in Paris and every Christmas, thousands of Parisians treat themselves to some seasonal macaroons, pastries or finely iced cakes. The queue at the Rue Royale store almost curves around the Place de la Madeleine, it really is that popular.

The first time I visited Ladurée was when I treated my mum to afternoon tea there for her birthday during our trip to Paris together two years ago. We had tea, cakes macaroons at the cosy Rue Royale tea room with cherubs on the ceiling and left with some of their Marie-Antoinette and Mélange Ladurée tea in powdered pink and green boxes with gold trim. It was a very special afternoon, so I always feel kind of sentimental towards Ladurée.

laduree-window

For our last few hours in Paris, we met up with Coralie and although I had loose plans to visit Angelina, another tea room with covetable cakes on the Rue de Rivoli, we were drawn in by the window of pastel, illustrated treats at Ladurée on the Champs Elysées.

We were shown into the upstairs pistachio green dining room and got one of the best tables overlooking the Champs Elysées. It feels like having tea in a grand stately home with all of the portraits, antiques and lavish drapes and every rooms has a different atmosphere.

laduree-dining-room

Undeterred by the ridiculous amount of sugar already consumer that day, Steven and I both ordered the chocolat chaud Ladurée (€6.50) and shared a Religieuse à la Rose (€7) and a Religieuse à la Violette (€6). The hot chocolate comes in a lovely silver jug and is thick, warming and not too sweet, although I prefer the hot chocolate at Les Deux Magots in Saint-Germain, as it is a lot smoother there.

Coralie had a noisette (a French version of a macchiato) and a spiced apple and caramel macaroon dessert (€7) that tasted just like Christmas.

laduree-hot-chocolate

The Religieuses were like perfect, pastel pieces of joy, with a thick filling of slightly perfumed crème patisserie encased in a light choux pastry bun and sugary icing.

When I was assisting on a shoot for a glossy women’s magazine, I got to take home a box of Ladurée Religieuses that had been used as props and I remember the London version of the Religieuse à la Violette being an almost toxic-looking shade of purple. Either the Parisian bakers have got it right, or Ladurée have revised the recipe since last year.

laduree-religieuse

Downstairs is Ladurée Le Bar, designed by Roxane Rodriguez, where you can order macaroon-flavoured cocktails, including rose, coffee and pistachio. It’s decorated in art nouveau style, with lace-effect high stools and butterflies on the walls, and has an icy blue, other-worldly ambiance that seems miles away from the delicate tea room.

laduree-counter

If you don’t have time for tea, you can order any of the cakes, pastries and breads to take-away. Ladurée also have a range of gorgeous candles and a fragrance and bath collection which I haven’t yet tried. Not sure how much I would want to smell of an almond macaroon, but I would munch on them at Ladurée any day!

Ladurée, 75 avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris