Did you know Tiramisu means “Cheer me up” in Italian? The name might come from the fact that the sugar, egg yolks and alcohol are supposed to be fortifiant and gives you energy. Or perhaps it could be how every bite of it makes you happier!
This tiramisu is a very fresh and a light dessert even after a hearty meal. Its lightness comes from all the whisked ingredients in the cream and the easy light baking, which makes it enjoyable during the summer.
Alcohol is not mandatory in the recipe.
Paris-Brest, is a pastry that comes in a shape of a circle filled with hazelnut cream with toppings. As of today different versions exist with various kind of cream and nuts like pistachios and almonds…
Unfortunately for the many English speakers out there, despite how it’s pronounced the dessert itself has no resemblance to a woman’s bosom. Yes, it’s a common misconception assumed among English speakers in that the origin of the pastry is sexual or that the dessert comes in a particular dome shape.
In fact the origin itself might not be the first thing to come to mind.
The supposed origin is of a newspaper editor wanting bicycle use to become popular in the town of Brest and decides to launch a bicycle race from Paris to Brest. He wanted to promote the race and asked a pastry chef by the name of Louis Durand who eventually created this famous dessert in 1910.
The Paris-brest is shaped like a bicycle wheel to celebrate the cycling race and can be found in nearly every bakery in France; it is one of the classics. Furthermore, it has recently been popping onto numerous menus in the US. It’s one of those desserts that people in the states might not be know much about but only look over other tables and tell the server, “I want that!”
Note: 2 big Paris-Brest were made which serves for 30 people but ingredients can be adjusted based on the number of people.
The ‘Galette des Rois’ is typically a French tradition that celebrates the Epiphany. This celebration derived from the night the three kings (wise men) Gaspard, Balthazar, and Melchior, voyaged to pay their tribute to one of the world’s most famous enfant born on earth, bringing with them gifts.
This tradition has lost much of its religious significance over the years. For many French families, this tradition has become a day where the family gathers and shares a Galette des Rois (a puff pastry pie filled with a smooth mixture of frangipane, a mixture of both almond and pastry cream, and finished by hiding a small charm in the frangipane).
The most important part of this tradition is the ritual that goes along with it. The youngest child of the family must hide underneath the table while an adult cuts the Galette. The hiding child must then call out which slice goes to whom, in order for it to be totally random. Whoever gets the charm in their slice is the King (or Queen) for the day and gets to wear the golden paper crown, that the Galette typically comes with. Also that person has to pick who will be their Queen or King for the day.
Chocolate éclair is the pastry that you can find in any boulangerie in France. Commonly flavored with chocolate or coffee and situated close to the counter when you buy your daily bread, you can’t not see them.
Éclair can be translated as ‘flash’, it is called like this because it can be eaten very fast.
The beginning of the recipe is the to prepare the chocolate custard. Feel free to replace the chocolate custard by any flavor of your choice, vanilla, hazelnut …