1)Croissant
French croissants are a little pastry made with butter and then carefully baked. Some legends say that Marie-Antoinette was the one to introduce it in France, but French bakers changed the recipe to make it their own. Ordinary croissant is made with vegetal oil and is usually looking straight, butter croissant differs in taste (because they are better) but also in their shape which is more the one of an actual croissant.
2)Macaroon
The very famous French macaroons are made of two little almond cookies liked together by flavored ganache or jam. You can find the basics ones (like chocolate, coffee, vanilla or raspberry) in a lot of pastries or snacks shops (even in McDonnad’s!) but some shops make really unusual flavored macaroons! Like for example pepper macaroons or foie gras macaroons!
3)Crepe
Crepes were invented in Brittany, a region west of France. We make two kinds of crepes in France: the salty kind with dark flour and the sweet kind with white flour. The best way to eat crepes is of course with apple cider out of those little traditional bowls from Brittany.
4)Crème Brûlée
Crème Brûlée is a pastry made with egg yolk, vanilla, cream and caramel. The caramelized top is supposed to crack under your spoon to make a contrast with the creamy lower lair of the pastry. You can usually find Crème Brûlée as a dessert in restaurant but some pastry shops can also have some. Part of the joy of eating creme brulee is a study in contrast: You use the edge of your spoon to gently crack the hard sugar surface, in order to expose the creamy custard beneath. You’ll get a little crunchy topping and custard in each bite.
5)Éclairs
Éclairs are made with choux pastry filled with a flavored and sweet cream. The most famous one is of course the chocolate Éclair, every pastry shop in France have them! But you can also find coffee flavored Éclair, Vanilla Éclair, Strawberry Éclair with actual strawberries inside, Lemon Éclairs and a great lot of other flavors in some specialized shops.
