You cannot go in France without trying sweets! And do not go there when on diet: you would miss so much!
Here is what I think is so particular about French Pastries:
- There is a large variety and in every pastry shop (patisserie in French), you will not only find different cakes, but also the creations of the Pastry Chef that will make your experience unique.
- Pastry Chefs use real butter, not butter cream (sorry Cake Boss!). You can definitely taste the difference.
The difficulty with pastries is that you have to be extremely careful making any change to the recipe as it can completely mess up your cake. So, chapeau to the Pastry Chefs (I would like so much to be a judge on Top Chef Just Desserts...)!
In France, it is common for people to bring pastries whenever they are invited or to serve them at the end of a meal over the week end. Here are two different experiences we had in Grenoble.
L'instant Gourmand:
So, here we are, going to a lunch. We decided to stop by a pastry shop to bring dessert: L'instant Gourmand from Thierry Court who is a Pastry Chef and Chocolatier. First, you could not miss the macarons (macaroons): there were plenty with wonderful colors (photo above). There were so many flavors that it was tough to pick: vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut, salted caramel, pina colada, banana, walnut with chartreuse alcohol, thym and lemon...So we asked them to give us one of each.
I had two favorites: the hazelnut and the salted caramel. The macaron itself was perfect: crispy outside and gooey inside, not too sweet.
Then there were the cakes:
They had two sizes: regular and small (also called gateaux de soiree). They had the classics: baba au rhum, tarte tatin, mille feuille...And some creation: le bastille, le glamour, le finger citron...
Visually, it was amazing and my stomach started growling, imagining those little pastries going down my throat...
I of course had a baba au rhum, one of my favorite pastries: it is a brioche dough soaked in sugar syrup and flavored in rum (he he!). I also tried the tarte tatin. Both were delicious.
This is definitely a great pastry in case you are visiting Grenoble!
They have two locations:
L’instant gourmand - Chocolatier Thierry Court
17 Avenue Jean Perrot 38100 Grenoble
or
22 Rue de La Poste 38000 Grenoble
Bonnat Chocolatier
Bonnat is one of the most known chocolatier in Grenoble. In fact, the chocolaterie (chocolate factory) is located close by, in another city called Voiron. It is a familly business that started in 1884.
We went there during Easter so they had a bunch of Easter creations that were beautiful.
Not only Bonnat sells, like any chocolatier, their small chocolate creations, but they also sell chocolate bars that I saw couple of times in stores in the US!
But one of the best thing to have at Bonnat is their hot chocolate!
They have different ones; my favorite is the Caracas: it is 75% cocoa with an extreme chocolate flavor. They serve it in a pitcher that is equivalent to two cups. Of course they have other hot chocolate selection and if you do not like chocolate (what?), they have other drinks!
Definitely to try!
Bonnat Chocolatier
1 Rue République 38000 Grenoble
Enjoy (I did)!
And remember: I just want to Eat!
