Tuesday 3 December 2013

French Fashions #1

Japanese inspired chocolates at the Salon du Chocolat







































If, in London, it feels like there is a Starbucks on every corner, in Paris the same can be said for Japanese restaurants. Sushi, it seems, is the plat du moment for Parisiens. So, it's not surprising that two Japanese ingredients have made it big in the world of French patisserie, and can be found flavoring everything from macarons to mille-feuilles.
The first of these is thé matcha, Japanese green tea, which is commonly used to color madeleines, macarons, and financiers as an exotic alternative to pistachio. The other is yuzu, which at a recent masterclass I attended, chef pȃtissier Christophe Michalak described as a cross between an orange and a lemon, but which to me tastes more like a hybrid lemon / grapefruit.
Both of these ingredients have been known in the US for a decade, but it's interesting to see them established as stalwarts of the Parisian patisserie scene. 

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