French pastries are a staple of French cuisine. They are beautiful, delicious, and come in all shapes and sizes. The only problem is that the names can be confusing. So here is a list of some of the most popular French pastries so you can try them out for yourself:
Croissant
Croissants are a French pastry made of yeast dough and butter. They are rolled into a crescent shape, and their name comes from the French word for “crescent”. Croissants made with laminated dough have layers of butter between multiple sheets of pastry dough. The layers make the croissant flaky when baked, which is why they’re so delicious!
Pain Au Chocolat
Pain au chocolat is a French pastry that consists of a flaky pastry crust and a filling of chocolate. It’s similar to the croissant, but it’s made with puff pastry instead of laminated dough. The name literally means “cake with chocolate” in French (pain means “cake”, au is used before words starting with vowels, and chocolat refers to chocolate). The first step in making this delicious treat is to cut the puff pastry into rectangles about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. Then you will want to place them on parchment paper or aluminum foil so that they don’t stick together while baking! Next comes the fun part: filling them! You can use almost any kind of filling here–some people prefer raspberry jam while others prefer Nutella spreadable hazelnut cream…but my favorite thing ever would be caramelized banana slices inside these bad boys 🙂 Finally comes time for baking; place them in an oven preheated at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown on both sides! Once done cooking simply remove from heat & enjoy 🙂
Palmier
Palmier is a French pastry made of puff pastry rolled into a cylinder and then baked. Palmier can be topped with chocolate, nuts or cinnamon sugar. These treats are often served with coffee or tea.
Eclair Au Chocolat
An eclair au chocolat is a pastry with a choux pastry base and a filling made with chocolate ganache. The eclair is usually filled with vanilla cream, although other flavors are used as well. It’s covered in chocolate glaze, which can be smooth or textured, depending on how it’s made. Eclairs have become so popular that they’re sold all over the world–even at Starbucks! You may also see them spelled “eclaires” or “eclairs”. They’re similar to cream puffs because both have choux pastry bases; however, eclairs are larger than cream puffs and are served cold rather than warm like their smaller counterparts
Chouquette
Chouquette is a French pastry made with puff pastry and almond paste. The word “chouquette” comes from the French word for cabbage, chou, and it’s said to be named after its appearance because of its resemblance to the vegetable when cooked (it becomes wrinkled). It’s a type of pastry that is made with puff pastry, almond paste and sugar.
Madeleine
Madeleines are small, shell-shaped cakes that are made with choux pastry. They are named after a small town in Normandy called Mery. Madeleines are often served with tea or coffee.
Financier
The financier is a small, round cake with a caramelized top that originated in the south of France. It’s typically made with almond meal and caramelized sugar. The name comes from the French word “financier”, which means “accountant.”
Canele
Canele is a French pastry made from almonds, sugar and eggs. It is also known as Canelle, Canelé or Cannelle. It’s a type of flan that can be baked in the oven or cooked in a bain-marie (water bath).
Pain aux Raisins
Pain aux Raisins is a sweet pastry made with puff pastry and raisins. It’s a popular French pastry that can be eaten as a breakfast or snack food.
Paris-Brest
The Paris-Brest is a French pastry named after the bicycle race Paris-Brest-Paris. It consists of choux pastry filled with praline cream, rolled in crushed nuts and dusted with icing sugar. The name comes from its shape: it looks like a wheel of cheese on one side, but on top it has the appearance of a bicycle tire (hence the name).
It was created in 1910 by Deyckere brothers who were patissiers at Fouquet’s restaurant in Paris, France. They designed this dessert as part of their menu to celebrate victory in that year’s Bordeaux-Paris race which they had sponsored along with Pierre Giffard – editor-in-chief of Le V?lo magazine at that time.
Opera Cake
Opera cake is a French dessert that consists of layers of coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache. It’s made with a genoise sponge, which is a type of sponge cake. The top layer has an outer covering of finely ground almonds, then coffee buttercream and then chocolate ganache (chocolate cream). The name opera cake comes from its resemblance to an opera hat–the chocolate coating forms the brim and the almond flour gives it height and shape.
Parisian Flan (Flan)
The French flan is a baked custard, and it’s one of the most popular desserts in France. Flan is made with eggs, milk, and sugar. The mixture is poured into ramekins (small ceramic cups) that are then baked in a water bath; this ensures that they cook evenly without getting too brown on top or bottom. Flan can be served hot or cold depending on your preference–you might even find some restaurants serve their flans at room temperature!
These are just a few of the delicious French pastries and cakes. The list goes on and on, but we hope that this article has given you some ideas for what to try next time you visit Paris or any other city in France!
