Paris' Perfect Pastries, Part Deux

By Bob Adams

In part one of his delicious two-part series, Bob introduced us to one (of three) of his favorite Paris-based patisseries. In part two, he makes our mouth water with visits to Stohrer and Angelina.

Stohrer: http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnN0b2hyZXIuZnIv

Founded: 173051 Rue Montorgeuil (Metro: Etienne Marcel or Les Halles)Stohrer is perhaps the most famous of all Paris’s patisseries, founded by Nicolas Stohrer, the personal pastry chef to King Louis XV. When Stohrer left the royal court in 1730 to set up his own shop on what has evolved today into a trendy and upscale market street in the city’s 2nd arrondisement, he took his world-class recipes with him, including that for his renowned Baba au Rhum, a brioche filled with pastry cream and rum that is the patisserie’s pride and joy (and a much copied but never surpassed dessert throughout France).

Naturally, Joey and I both ordered the house specialty and were a bit taken aback by the strength of the rum flavor. It was more than we were expecting for breakfast, but delicious nevertheless. (I’d recommend this particular pastry for a dinner dessert or after-lunch sweet.)

Actually, the patisserie sells three types of Babas–the famous rum-filled version, the Ali Baba (a Baba au Rhum with raisins), and the Baba Chantilly (a Baba au Rhum topped with a dollop of whipped cream and garnished with fresh raspberries and blueberries).

Another signature pastry is the Puits d’Amours (translated as “wells of love”), a puff pastry filled with vanilla cream and caramel. And, of course, there are countless other delectable pastries, cakes, cookies, and breads to choose from.

The only major downside to Stohrer is that it is take-away only; there are no tables in the small shop.

But the patisserie makes up for its lack of a sit-down salon with an incredible display of period art and architecture, most notably a stained glass ceiling completed in 1864 by Paul Baudry, the same artisan who designed much of the stunning front hall of Paris’s beautiful Opera Garnier.
Joey was even given a treat by the patisserie’s head chef during our visit on a Saturday morning. When asking if he could take photos of the pastry displays to show to his Le Cordon Bleu classmates back in California (many of Paris’s patisseries, including Laduree, surprisingly ban all photography of their display cases, likely to prevent competitors from copying their presentation techniques), Joey instead was welcomed to a quick tour, where he got a rare first-hand look at the inner workings of a world-renowned pastry kitchen. It truly was one of those once-in-a-lifetime Paris moments!

Stohrer is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Angelina: www.groupe-bertrand.com/angelina.php

Founded: 1903226 Rue de Rivoli (Metro: Tuileries)

I’ve definitely saved the best for last–Angelina, the enormously popular tearoom located conveniently across from the Louvre and the Jardin de Tuileries. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m, Angelina tends to be a bit slower in the morning, but turns into a jammed-packed see-and-be-seen event (Coco Chanel was a longtime customer) from about 11 a.m. until closing.

Set in a serene Belle Epoque interior lined with gold gilded mirrors, wall panels painted with pastoral scenes, and marble-topped tables (crammed quite closely together, even by Paris standards), Angelina is celebrated for two distinct dishes–Le Chocolat a L’Ancienne (also simply called “L’Africain”), a sipping chocolate so thick it’s as easy to eat with a spoon as it is to drink, and the 8-inch high Le Mont-Blanc pastry, a hard meringue topped with whipped cream and squiggles upon squiggles of candied chestnut cream and dusted with snowy powdered sugar.
I ordered both–as well as a Saori, a Japan-inspired lime cheesecake with a sable crust, strawberry jelly, white chocolate, and strawberry marshmallow—and was in heaven! Le Mont-Blanc was wonderfully rich and creamy, while the Saori was a wonderful blend of sweet and tart.

To be perfectly honest, I would have been better off ordering a café crème to go with my pastries, as the Chocolat Africain was as equally rich and filling as the desserts. But if you’re as much a chocoholic as I am, you simply can’t pass on this wonderful drink. It’s served hot—but not scaldingly so—in a tiny pitcher so you can dole it out in batches for yourself, dump it all in at once (as I did, and was surprised to have a little left over for seconds!), or give everyone at the table a taste. It’s accompanied by fresh whipped cream that you can use to thin out the drink’s thickness or simply plop on top.

Joey ordered an Olympe (a macaron biscuit topped with carmelized violet flowers, strawberry and raspberry sweet jelly, violet cream, and fresh raspberries) and a Mirabelle (sable cookies, vanilla mousse, and mango custard), and wisely opted for a café crème to wash it down. Once again, he analyzed every layer of his desserts (even taking notes!) before offering me a taste and savoring the rest. Joey even asked to speak to the head pastry chef, and we were both quite surprised that despite running one of the busiest and most renowned patisseries in the city he stopped by to chat for about 15 minutes about internship and employment possibilities at his tea salon.

So much for the rude French, eh?

Of course, there are hundreds if not thousands of boulangeries and patisseries sprinkled throughout Paris, ranging from small mom-and-pop stores to massive tearooms, with everything else in between. I can honestly say that I’ve never had a bad pastry in any of my six visits to the city, mostly because with a slew of top-notch patisseries to choose from those of mediocre or poor quality simply can’t compete.

Laduree, Stohrer, and Angelina are just three of my very favorites.

Perhaps they already are—or one day will be—among your favorites well. But one of the joys of traveling to ....Paris.... is discovering your own special cafes, restaurants, tearooms, and patisseries that draw you back time and time again.

And when you discover these gems, don’t forget to let the rest of us know so we can try them, too, on our next trip to glorious Paris.

About the Author: Having grown up in a household of avid domestic and international travelers, Bob Adams has been passionate about experiencing new cultures since childhood. A lover of all things European, Bob finds himself returning most often to his favorite destination in the world -- Paris, France -- and already has his seventh trip to the City of Light booked for November 2009.