Those fabulous and decadent French pastries

In the 17th century, the last course of a meal, which typically included fruit, cheese, and nuts, was commonplace at the best tables in France. Always on the lookout for new and delicious dishes, the monarchy expanded those options to include pastries, as dairy, eggs, and butter became more widely available and more popular. Top chefs used their culinary skills to create sumptuous confections, and bread bakeries across Paris followed suit. Patisseries soon appeared on the streets of the city, with delicious cakes prominently displayed in their front windows.

The word “dessert” is derived from attend which means “clearing the table” in French, and the custom of serving something sweet after the main meal became popular among the upper classes. It didn’t take long for the general population to experiment with dishes rich in custard, and thus the dessert plate as we know it was born. Although simple cakes and tarts have been around for centuries, they were usually served for special occasions and holidays, but the final dessert became a hit with French gourmets.

Royal and wealthy houses hired pastry chefs, called cakeswhose expertise was increasingly in demand as the French developed their craving for these pastries, and cafes sprang up in Paris to meet the demand, where one could enjoy a napoleon and a cup of coffee, or take home some of their favorites. .

Marie Antoinette, the last queen before the French Revolution, is often credited with ordering some of the first cakes, which may have included petit fours and macaroons. With a refined and discerning sweet tooth, she wowed her guests with these new creations and ate them in private at her powder room. When there was a shortage of bread in Paris, she allegedly uttered her famous line: “Let them eat cake.” (Queen Mary was not known for her compassion and generosity towards commoners.)

One of the most famous French cookbooks, published in 1651 titled Francois the cook, included recipes from a “celebrity chef” named François Pierre, Sieur de la Varenne. He was the Julia Child of his time, and if he were alive today, he would surely have his own show on the Food Network, along with a full line of designer pastry tools and baking pans. Francois shared recipes for many of the popular French pastries, so that ordinary people could treat themselves, provided they had access to the rich and expensive ingredients that he used for his wealthy clientele.

Due to the abundance of fruit in America, many colonial sweets were made with apples, peaches, plums, and berries. But with the influx of immigrants, each ethnic group brought their own recipes and opened bakeries and restaurants, introducing their indigenous foods. In the 18th century, thousands of French natives began arriving on the shores of the New World, bringing with them their culinary skills and expanding the American repertoire of desserts and sugary treats, not to mention waistbands. Of course, Thomas Jefferson, always one step ahead of the crowd, presented new culinary finds from his trips to Paris and brought back champagne and puff pastry recipes for his legendary White House dinner parties.

What distinguishes French pastries from the sweets and pastries of other countries are several clear differences:

Many French pastries are flaky because of the liberal use of butter;
The preparation of French pastries is tedious and time consuming, requiring precise measuring and baking;
Layers of buttery dough take time to unfold and demand precision from dedicated chefs;
Meringues, custards and mousses are labor intensive; one slip and you have a curdled mess;
Presentation is crucial, as French pastry is elegant and requires artistic concentration;
Eclairs, madeleines, cream puffs, and napoleons top the list of favourites; and for the record, there is no evidence that the napoleons were named after the french emperor and the military leader who shares the name, and it is highly doubtful that he ate them during battles.

Renowned French chef Julia Child made it look easy. She and she did more than her part to introduce Americans to the delights of French cuisine. But thanks to specialty bakeries and supermarket freezers, we can take the easy way out. Forgive us, Julia, but let’s eat cake already made.