The French desserts, so loved by us for their incomparable tastes, have always been more from the category of culinary arts, and the names of the owners of the cafes in the courtyard were pronounced with a breath. Even the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, always loved to remember them, and according to legend, once, upon learning that the peasants were starving, she even uttered the phrase: “If they have no bread, let them eat cakes!”. I decided to succumb to the French charm and inspect the best French restaurants and cafes to tell where in Moscow you can try traditional desserts, and where to delight yourself with new flavor combinations from the best pastry chefs.
Ladurée
Telling the story of the founding of one of the oldest pastry houses of the Fifth Republic is as meaningless as once again taking a photo against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower using the hashtag #LaTourEiffel. Every self-respecting connoisseur of sweets knows about Ladurée. After all, it was here that the famous macaroni in its modern form was created - two halves of almond meringue cookies erected into absolute, combined with cream. This cake has managed to captivate every dessert gourmet in the world with its taste! By the way, pasta is delivered all over the world straight from France, so that the recipe for original desserts, invented by Pierre Defontaine almost a hundred years ago, remains unchanged.
However, small pasta is not always able to quench your thirst for sweets, and then a huge waspakhan with raspberries comes to their aid - a large version of pasta with fresh berries and a creamy layer. Similar to a royal throne, the Saint-Honoré of choux pastry with pistachio cream and cherry compote will be eagerly tasted by those who lack palace coups. Of course, we must not forget about the classics - Tart Tatene, which is traditionally prepared here from apples, and Millefeuille with a delicate layer of Madagascar vanilla.
Last but not least, Ladurée's success is the magic of the boutique and restaurant itself. Carrara marble finishes, crystal chandeliers carefully selected in antique shops, exclusive saucers, plates and cups from the famous Bernardaud factory, which were created especially for Ladurée - all this creates a unique atmosphere of a French sweets atelier on the Champs Elysees, which attracts lovely ladies …
Phone: + 7-499-678-08-80
Address: Nikolskaya st., 5/1, building 1
Le Restaurant
Created as a private club of the Vinoterra wine trading company, today Le Restaurant is ready to invite everyone to dinner. The institution could be called classic inside and out, if not for one nuance - a futuristic cuisine that amazes with its minimalistic presentation. The main menu is rich in interesting delicacies, and the extensive wine collection in this restaurant is complemented by desserts from the chef Jeremy Uryuti.
Be sure that you won't recognize the classic Frezier here: the strawberries are hidden in the heart of the dessert, and the bright red color of the biscuit, decorated with a sugar spiral, gently reminds of the presence of timut pepper. As you probably already understood, the thirst for experimentation literally takes possession of the chef Jeremy, so even the famous French crème brлеlée is added with exotic passionfruit to make the taste of the sugary-sweet dessert unusual, sour and attractive. In the literal sense, the "Opera" with its royal sugar tiara can be considered the crowned dessert of Le Restaurant. The show starts with a sphere of dark chocolate, hidden behind it is a combination of chocolate and coffee cream, between which is neatly enclosed a cream of salted caramel.
Phone: + 7-495-258-28-08
Address: 2nd Zvenigorodskaya st., 13, bldg. 1
Brasserie MOST
In the case of Brasserie MOST, you can talk endlessly about the French dishes and desserts on the menu. The chef of the restaurant, a native of Bordeaux, Jean-Luc Moll, has done everything possible to make this establishment the embodiment of a real French brasserie. Of course, the dessert card was no exception, but only supplemented the confident trend in regional French cuisine.
For fans of chocolate, the acquaintance with the "Beautiful Helena" by Auguste Escoffier - the king of chefs, who prescribed the basics of culinary skills, is suitable. It is served in a tempered dark chocolate sphere filled with crispy puffed rice and explosive caramel filling. And coffee lovers must try the original coffee fondant with hot chocolate-coffee filling and almond-cream ice cream.
Some positions are filled with notes of the author's futurism. To create them, Jean-Luc collected flavor combinations in his travels, focusing on personal preferences. Thus, the soufflé with verbena, served with a red orange sorbet, has become a kind of curtsy to Michel Guérard, a classic of French haute cuisine. For gourmets, Brasserie MOST offers a non-standard combination of profiteroles with butter cream and black caviar, which has become the embodiment of Jean-Luc Moll's love for contrasting salty notes in desserts.
Phone: + 7-495-660-07-06
Address: Kuznetsky Most st., 6/3
Parisienne
This restaurant impresses with its history. Could you imagine that it was in the halls where Parisienne is now located that a dinner was held in the distant 1896 in honor of the coronation of Nicholas II? Therefore, the menu in Parisienne is special - here you can taste the dishes that were served to the table in the royal family of the Romanovs.
Just like a century ago, you can taste the most real classics in this restaurant. For example, the "a la Napoleon" cake with traditional layers of the finest crispy dough with custard is served with fresh raspberries and vanilla-berry sauce. And the usual crème brulee here, as expected, is served with a caramel crust, breaking which has become a kind of tradition for lovers of this dessert. The cherry on top of Parisienne's sweet history cake is a chocolate fondant, which hides an exotic lime filling in the center of a soft biscuit instead of the usual hot chocolate.
To the delight of those with a sweet tooth, a variety of eclairs, pasta and mini petit fours, which are miniature desserts, are served here.
Phone: + 7-495-613-07-84
Address: Leningradsky Prospect, 31, bldg. 9
French Kiss Patisserie
City confectioneries, originating from small candy boutiques, which are probably already familiar to everyone, attract with their simplicity and sincerity. It is always pleasant to drop in here between meetings and spend a few minutes in comfort and tranquility. A special pleasure is to order a classic vanilla or raspberry eclair, similar to a slice of Red Velvet cake, in the manner of small French cafes, and wash it down with freshly brewed thyme tea.
But, of course, eclairs are just a warm-up. The main front of confectionery action unfolds with pear, almond and cream tarts. The latter, by the way, is rooted in the saber shortbread liver, popular in the northern regions of France. At French Kiss, the chocolate saber is complemented with custard on a thin layer of caramel and garnished with nuts and dried fruits. Another interesting recipe found in French pastry books, French Kiss is used to create almond tart. It is based on a peanut meringue crust soaked in whipped cream or butter cream. However, in this boutique, the traditional recipe has been slightly improved: in the dacquoise, they use coconut for the almond tart.
Phone: + 7-903-136-87-47
Address: Kuznetskiy Most st., 12/3, bldg. 1
Buloshnaya
Every time you enter this restaurant, you feel that you find yourself in a different reality: a real pre-revolutionary "bullshit", as they used to say in merchant Moscow. However, you should come here not only for fresh rolls and soft breads, but also for original confectionery products, each of which is painstakingly developed by the restaurant's pastry chef Elena Baklashova.
The scrupulous work of the kitchen is easily visible through every dish dispensed from the serving area. The variety of French cuisine can amaze you in just one dessert menu. The classic Opera cake served here as a low rectangular briquette with almond dacquoise soaked in aromatic coffee cream and the traditional millefeuil made from light petals of puff pastry with mascarpone cream and raspberry sauce may not strike you in the heart. but will definitely leave an indelible mark with their highest quality. Meanwhile, the original crepe suzette with figs, which are pancakes with caramelized figs filled with Cointreau liqueur, and the most delicate sea buckthorn cake with pistachio cream will be a breath of fresh air and mentally take you to the very center of Paris.
Phone: + 7-495-917-32-95
Address: Lyalin per., 7
About the author:
Alexander Ivanov (@ Alexmay0590), restaurant columnist, founder of the largest gastronomic blog in Moscow and St. Petersburg with an audience of over 200,000 subscribers.
Photo: archives of press services
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