Sinful Saturday

 

 

 

Paris temptations... One croissant at a time.

 Below: croissants w/lemon cream and strawberry fillings

Le croissant autrement 

 

 

Fat Tuesday

 

 

 A trayful of Crookies, the croissant-cookie dough hybrid sensation, tout juste sorti du four.

 

Below: at Maison Louvard, where the Crookie originated  

 

  

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Today is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, last chance to indulge before Le Carême (Lent) starts tomorrow when food austerity kicks in for the next weeks leading up to Easter. The emphasis is on feasting, using up rich, fatty foods like butter, eggs, sugar and lard before the Lenten fast so nothing goes to waste. Traditionally, crêpes, beignets (bugnes or oreillettes in some regions), gaufres and other sweets have taken center stage.

 

Enter the slightly monstrous yet irresistible newcomer, the Crookie, the ultimate jolie-laide / “beautiful-ugly” Franken-pastry creation that, for some, has become another excuse to come to Paris. The concept was simple: a croissant is split open, crammed with chocolate chip cookie dough, topped off with more, then rebaked until the edges crisp and the center stays molten. A lovable oddball (weighing in at up to 900 calories) it was inspired by Stéphane Louvard in 2022, and in 2024 went mega-viral on TikTok. Today, the Crookie is still drawing queues and has copycats worldwide. At €5.90 to €7.10 depending if it’s to be taken away or savored sur place, it's not cheap, but then again, it's cheaper than therapy - and so far, seems to be more “croissant” than "crook." Classic croissant defenders (and admittedly I was one of them) call it heresy - but then, there’s that first bite.... - BPJ

 

Maison Louvard

(Café Bistrot Restaurant Boulangerie)

11 rue de Châteaudun 75009 

 

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 Update: Paris' annual Mardi-Gras Boeuf Gras (Fat Ox) carnival and parade has been cancelled this year

  

Tasting Tuesday

 

Amlou in Paris.

***

Paris’ love affair with the croissant has just taken yet another detour. The “Croissant Amlou,” a modern fusion pastry that's essentially a classic French croissant au beurre spread and/or filled with amlou, started as a nutty dream that's now gaining traction. The traditional Moroccan/Berber nut butter is a simple, nutrient-dense spread made from just three or four ingredients:

1) Roasted almonds (often Beldi variety from the Atlas Mountains) for a toasty, earthy base, 2) Argan oil (culinary-grade, cold-pressed from kernels in Essaouira) to provide richness and a subtle nutty depth - distinct from the cosmetic version used in skincare, 3) Honey (typically orange blossom from Souss) for natural sweetness, and 4) A pinch of sea salt for zing.

The result: a smooth, creamy paste with an almond-butter-like texture but with a unique, slightly floral, aromatic profile from the argan tree’s oil that takes the coffee/tea+pastry experience to new heights. - BPJ

Maison Gazelle

160 Boulevard Saint Germain 75006

 

Croissant culture

Early morn ready for the coffee-croissant crowd.

 

Size matters Sunday

 

A good croissant will always land butter-side down.

Above: viennoiseries (croissants au beurre and raspberry croissants) at Bo&Mie

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Is it me or has there been a quiet evolution in the size of Paris croissants post-Covid?


Until 2021, croissants, especially from renowned bakeries like Laurent Duchêne and Des Gâteaux et du Pain, had been described as light, airy, even “dainty,” aligning with the traditional style that focused on layers of flakiness and a delicate balance between butter and dough.

Since a 1993 decree requiring butter croissants (croissants au beurre) to be straight, the only other contender was the cheaper crescent-shaped croissant normal that humbly took its place next to straight croissants on boulangerie shelves, hinting at margarine use.

But post 2021, particularly after the Covid lockdowns, a shape-shifting seems to have taken place: a trend toward "generous" croissants. Bakeries like Cédric Grolet, known for plump creations, gained prominence. Larger, richer croissants using more butter and dough began to appear, some suggesting to attract those in search of indulgence after lockdown austerity. And, as customers lined up, other bakers followed suit.

The 2025 Concours du Meilleur Croissant au Beurre results, with Basile Fourmont’s voluptuous winner, suggest a preference for fuller shapes, possibly up to 30% larger than their slimmer predecessors.

For some, to witness something so basic to French culture being turned into an inflated pod is disconcerting. For others, it’s a welcome novelty. Only time will tell if puffier versions are here to stay, and if body shapes will follow. - BPJ

Croissant brrrr

 

A warm croissant au beurre, a cold day.

 

Sweet Sunday

 Chocolate-laced rugelach take center stage on the counter of a bakery in the Marais district.

 

Fat Friday

 

 

Plump oven-fresh croissants and pastries so good they've been called "scandalous" by the French press.

 

 Join the line at:

 

Cédric Grolet l'Opéra

35 Avenue de l'Opéra 75002

 

 

Tuesday tea

Candles add a holiday touch to morning chai at this local coffee and pastry shop.

 

Below: the striped ones are filled with hazelnut cream

 

 

P1 Bouche

151bis rue Marcadet 75018

 

 

Mocha Monday

A petit déjeuner of hot coffee and still warm viennoiseries starts a cold day.

 

 

Tuesday tasting

Yesterday was National Croissant Day, and while I try to avoid two food posts in a row, I came across this photo taken one autumn morning in Provence. The plateau of just-baked buttery croissants and pains au chocolat proved irresistible.

 

Miam Monday

 

Croissants worth admiration.

 

A Paris croissant

Getting it straight. Not curved.

June newsletter

National Croissant Day

 

How does one celebrate National Croissant Day? By indulging in croissants, of course....!

Above: first-thing-in-the-morning, freshly baked, still warm

 ❤️

Where croissants glisten

Walking into a pastry wonderland.

(click to enlarge)

Café Paris

The talk in Paris is that cafés will re-open in mid April.

 And maybe restaurants.

 Above: fresh croissants and hot coffee en terrasse

Hitting the spot

And the spot is Angelina, an old favorite on rue de Rivoli.

Above: hot béchamel cheese croissant; smoked salmon on brioche toast and poached eggs; coffee

Morning marvels

Glistening pains aux raisins and raspberry croissants brighten up a cold December morning.

Good morning pastry

A new crop of breakfast pastries is muscling out traditional croissants au beurre and pains au chocolat.

Above: a buttery kouign-amann made with cinnamon, hazelnuts, and, quelle surprise, peanuts

Café boulangerie

Fresh pastries and prize-winning breads on a Marais side street.