In contrast to the rainbow-hued macaron, the éclair has long been more delicious than it was beautiful. Traditionally glazed in neutral shades of chocolate or coffee, this classic French childhood snack had an enduring charm, but it has never been a visual standout in the pastry case. Nevertheless, the finger-shaped, cream-stuffed choux pastry has always been beloved, and pastry chefs have been making it pretty much the same way since the 1800s, unmoved to fix something that wasn’t ever really broken.But then came Chef Christophe Adam, who made the éclair a fashionable item that changes every season. Creating themes, using Pantone colors, creative designs and more, this chef created a whole buzz around his concepts over the internet in no time. But are they as good as they look?
Adam has injected excitement into the traditional world of French pastry not by inventing something new along the lines of a cronut, but by giving an old silhouette a new more modern appeal. New techniques and creativity can be seen in his éclairs - from Pop art colors, blingy high-gloss finishes made with edible powdered silver, their flavor profiles enlivened with novel ingredients like yuzu, fresh strawberries, popcorn, and salted caramel. He has also engineered the éclairs to be lighter in texture and reduced the sugar content of the icing.
L’Éclair de Génie, owned by Chef Christophe Adam, has one of its two shops in Passy Plaza where a colorful display of eclairs awaits you. It was only 11am, and we just finished breakfast and we were preparing for a new lunch discovery but as I came across this beautiful display, I couldn’t resist ordering five different flavors to try.Today’s tastings:
- Praline Noisettes: (Crème praliné noisette, noisettes caramélisées) This eclair is beautifully presented with caramelized nuts covered with gold leaves. A fresh dough filled generously with a consistent hazelnut coffee cream and topped with a rich chocolate frosting. Imagine eating a Nespresso. How nice! Softness, crunchiness and amazement combined. That’s innovative sublime culinary art.
- Rouge Framboise: (Crème framboise, chocolat grand cru et chocolat au lait). I think that’s one of the most beautiful and most interesting éclairs around. A pronounced Ferrari red color that makes you want to order it first. A juicy raspberry flavor bursts onto your tongue while the chocolate filling takes over to smooths out the acidity of the frosting. This great mix of chocolate and raspberry is superb.
- Chouchou Caramel: (Crème caramel au sel de Guérande, chouchou et caramel) Really incredibly awesome! A crunchy frosting, a rich caramel filling, a salty aftertaste… The creator of this cake is a genius indeed. I’m not sure that I’m being able to describe it properly. An inner filling of caramel makes you pass your tongue around your palate with excitement unable to restraint yourself from moaning.
- Passion Framboise: (Creme passion) A simply edible painting. It’s like eating a tropical fruit salad covered with raspberry. A rich yellow Pantone color frosting and another tasty smooth yellow filling like nothing I’ve eaten before.
- Chocolat Grand Cru: A rich creamy chocolate from Madagascar covered with a 64% dark cacao frosting. Dark and rich in premium flavors it is! A real dark chocolate that’s not bitter but soft on the palate, covered with dark biscuits balls on top adding a fine crunch to every bite. That’s what I call culinary extravaganza.
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