French Desserts
Cakes, Tarts, Crepes and Other Sweets
Who's not going to like French desserts? There is something here to please everyone: pastries, tarts, crepes, cakes, creams, mousses, and much more. Here is a brief tour of the possibilities.
Bavarois - Molded cold desserts that might include whipped cream, crème anglaise, fruit puree, meringue, chocolate or liqueur. They are set with gelatine. Known as a Bavarian cream in English.
Beignets - Fried dough that sometimes encases a fruit or flower. You'll find different traditional versions of the beignet all over France.
Cakes - Although frequently made with the same basic preparations, the variety of gâteaux in France is nearly infinite. Please note that the French word cake refers to unfrosted bread like cakes that might include fruit or nuts. Banana bread, for example, would be cake aux bananes.
Candy - Notable French candies include berlingots, salted caramels, nougat, calissons, and dragées, but there are many more. A fun part about French candy are the stories that frequently accompany them.
Learn more here: French candy.
Charlottes - Lady fingers are used to line a special mold which is then filled with a Bavarian cream, mousse, or fruits. Try this chocolate charlotte recipe.
Choux Pastry - An airy pastry used to make profiteroles, eclairs and any number of elaborate French desserts.
Cookies - Macarons, sablés, speculoos, langues de chat, madeleines, and palmiers are just a few of the cookies popular in France. Learn more here: French cookies.
Creams - A number of different creams serve as the basis for making other desserts. These include crème anglaise (a sort of custard sauce), frangipane (an almond flavored cream), crème pâtissière (pastry cream), and crème au beurre (a butter cream frosting).
Crepes - Often served as part of a traditional celebration, in particular for Chandeleur, the French version of Candlemas. Crêpes Suzette is perhaps the most famous, but there are many other crepe preparations. See crepe recipes.
Diplomates - Brioche bread soaked in milk or perhaps rum, is layered in a mold with different fruits and then cooked in a bain-marie. The dessert is then served cold. Many versions of this French dessert exist.
Entremets - Any dessert that isn't a cake or pastry might be referred to as an entremets in France. The term is particularly associated with cold desserts such as flans, charlottes, or puddings.
Egg Based Desserts - Other than sweet souffles, these include such classics as crème caramel, crème brûlée, petits pots, and oeufs à la neige.
Fruit Desserts - As well as serving as an ingredient in other French desserts, fruit may take the center stage. They might be flambéd, poached, baked, or made into compotes (stewed fruits).
Frozen Desserts - In addition to ice cream and sorbets, there are more elaborate presentations such as a bombe, a layered and molded dessert that makes a spectacular presentation.
Flans - French flans are often made with a pastry crust base and might include various fruits, as in this Far Breton.
Ganache - Chocolate and whipping cream are mixed together to make a chocolate ganache, used to frost or fill cakes. A ganache might be made with different sorts of chocolate and flavors.
Mousses - Frequently made with beaten egg whites, but also whipped cream, and even thickened with gelatine, these are light airy preparations that might be enjoyed on their own or used to fill another dessert. See
chocolate mousse recipe.
Puddings- In France, a pudding normally includes bread or cookie crumbs, but also rice and semoule wheat.
Petits Fours - Any small bite sized dessert could be referred to as a petit four. They are elaborated to please the eye as well as the palate.
Sauces - This is France, so of course sauces play a part in dessert as well. Various fruit coulis are made by cooking fruit in sugar syrup and than pureeing the mixture.
Tarts - Includes fruit and nut tarts of all sorts. The base might be puff pastry or short bread.
Viennoiseries - Yeasted pastries that include croissants, pains au chocolat, chaussons, brioches and many more. Although often sweet, these are typically eaten for breakfast in France.
Further Resources
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