Delights of French pastry

This week we take a break in the articles of American gastronomy. The reason is to respond to a request from Spain have made us after publishing on the Web site My Recipes, a series of French pastry recipes. Exactly 25 years ago were in France, entering the port of Calais - Eurotunnel did not exist yet - and then went to Amiens city after Paris, but later after touring Europe with the famous Euralpass rail pass, go through San Remo, Monaco, Nice and Marseille. They were our first contacts with the French baguette, brioche bread, profiteroles, and operates the eclair cake since French pastry recognize as one of the most sophisticated and finest in the world, characterized by the use of certain ingredients and certain techniques that have made her bakery is world class. We read in "Le Cordon Bleu Dessert Techniques? "For cooking techniques of Le Cordon Bleu Desserts? publication of the most famous and prestigious cooking school in the world, dessert is the perfect end to a meal and as such should be a triumph of visual and sensual harmonic perfection, to complement the tastes and flavors of the dishes above.

French desserts have transcended borders get anywhere in the world. From "a thousand leaves?, A dessert made with phyllo dough stuffed characterized by multiple layers of pastry cream. In Venezuela there is a tradition to fill a thousand pages with dulce de leche or caramel. Who has not tried the "Saint Honore?, A combination of textures chouxs - profiterole - Saint Honoré with cream and caramel blonde. Then we have the classic opera cake, named thus in honor of the opera house, armed with layers of cake, coffee cream and chocolate ganache, finished with a mirror made from the same ganache. What to say about the French for tea cakes called "friands? it means to treat or savory, called in Spanish financial prepared with butter, brown sugar, egg whites, flour, toasted almonds and powdered sugar. Similar to these are the madeleines. We must also mention the bavarois, macaroni charlottes, eclair, croissants, Paris Brest and mousses, all known worldwide.

At the regional level there are also classic French pastry, so we have that in Alsace, one of the delicacies that can not fail to try is the brioche bread. Made with eggs, milk and butter has a distinctive golden color, and you can add nuts sprinkled on the outside. Like any type of bread, it can be found in various forms, but the most traditional are the thread, the bun and Cupcakes as fillers. In Britain, must try the breton far. It is a soft cake and sparkling, like custard or pudding. In some cases you add rum, brandy or peach brandy, and its most famous is the forn Farz, which has apples or plums. In the Loire Valley, famous for its castles, each more stunning than the last, have a world-famous dessert, the Tarte Tatin, the work of the sisters Caroline and Stephanie Tatin. Due to a fortunate accident, an apple cake pan upside down, with the fill down, and since then caramelized fruits are hidden under the pastry, giving rise to one of the most delicious desserts of French gastronomy.

In Languedoc-Roussillon impossible not to mention the famous crème brûlée, which literally means burnt cream. Cream and candy are essential components, the cream can be flavored with vanilla, chocolate, or fruit liqueurs and we know that the candy is achieved by melting or burning the sugar placed on the surface with a pastry torch. It is common to see this dessert on fire, and though it may be a bit frightening, this is the way in which the candy reaches just right. Whether a delicious brioche bread that melts in the mouth, an opera or a Saint Honore, French desserts make a simple meal into a memorable occasion. It's exclusive are, like the Chocolate Macaroons recipe for this week. See you soon friends. Write to juliopena@dalilasgourmet.com or contact us at our website: www.dalilasgourmet.com

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