Rue Cler, 75007 Paris, France
After visiting the Eiffel Tower, we walked east to check out Rue Cler, which was recommended by many different travel websites and sources. Rue Cler is a really happening street with all kinds of different shops - patisseries, cafes, fromageries, charcuteries, shops selling fresh produce, nuts...you name it.
Before grabbing a coffee at Cafe du Marche directly across the street, we stopped into Fabien Ledoux, one of the many patisseries all over Paris. The staff at Fabien Ledoux really isn't very friendly at all but that's not what we were there for. I noticed that most shop keepers and staff across Paris really don't like Americans, and they aren't afraid to show it at all. They show a little more warmth if you try to speak a little French, but it doesn't make a whole lot of difference to be honest. Oh well. If I were French, I'd probably be irritated by an English-speaking American tourist as well.
On the bright side, the pastries were great. There was a whole case full of goodies but we only sampled a few items.
One of the items we tried was the paris brest. It's made from pate choux pastry, used in many different forms such as profiteroles, eclairs, and beignets (among other things). The pastry is then filled with a whipped cream flavored with praline, typically almonds and caramelized sugar. Some variations use chestnut I believe, but almond is most widely used.
The second pastry we tried had layers of baked, caramelized puff pastry layered with a smooth chocolate filling and a pistachio mousse.
The French have the best pastries and desserts in the world in my opinion. Both pastries were great and hit the spot after an afternoon of walking. I wish I could have tried some of the other items. There were just so many delicious looking pastries to try! Next time.
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