French Desserts
July 17, 2008
French desserts are known worldwide. There are times that you eat a dessert not even knowing that it originated from a French kitchen many years ago. We love dessert, as usually eat it at the end of our meals. The word dessert comes from the French word “desservir” which means “to clear the table”.
Many French desserts usually have chosen fresh fruits. The common French desserts are cakes, tarts, flans, and even breads. Many recipes call for apples, nuts especially almonds, and flaky light pastries. Nut tarts are very popular and originated as a known French dessert by many.
Not all desserts are sweet, chocolate, and warm. Some of the best French desserts may contain a form of cheese; they may be a breading type that is simple and not sweetened. It may be a cold tart, a cooled cookie, a cold pastry or even an ice cream or sorbet. You just never know what you might be devouring as a delicious dessert may had been created by a famous French pastry chef.
Here is a list of common desserts found around the globe that are French classics:
Chocolate Mousse
Crème Brulee
Cream puffs
Choux Pastries
Fruit Tarts
Chocolate Éclairs
Madeleine, which is small cookie like cakes
Caramelized apple tarts
Gateaux Cakes
Petifores
Puff baked pastries filled with cream, or ice cream called Profiteroles
The typical fruits used are:
Oranges
Tangerines
Peaches
Apricots
Apples
Pears
Plums
Cherries
Strawberries
Raspberries
Redcurrants and Blackcurrants
Blackberries
Grapes
In the French regions, there are 7 different areas that specialize in different French cuisines and desserts. Below, we will separate them and share their famous reasons for being separated from the other regions.
1. Normandy
Normandy is known for its rich creams and apples. Normandy supplies over half of France’s dairy products. There are a lot of people that visit Normandy just to eat an apple tart since their apples have been the basis of best knows tart pastries.
2. Brittany
Brittany is the place for crepes! These are wonderful little pancake type pastries. You can fill them with creams and fruit, or eggs and ham. The possibilities with crepes are endless. In Brittany people go there just for their famous butter and sugar simple crepe desserts.
3. Champagne and the northern area
Being next to the Belgian border, Champagne is known for very rich foods. The climate is somewhat cooler and it leaves their crops to limited planting. As far as pastries in Champagne, it is the biscuits that are sweet and wonderful that attracts people. Also, their many different varieties of paper thin macaroons set them aside and allow this colder bordered area to stand out.
4. Alsace and Lorraine
Not know for their desserts, but pastries. This area has been under the ruling of the German’s more than once. They are magnificent quiche makers and have mastered the ability to create thin pastries to top most of their dishes created.
5. Burgundy and Bordeaux
Wine, wine, wine! This region is known for its grapes and wine making. Although can hold its own with sweet desserts like candied nuts and rolled crepes stuffed with crème.
6. Languedoc-Roussillon, Gascony and the Basque Country Region
All these areas lie on the Spanish side of the border. Just as the Belgian bordered region struggled with crops, these areas are more tomato, pepper and meat regions. Due to this, their desserts are based around a bread type pastry and not the light flaky fruity type desserts in the other regions.
7. Provence
In the south of France, Provence is blessed with beautiful weather and is the most colorful region in France. Because of the climate, it’s known for its fruit, vegetables and herbal growing crops. Naturally tarts, breads, cakes and pastries flourish here.
Bon Appetit!
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