Japanese flavors into French pastries

Publié le : 07/18/2019 23:04:17
Catégories : Food trends in France

During our Chocolate and pastry tour in Paris, we realized that several shops offer chocolate and pastries with asian ingredients, especially from Japan. Let's focus about those exotic flavors and understand why it combines so well with French traditional recipes !

Japanese flavors discovered in our partners’ shops

Pastry Chef Arnaud Larher

Yuzu salted caramel

Pastry Chef Christophe Michalak

Green Yuzu Klassic cake
Cyril Lignac_chocolat au sésame

Chocolate maker Cyril Lignac

Sesame and green tea chocolate
Patrick Roger_chocolat au sésame

Chocolate maker Patrick Roger

Sesame chocolate

Description of those asian and Japanese ingredients

Yuzu

A citrus fruit originated from Asia. The color varies from green to yellow depending upon its maturity. A lot of big seeds are inside. The quite sour taste is unique which is in between green lemon, yellow grapefruit and mandarin orange. It leaves its flavor on foods and also goes well along with salted, hot and sweet dishes.

Matcha

A subtle powder of green tea leaves which is traditionally used for Japanese tea ceremony. Today, it is often present in pastries, and is also used as an aroma to give a flavor to chocolates, candies and cakes. Even though French gourmets could find the taste a little bit bitter, it is indeed considered as "Umami" taste (5th flavor after bitter, sour, sweet and salty). It is produced by monosodium glutamate, which makes the taste richer.

Japanese Whisky

The most famous companies that produce distilled liquors are Suntory and Nikka, which are well-known and renowned for their quality. Whisky is used for cooking and also for making desserts as it has a variety of tastes such as fruity, smoky and refreshning. Especially, it goes really well with chocolates, grapes and dried fruits.

Saké japonais

Japanese Sake

A Japanese alcohol made by repetitive fermentations of rice. It has been traditionally used for Japanese food. The taste is balanced among the five tastes : mild, bitter, dry, sour and rough. Sake has a variety of tastes from fruity to dry, so it can be enjoyed in every moment of meals, from starter to dessert.

Sésame

Sesame

Principally, three types of sesames, white, black and gold are often used for Japanese food. Black sesame, having a strong taste, is often used in pastries because it can be crushed for making paste which makes the taste richer.

If you love those exotic flavors, you shall visit also those addresses:

Edward Chocolatier

Edwart Chocolatier

Created by Edwin Yansané in 2014 who never stops trying to find new recipes and harmonies of flavors. His concept is “taking you into an adventure out of the ordinary”. He is also renowned for his artistic and 100% artisanal creation.

You'll find there : Yoichi (Japanese Whisky) Chocolate and Sesame Chocolate.

Edwart Chocolatier: 244 Rue de Rivoli 75001 Paris; 17 Rue Vieille du Temple 75004 Paris

Sadaharu AOKI

Sadaharu Aoki, a Japanese confectioner chef in Paris, created his pastry in 2001 with a concept “simplicity”. The taste can never be cheated for using high quality ingredients.

You'll find there : Matcha Chou, Matcha Sesame Eclair, Matcha Millefeuille, Marrons Matcha Mont blanc, Yuzu Matcha Roll cake, and Salted Caramel Matcha Yuzu Tarte.

Sadaharu Aoki : 56 Bd de Port-Royal 75005 Paris ; 35 Rue de Vaugirard 75006 Paris; 103 Rue Saint-Dominique 75007 Paris; 35 Bd Haussmann 75009 Paris; 25 Rue Pérignon 75015 Paris

Umami Matcha Café

The first coffee shop dedicated to Matcha in Paris, which proposes not only pastries but also matcha-based drinks. Its objective is to familiarize French people with Matcha by presenting it under different forms.

You'll find there : Matcha Sesame Ice-cream, Matcha Cookie, Matcha Cheesecake, Matcha Marbrecake, Matcha and Strawberry Tiramisu and Matcha Parfait.

Umami Matcha Café : 22 Rue Béranger 75003 Paris

Joel Robuchon

Dassai Joël Robuchon

Joël Robuchon, a French great Star Chef has established a partnership with the manufacturer of Sake Dassai, Hiroshi Sakurai. This shop proposes services of a restaurant, a bar, a bakery, a tea room and a pastry store. His creation is strongly inspired by Japan.

We find there : Sake Dassai Macaron and White Chocolate and Sake Mousse.

Dassai Joël Robuchon: 184 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008 Paris

Aki Boulanger

Aki Boulanger

This shop proposes French-Japanese specialities such as breads, viennoiseries, pastries, drinks and dishes. Its flavors are inspired by Japan.

You'll find there : Matcha melon bread, Matcha Tiramisu, Matcha Yuzu Eclair, Matcha Opera, Yuzu Cream Cornet, Matcha Roll, Matcha Chiffon cake and Matcha Millefeuille.

Aki Boulanger: 16 Rue Sainte-Anne 75001 Paris; 75 Rue Sainte-Anne 75002 Paris (Aki Café)

If you want to discover more about the influences from Japan into French pastries, book our Chocolate and Pastry tour in Paris or contact us by mail infos@laroutedesgourmets.fr to know the next dates of visit!

Enjoy your tastings !

Author : Akiko Mizohata