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The tastiest patissiers in Paris

Cas Wolters takes you to the best spots

Cas Wolters, known from the tv programme 'Heel Holland Bakt’, (the Dutch version of the Great British Bake Off) visited Paris in search of the city's treats. Beforehand, he researched treats like madeleines and macarons. 'What is their history, what ingredients were used in the past.'
Join him in Paris where he tells you the history of these masterpieces of patisserie and shows you the best places to enjoy them for yourself.

Cas gives workshops on vlaai (Dutch pie) and biscuit baking. Besides baking, he also teaches.

A weekend tour

Cas collected all the addresses of the patisseries and parlours he wanted to visit. 'We then divided the addresses by district. Grolet's and Angelina's businesses are close together. We visited those on Saturday. It was so nice to be able to walk from one address to the next after eating somewhere.

Ladurée and Pierre Hermé are also located in a different neighbourhood together. We took Lime bicyles to that neighbourhood and there walked to each aadress. It rained at times but that didn't spoil the fun.'

Madeleine

The pastry weekend started with a visit to Pâtisserie Gilles Marchal. He is known for the 'madeleine'. It is a cake shaped like a shell.
Cas discovered how this cake came into being: 'It originally comes from the south of France. It's a very funny story, actually. A maid, Madeleine, had to present some goodies during unexpected visit from the Duke of Lorraine and used a shell as a baking mould.' Apart from madeleines, you can also buy tasty chocolates and cakes from this patissier.
Address: 9 Rue Ravignan

Breakfast at Angelina's

On the second day, Cas and his friends visited Angelina’s tea room. 'The parlour has been located at 226 Rue de Rivoli, a famous street close to the Louvre, since 1903. It is a fancy parlour, but you can visit it in your casual clothes. The waiters wear velvet gloves and are neatly dressed in suits. It really is quite an experience! What surprised me about this is that the staff do not note your order. There were four of us and we ordered a lot of goodies with drinks and the waiter remembered it all.

'And they have the most delicious chocolate milk I have ever tasted. It is truly divine!'

You can also order savoury snacks at Angelina's. They are open from 8am to 8pm. 'We had breakfast there. It really is a place where you can then just hang out for 3 hours because it is so nice, cosy and tasty. Really delicious food and a place where you can feast your eyes. There is a little shop at the front where you can choose from all the different desserts.

In the afternoon and evening, you can also eat savoury food there, with eggs and quiches. I thought the value for money was great. You get a lot in return.'
If you cannot get enough: you can also buy the cookbook 'Angelina', which contains 50 recipes. Then you can also enjoy them at home.
Address: 226 Rue de Rivoli

Cédric Grolet Opéra

Pastry chef Cédric Grolet is now very popular because he is active on Instagram and TikTok. There, you can see the most beautiful creations. But to get a taste, you really have to visit Paris!

Cédric Grolet started an apprenticeship at a bakery when he was 13. At 21, he came to Paris and became sous chef at Fauchon and later at the hotel Le Meurice. 'He created a dessert there: a large strawberry containing mousse and layers of different elements. The owner of hotel Le Meurice then gave him his own shop,' says Cas. 'Next to the hotel. That's Cédric Grolet Opéra, his first business. He has become famous for all those fruits with mousse inside.'

Cédric Grolet Le Meurice, 6 Rue de Castiglione: The first business he started. Here you will find the pastries shaped like fruit.
Cédric Grolet Opéra, 5 Avenue de l'Opéra: This is a tea room for which you have to book well in advance. The pastries are in the shape of flowers. There is lots of chocolate and the famous hazelnut cake.
Cédric Grolet café, 6 Rue Danielle Casanova: The latest address with pizza biscuits! 'These are really big biscuits that he sprays with praline with nuts with chocolate. Pieces are all cut off and you then see pizza boxes completely full of biscuits. You can then specify whether you want a piece with pistachio or a slice with hazelnut. You can also get really super tasty coffee here.'

Day three: biscuit day

The macaron

Cas searched the library for old pastry recipes. He read about the almond biscuits from Italy, from which the French made today's macarons. The firm Italian macarons were made fluffier by adding egg whites. And in 1862, the confectioner Ladurée came up with the idea of placing two biscuits on top of each other and putting a filling between them. The macaron was born!

In Paris, you can find many shops selling these delicious biscuits. The classic macaron is mainly sold in the shops of the biscuit's inventor, Ladurée. Ladurée's first shop is at 16 Rue Royale. You will see beautiful old photos there.

The other famous patissier is Pierre Hermé. He has put a different spin on this biscuit and makes them with unusual flavour combinations, including savoury varieties. Tangerines with olives, for example. Very surprising! Pierre Hermé has several shops in Paris. Besides macarons, he also makes mini cakes and dessert pastries. Beautiful, symmetrical and everything looks perfect.

Cas also investigated the ingredients of Hermé and Ladurée's macarons and saw that they use only six ingredients. 'The biscuits you buy in the Netherlands are often crazy sweet and taste less of almonds. And they can keep for another two years due to all the preservatives. I made the macarons myself, using Ladurée's recipe and it really worked and they were very tasty.'
Read more about macarons

Financier

'The financiers originate from Paris. They are luxury almond biscuits to accompany coffee. After a heavy meal, people used to drink a cup of coffee with a financier.’ The financier is a type of cake, like the madeleine. Different stories circulate about the origin of the name of this cake. What is certain is that its history goes back to mid-19th century France. And it is as classic a French biscuit or pastry as the macaron and the madeleine. The go-to address for this biscuit is Hugo & Victor's patisserie. They sell the classic cake but also variations of it.
Address: 40 Boulevard Raspail

I'm actually afraid to admit

'The financiers and the madeleines...I'm actually afraid to admit... but I personally found those a bit disappointing in Paris. I found them a bit packed and dry. When I make them myself, they are tastier and also fluffier.'

Fortunately, the pastry chefs selling the cakes also have other treats on display. So, there is certainly no need to skip those places.

Workshop croissants maken

'To round off the weekend, I did a workshop at Studio Patisserie, making croissants. It was a pleasure to not only eat and admire, but also to get hands-on experience! It was a fun and educational. Making French sandwiches in Paris. Don't forget to book this on time!'
Address: 85 Rue de Rome

Payement: gaining kilos and losing money

Cas says he gained 2 kilos over the weekend. He enjoyed all the sweets. He did alternate that with savoury meals with onion soup and croque monsieurs. Also very delicious in Paris!

Asked if all those pastries are not very expensive, Cas replies: 'Yes, maybe so, but I know what all the ingredients cost because I also give workshops. I know what a kilo of almonds or a kilo of hazelnuts costs. I understand the prices and I am very happy to pay them. Some people think paying €4 for a pastry is expensive but they pay €6 for a large glass of mint tea without a second thought. Those ingredients cost almost nothing and certainly takes no time to make. Paying € 4 for a pastry that took me two hours in the kitchen really isn't that expensive.

'We visited eight patisseries over the weekend. We ate €600 worth of pastries, which is almost €20 per address per person. And €10 per kilo gained.... But we enjoyed ourselves immensely!'

Recipes and workshops

Cas Wolters has a Dutch website where you can find recipes for macarons and more. He also gives workshops in Roermond where you can learn to make a Fraisier, which is a beautiful French cake. Or macarons, or a vlaai, a Limburg pie.

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