In front of a small incongruous store front in the Marais on any given afternoon there is a somewhat orderly (hey, this isn’t England after all) queue of of Parisians and a stream of visiting Americans standing in line to buy éclairs at 5 euros each. Journalists photograph the pastry case, and fans ask the chef to autograph the pastry box.
The macaron ‘wars’ have been raging for several years now – we have all stood in line for Pierre Hermé, Laduree etc. .. but now there is a ‘new’ kid on the block. I had heard rumours of the éclair trying to take on the macaroon and thought it was .. ambitious. But once I stood in front of that window with the rows and rows of éclairs glistening like jewels with blingy glossy finishes and powdered silver and gold leaf, I swear I have never looked back.
Christophe Adam has injected (literally – the inside is as amazing as the outside) excitement into the éclair. He covers éclairs in Pop art colors and their flavor profiles are a party in your mouth with ingredients like yuzu, fresh strawberries, popcorn, and salted caramel. Adam has also engineered the éclairs to be lighter in texture and reduced the sugar content of the icing.
The man responsible for this ‘disruptive dessert’: Christophe Adam. Still fresh out of school, he made his lines in the pastry Legrand in Quimper, in his native Cornwall. Two years later, he was off to London in the studio of renowned Gavroche, the first institution outside French borders to boast 3 Michelin stars. He developed a taste for creativity and absolute perfection in gastronomy.
Then he made pastry with the Roux brothers. We lost him to Paris for good when he resurfaced at Fauchon, alongside Sébastien Gaudard and Philip Frost and just before the departure of Pierre Hermé. The energy of Christophe and incredible boost he gave the pastry house allowed him to become a legitimate Pastry Chef in 2001. Fauchon pastry became the benchmark of contemporary luxury pastry with its creations combining taste, beauty and design – the epitome chic snacking. Christophe left Fauchon to work on major projects and allow his creativity to express itself in new fields – bespoke creations and consulting for large houses and now he brings us L’éclair de Genie.
Honestly, don’t think about it, don’t worry about the weight, just go. Buy as many as you can. Sell your cat if you need to.
x
Morgan May 
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