18 French dessert recipes worth mastering (2024)

FAQs

What is one of the most difficult desserts to make? ›

French desserts have a high "ooh la la" factor. They're admired the world over and for good reason: They're stunning to look at and bring just the right combinations of flavor and texture. To successfully create these sweets at home, technique is important, as is the use of best-quality ingredients.

1) French crêpes

Classic French crêpes aren't just for breakfast. Try topping these easy pancakes with chopped fruit, ice cream, chocolate spread or caramel to take them to the next level. You can even stack them up into an impressive crêpe cake.

A croquembouche (French: [kʁɔ. kɑ̃. buʃ]) or croque-en-bouche is a French dessert consisting of choux pastry puffs piled into a cone and bound with threads of caramel. In Italy and France, it is often served at weddings, baptisms and First Communions.

Beignets. Louisiana is so proud of this sweet pastry that in 1986 the legislature voted the beignet the official state donut. A simple treat made of a square piece of fried dough, the beignet has long been jump-starting French Quarter workers who head to Café Du Monde for an order of three and a side of café au lait.

Mille-feuille

Known by a variety of names, including 'Napoleon', 'vanilla slice' and 'custard slice', this French dessert is made from three layers of puff pastry that are separated by crème pâtissière filling. The top layer is traditionally decorated with royal icing and marbled chocolate.

The spoon located above your plate is used for dessert. Used utensils should never be placed back on the table. If you are still using your utensil, it should be placed horizontally on the edge of your plate. When you are finished with that course, your utensils should be placed on the top part of your plate.

Traditionally during a French dinner, cheese is served after the main course and before the dessert. You may notice that restaurants will often offer on the menu a plate of cheese in or just before the dessert section.

What is the dessert capital of France? ›

Paris is the world capital of pastry and sweet treats, and here are 24 places to prove it: chocolate, praline, fruit, cream, puff pastry and meringue-based specialities, among others.