There used to be one main destination to get your hands on Technicolor éclairs in Paris: famed gourmet emporium Fauchon. Pastry chef Christophe Adam was the one to thank for these classic-turned-trendy pastries and now — in a stroke of genius — he has set out on his own.
As it happens, stroke of genius translates to éclair de genie in French and that is exactly what Adam decided to name his successful venture. Combining bright, amusing designs with traditional pastries used to be solely the territory of the macaron, with other attempts dismissed as inauthentic or a poorly executed attempt at reinventing something that didn’t need it. Adam’s Éclair de Genie is the complete opposite. Flavors range from crowd-pleasers like mascarpone with salted caramel or Madagascar vanilla, to the more elaborate rose-vanilla created especially for Valentine’s Day.
Whereas the French usually shy away from red hearts and lip-shaped decorations for the day of love, Adam refreshingly goes all in: ‘twin’ éclairs, red lips, intense chocolate only make biting into the silky smooth éclair more fun. A warning, however: it’s hard to leave with a single éclair. You can try, but like a child in a candy store, éclairs that are both pleasing to the palate and the eyes are hard to resist. Indulge: grab a box to go, and make your Instagram followers jealous with creations that won’t even require a filter to look amazing.
