More than two years have passed since my last post. Time sure does fly! Since then, I’ve launched a few different start-up projects, completed my undergraduate degree, and rode around on a Segway in fairly questionable settings.
I was confident even as recently as a couple of weeks ago that I wouldn’t share another recipe on IronWhisk. Other projects were taking up all of my time, and ending IronWhisk with precisely one hundred recipes was an appealing idea.
According to The Chambers English Dictionary, at least in a pre-1970s version, an éclair is “a cake, long in shape but short in duration”. In a standard French dictionary, you’ll find that an éclair is not only a pastry, but also a flash of lightning.
Food historians don’t quite agree as to why the pastry’s name means a flash of lightning in French—some believe the pastry’s moniker is a result of how quickly its eaten (“eaten in a flash”), while others claim its due to the fact that it sparkles when coated with glaze, like lightning. Regardless of its name, éclairs are undoubtedly delicious if made correctly. But they’re usually not.
Paris is home to some of the world’s best pâtisseries. Some are well known, like Pierre Herme’s stores or Ladurée’s, and others less so. But, undoubtedly, if you want the world’s best pastries, Paris is the place to go. Right?
Well, not necessarily. Some of the most delectable pastries can be found in Japan, where pastry is nothing less than an art form.
