One of the favorite stops in Paris this year was L’Éclair de Genie. Éclairs are always a must-eat for me when in Paris. Most of the French bakeries in the US just don’t make them very well, either producing a pâte à choux that is too dry or a cream filling that tastes artificial. In Paris, you can find good éclairs at nearly every patisserie, but I’ve never seen éclairs quite as beautiful as the ones at L’Éclair De Genie.
We visited the booth inside Lafayette Gourmet. I wish we had time to visit one of the standalone boutiques, but we were in Paris for such a short time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take too many photos, as the booth was consistently crowded.
The display of éclairs was breathtaking and it was very hard not to choose getting them all. I was trying to be discreet with my photo-taking as some of the other booths didn’t allow photos. I think it probably would have been okay here though because I’ve since read posts taking many photos of the display case.
The flavor selection does vary depending on the season, but there were still over a dozen to choose from.
In the end, we selected three to share: caramel au beurre salé, frambroisier, and fraise des bois.
The caramel buerre salé (salted butter caramel) is their best seller. It was smooth and creamy, with just the right hint of saltiness.
The frambroisier stole my heart. It was one of the most beautiful pastries I’ve ever purchased and it was really hard for me to take a bite and ruin the creation. This one was a little more complex than the other two, topped with fresh raspberries, crushed pistachios and a pistachio ganache. It was my favorite of the trio.
The wild strawberries with edible gold foil was probably my least favorite of the three. It was just a tad too tart.
Overall, we really enjoyed the éclairs here and it will become a must-stop for us if we get to visit Paris again. They also have shops in Tokyo too. We hope to work our way through the rest of the flavors next time. The éclair prices range from 5 to 7 euros, which is a tad pricey, but I think they were worth the splurge.
L’Éclair de Genie
multiple locations
Inside Lafayette Gourmet
35 Boulevard Haussmann
75009 Paris
https://leclairdegenie.com/
Those are such gorgeous eclairs! Why can’t we have a bakery in San Diego that does this? Aaargh.
As for a “yelling” story, I got admonished quite strongly by an intimidating 6 foot plus burly dude at Dean & Deluca in NYC. I was taking photos of their dessert case and he came by and demanded that I erase my photos. Geez!!!!
i hate getting yelled at for taking pics! I also dont understand why. it’s not like you’re taking pictures of their recipe or secret formula!
I got yelled at for taking photos in the food hall of the Galeries Lafayette, but it’s so hard to resist – everything looks so pretty!
I got yelled at for trying to take pics of the macarons at Pierre Herme! that’s why i wasn’t sure if I could do it here and so I was trying to just snap a few discreetly with my camera. it’s so sad when they don’t allow pictures.
So beautiful. Must go here next time I go to Paris. I think they have a passion fruit one I really wanted to try 🙂
they do! I was debating whether to get it. really wished I did.. I need to visit one of the boutiques next time.
Wow! Absolutely stunning!
I’ve never felt so bad about eating something. I felt guilty destroying such beauties!