Blé Sucré :: Fleur de Figues
By Paris Patisseries in Blé Sucré
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I’ve been to almost all the patisseries on my list of 23 at least once since I landed at Charles de Gaulle a month ago. But as of this past weekend, there were a few I had not visited, so I decided to venture to the nether regions of Paris for the renowned Blé Sucré. It’s a wild world out there beyond The Bastille. A minute after exiting the metro, a man with an actual peg leg, festooned with colorful ribbons, approached me and gesticulated for a cigarette. Who was I to refuse?! I also took it as a good omen for that morning’s pastry adventure. And after wandering my way through a series of alleyways that couldn’t have felt more 18th century if they tried, I stumbled right upon my destination and a case containing the Fleur de Figues . . .
This is not usually the type of pastry I’d want to showcase . . . for the obvious reason. It looks like an 8-year-old put it together. Yet it was coming from a pastry line-up original and off-beat enough to suggest the chef might be developing exceptional flavors and textures beneath those poorly constructed facades. Now, having done a little homework, I found out that the head chef is the owner, Fabrice le Bourdat, former pastry chef at L’Hôtel Le Bristol on La Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. This is hilarious if you know the context. L’Hôtel Le Bristol is a 5-star hotel on a street that makes Rodeo Drive or Madison Avenue look like a strip-mall in some tragic little patch of Detroit. I would have LOVED to have seen the look on a hotel guest’s face when something like the Fleur de Figues got trotted out. Were it me, I’d probably look up at the waiter and give a stunned, “Uh . . . what?”
The Fleur de Figues might have gone either way in this review, but I have to tell you that it was actually a joy. The caramel and crème together tasted like the candy, Bit-O-Honey. It was such the creamy, nutty, honey-infused experience. And if that weren’t great enough, the heart of our caramel-clad friend here is a soft pâte de figues atop a layer of thin strawberry confiture. Even if everyone is the kitchen couldn’t care less about making the Fleur de Figues look even remotely presentable, Monsieur le Boudat certainly knew what he was doing with these flavors. This is some special work. Kudos to you, Blé Sucré.
So, yes, if you want to catch sight of festively decorated peg legs and enjoy a nice Fleur de Figues, do head on over to Blé Sucré. Maybe by the time you get there they’ll have whipped their Quasimodo-inspired creations into shape, too.
