Pascal Caffet :: Roussillon
By Paris Patisseries in Pascal Caffet
Get the latest entries instantly with Paris Patisseries on Facebook
There are a few reasons I love going to Pascal Caffet’s shop. The first is that, next to Sadaharu Aoki, Caffet is about as OCD as you get in terms of pastry construction. It’s almost impossible to believe he has a team of chefs who are naturally motivated to keep those sides so perfectly cleaved and those layers so beautifully formed. So I always imagine his kitchen as more of a sweatshop atmosphere, where Dobermans snarl in the faces of the chefs, during their 23-hour shifts, and where the reward for a good day’s work is not being tasered. Really, anything that keeps pastries like this coming is fine with me. My second favorite thing is that, as you scan across the pastries with names like Élodie, Pampelune, and Baccarat, you hit a section of the case with Wendy, Terry, Caroline, and Las Vegas. It’s a little jarring, I always get a chuckle out of it, and I’m sure a Eunice or Hoboken is not far behind. And my favorite thing of all is that Caffet’s shop is so pretty, and the pastries so fantastic, that on more than a few occasions I’ve seen people with their noses to the front window literally intimidated to walk in. I’ve even held the door for some, motioning for them to enter, and they get a scared, “I just couldn’t!” look on their faces. At least it translates to more Caffet for me, like this guy, the Roussillon . . .
I’ve come across “Roussillons” in several different shops around Paris, but there doesn’t seem to be a consistent set of ingredients other than the use of apricots, for which the French region of Roussillion is renowned. In the case of Caffet’s version, we have almond croustillant, a light pistachio crème, chocolate mousse, chocolate “cake”, and slightly dried apricots. Since the croustillant is almond, I loved it, as it’s a much more mild approach than the usual praliné seen at other patisseries. The apricots were tasty, lightly sweet, and though intentionally a bit dried, not too chewy. The chocolate mousse and cake were exceptional, as is always the case with chocolate master Caffet’s work. It was only the pistachio crème that bugged me a little. Perhaps a bit too mild, I could have used a little more forceful flavor – not that it detracted much from an otherwise exceptional pastry.
With the Roussillon here, I’ve now enjoyed the majority of Caffet’s patisseries. If not for some slightly dry choux in a bit-too-sweet chocolate éclair of his, I could say everything has been from “very good” to “AMAZING!” He’s also one of the few patisiers who knows how to reign-in sugar content. This Roussillon was a great example, especially in contrast to the last “Roussillon” I had from Arnaud Larher, which was more like some kind of candy than finely handled crèmes and gateaux.
For my next Caffet experience, I’d love to visit his main shop in Troyes, which is about 60 miles outside of Paris. I doubt I’m going to get the chance, but knowing that he has pastries more ornate than the above that are made entirely out of ice cream, I’m tempted to get on a train right now. There’s no question they make Carvel’s Fudgie the Whale look more laughable than it already is.
