Carl Marletti :: Mont Blanc
By Paris Pâtisseries in Carl Marletti, Pastry Reviews
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You know I was excited to return to Carl Marletti’s shop, after my 8 month hiatus. Always delighted by the pastries there, I knew I’d find something new and fun. As soon as I walked in, shop manager, Jean-Michel, gave me “the look” (more on that in a second), a big smile and a welcoming ”Ca va?!” A minute later, Monsieur Marletti spotted me from back in the kitchen. His face lit up, and he gave me a big wave. Tied up with a half-dozen people surrounding him, he was too busy to pop out, but I was psyched that he was happy to see yours truly.
So what is “the look” I referred to? Well, I’ve been getting it at all the shops I used to frequent. I walk in, usually start interacting with someone who hadn’t been working in the shop last year, and then one of regular staff pops out from the back or turns their attention from another customer, sees me, and then they grow a huge grin, thrilled to see the crazy American pastry addict is back in the house. At Ladurée, I literally got a full-on double-take. After a moment of her stunned silence, I was like “Vous me souvenez?” and she was like, “Ouais! Bien sur! Comment ca va?!” It feels good to be loved – even if only for over-the-top patronage of the city’s patisseries. But enough about all that . . . we have pastries to discuss – namely Marletti’s Mont Blanc, one of the most interesting reinterpretations of this beloved classic.
I can still taste it – vividly remembering all the bits and pieces. Before that first bite though, I was a little confused. Where were all the crazy squiggles of crème de marron? Why does this look sophisticated –rather than completely unappealing, as it does everywhere else? Having implicit trust for Monsieur Marletti’s pastry genius, rather than letting my confusion cascade into aprehension, I slid my fork down through its rhomboidal goodness, lifted it to my lips, and took a few moments to savor. Then I was like, “What?! This is not good. This is great!”
Despite having turned the crème de marron into a mousse, it was still bursting with chestnut deliciousness – yet with a much smoother quality than it could have ever attained in crème form. The Madagascar vanilla tones in the crème legere echoed back and forth off of the waves of marron, as if to say, “Bask in my creamy African delight!” And the nutty noissette biscuit underlying it all had an absolutely superb texture and subtlety to its flavors that beautifully complemented the constituents that rested atop it. But perhaps what took it to the “next level” were the wee pieces of candied chestnut woven into the biscuit. Between their texture of the profundity of their flavor, I was left a’quickle.
On my next visit to Angelina, home of perhaps the most famous Mont Blanc in Paris, I might just have to bring a Marletti Mont Blanc with me. Should the Angelina classic fall short of my Marletti-based expectations, I will request the manager at my table and then force him/her to sample its majesty.
I just wish I hadn’t eaten so many of Monsieur Marletti’s pastries last year though. There are only a few pieces in his case that I have not had the good fortune to enjoy, so it might be a few months before I trot out a new one for you. Tragic, I know, but hopefully it gives you something to look forward to.
So, yes, do grab a Carl Marletti Mont Blanc. It might be wise to experience a few of the conventional type before you venture into this reinterpretation. It’s only by having that context that you’ll later feel justified in walking up to him and saying, “Sir, you are a wizard . . . a wizard of chestnuts.”
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