Jacques Genin :: Pâtisserie/Chocolaterie, Part II
By Paris Pâtisseries in Special Features
Get the latest entries instantly with Paris Patisseries on Facebook
Most shops have a specialty, whether that’s pastries, chocolates, or confections. Sure, they might offer-up all three, but they tend to have a focus at which they excel and some satellite offerings that are, at best, mediocre. Jacques Genin, however, is a master of all three disciplines. That’s why he’s always my #1 recommendation for where to get your sweet fix in Paris. There is no other shop with such a variety of stellar work.
What makes the Jacques Genin legend even more remarkable is that he has no formal training in pastry, chocolate or candy. He’s simply a savant. Like Mozart was to music or Newton was to mathematics, Monsieur Genin possesses an innate and profound understanding of the materials with which he works. In fact, to taste his macadamia caramel or to savor his aneth chocolate is to experience the mind of God.
In the very top shot, you can see a view from inside the chocolate case, where his sublime ganaches stretch out to a distant, glowing horizon. People often think that section of the wall is lit, but no, it’s just the radiant brilliance of the chocolates themselves.
Directly above is a wider view of the main case. There are 28 tins of 36 chocolates each there. That’s just about 1,000 pieces – aka $1500 worth of chocolate. And knowing how the master works, it’s all incredibly fresh – much having been made less than 24 hours earlier. I believe his usual prescription is to make sure you eat whatever you purchase within 3 days, to ensure optimal freshness. I usually down mine in 3 minutes, just to be on the safe side.
Below you can see an extra tin of his lime praline pieces, which are hard to make out in the photo above. Rather than crowd either the main chocolate or pastry cases, Monsieur Genin will occasionally set such “bonus material” on one of the counters. I can’t complain. There’s nothing wrong with an overflowing abundance of perfection.
When you purchase chocolates in the master’s shop, the salesperson always has a very particular way to arrange the pieces. There’s an artistry to every box – something Monsieur Genin dictates. Here you can see three réglisse pieces (white/orange stripes) that were put in on the diagonal, two Chataignier honey pieces (yellow scalloping) that flank the center of the north-south position, and then there’s a basil piece being placed there, yet-to-be-set with three others that will aesthetically complete the box. I’m not kidding either; every box you buy will have the chocolates arranged in a beautiful pattern. Monsieur Genin ensures excellence at every step.
Soak in the below – another gorgeous expanse of chocolates. And what’s interesting to me is that it’s all made with Valrhona couvertures. There’s apparently no Domori, Felchlin or anything else. Despite that self-imposed limit, he manages an amazing range to the character of all the pieces.
Anyone who’s had these knows exactly what they are. Yes, the mango-passion caramels. Arguably Monsieur Genin’s most famous . . . anything. Even though I have other caramels, pastries and chocolates in his shop that I love more, I still bought these on almost every visit. They are perfect 10s on the 0-10 scale. I had to walk out with various ultra-perfect 11s, 12s, 13s, and 14s on that same scale, but I couldn’t pass up standard 10-out-of-10 perfection. Many would actually argue these are the greatest pure candy ever conceived.
And what do we have here? Chocolate caramels? Yum. Do I have the recipe for these? Yes. Will I share it with you here? No, I don’t have permission. But I can tell you it’s just five ingredients and that the end product is sublime.
And here we have the macadamia caramels – the most fantastic of all the master’s caramels. And I’m not even a macadamia nut fan, in general; I’d way rather eat pistachios, almonds, Brazil nuts and others on their own. But in the master’s hands . . . the macadamia nut is king. Truth be told, the actual awesomeness does vary, depending on the excellence of the macadamia nuts used in that day’s batch. I purchased these compulsively, and the flavor ranges from delicious to life-altering. When the nuts are perfect, these caramels are the finest thing in the entire shop – which is saying a lot.
Look at this sweet carpet of pâtes de fruits! Banana, mango, pineapple, blood orange, apricot and raspberry! They’re all stellar. Banana is notably extra excellent. And pineapple and apricot and notably super extra incredibly excellent. I literally believe they improve upon nature itself.
Until you have one, you have no idea how tender the thing is. Most chefs make their pâtes de fruits super chewy – aka disappointing. But you can almost “bite” one of Monsieur Genin’s pieces in half with just the pressure of your lips. It’s surreal.
Apricot pâte de fruit close-up. They’re so incredibly expensive, but it’s worth every centime.
One last view here of the pâtes de fruits – now with his Mirabelle flavor in the foreground. Available for only a short time each summer, they’re so good.
The Master also makes various candies – most easily purchased in this Mosaïque grab-bag format that sits alongside his gigantic rochers.
In yesterday’s post, I mentioned the 144-count gift tins. Here’s a close-up of two of them sitting side-by-side . . .
And here’s a view from above just one. It’s like a field of chocolate that never ends . . .
So there you go. Did you enjoy soaking in Monsieur Genin’s caramels, pâtes de fruits and chocolates? Ready to book your flight to Paris yet? If you’re somehow still not convinced, stay tuned for Friday, when we’ll sit down in the boutique for “pastry lunch”. That should finally put you over the edge.
Want pastries and awesome entries like this delivered straight to you? Then get regular email updates or follow Paris Patisseries on Facebook. You deserve the best of Paris.
