Each season, our pastry kitchen builds an entremets around a fruit from the orchards around Paris. This summer, the gariguette strawberry leads the dance.
A seasonal meeting
The idea was born at the market: fragrant gariguettes, picked the day before at our grower’s in Cergy, and a bunch of fresh verbena from the community garden down the street. The pairing made itself — lemony verbena wakes the strawberry up without ever covering it.
Three textures, one balance
The entremets is built in three stages:
- A tender almond sponge, soaked in a light verbena syrup;
- A heart of gariguette strawberries, barely stewed, to keep the fruit bright;
- A verbena mousse, cold-infused and airy, the first thing to melt.
The fruit decides
We only work with strawberries from May to August, when they actually taste of something. Once the season passes, the entremets changes: peach takes over, then pear in autumn. That is the house rule — the orchard calendar sets the menu.
Serve it at the right moment
Take the entremets out of the fridge twenty minutes before serving: the verbena aromas open up around 50 °F. It goes beautifully with a light green tea or, for a big occasion, a low-dosage champagne.
Available in store until the end of August, by the slice or as a six-person cake to order.