Combien en voulez vouz? Asks the website with Parisian graciousness. But answering ‘how many is not going to come easy because, and believe me when I say this, one can never get enough of Fauchon. Founded by Auguste Fauchon in 1886, the French food house is an Haute abode producing gourmet pleasures of the luxurious kind. And if luxury should burn a hole anywhere, I’d rather take mine on my shopping cart, merci beaucoup. The emblematic place of gastronomy offers the finest of bakes, groceries, gifts, chocolates, sweets, and tea and remains, till this day, a pinnacle of epicurean delight.
Gone are the days of prêt-à-porter. Fauchon’s prêt-à-offrir is the latest thing on the block, “block” being Paris’ Place de la Madeleine. A sophisticated grocery store is a place devoted to discovering sensory enchantments amidst a world sweet and savory, with a connoisseur’s journey coming to its end in the exceptional wine cellar’s revelry. The iconic address is also home to a café and Comptoir with an elegant setting besides taking orders for home delivery for a stay-at-home experience by the brasserie. And in case you are right around the arrondissement wondering what to order, Fauchon has a significant selection of 15 products that best narrate its culinary story.
Great classic recipes executed with precision by the house leaders feature the excellence of French food heritage with a contemporary twist. With ingredients as indulgent as Chantilly lace and caramel or chic raspberry champagne, the éclair remains their creamy crowning glory. An eclectic shock and taste tactic is interlaced in their ‘numbered’ bonbons, so your palate could pick anything from pure Madagascar bourbon vanilla to the perfect balance of dark chocolate from Venezuela, or intense flavors Valencia almond otherwise just good old coffee. Yet another creative line of chocolates presents ten characteristic tastes of ganache or praline, dark or milk blends, gourmet fruit or floral aromas, and spices originating from unpublished recipes. Their fantastic tea blends have been the talk of many a tea-loving town, combining essences to make curious creations such as a black tea where the fruity scent of citrus zest mingles with sensual vanilla subtly.
Sassy reinterpretations of classic favorites make room for Foie Gras, enhanced by a unique blend of spices such as ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, tarragon, wild garlic, rose petal, among an array of others. ‘M’ is for macaroons and Megeve too. While the former French staple frolics with melt-in-the-mouth flavors in crunchy shells, the latter remains a staple of the house, marrying meringue with vanilla from Tahiti, the smoothness of a dark chocolate ganache and praline on a crisp biscuit with bitter cocoa seeping in slightly. Candied chestnuts from Turin are updated with creativity to combine them with chocolate or vodka. The fabulous F biscuits, plain or flavored, being square, cleaned, and dressed in the house monogram do cookie-chic. Their strawberry jam comes cooked in copper cauldrons, diverted with the impertinence of the flowering petals. Need I taste, err, say more?
Brie topped with fresh black truffle, mélanosporum is a must-have enveloped in the captivating scent of truffle that fashions a fondant in creamy yet nutty layers. Another truffle-tastic offering is their potato mashed with melanosporum. Trays for confectionery are like iridescent jewel cases, pearly, filled to the eyes’ delight with calissons gianduja, fruit jellies, candied chestnuts; associated by the house with absolute glamor and gluttony. A subtle salmon air puff pastry with a light dill cream is, for obvious reasons, acclaimed widely. Touted as non-conformist, their Champagne is a connoisseur’s favorite, with bubbles bathed in gourmet flavors of white fruits. Speaking of which, how can Caviar be far behind! Caviar Fauchon offers French breeding of Sologne and Aquitaine caviar, revealing racy little notes of iodine as its supreme sign of quality.
But what we’d love to splurge on is the expertise of Fauchon, in all its excess and splendor, bagged by their crème-de-la-extravagance gift trunk for $2,600 (approx.) filled with the finest of Chocolat, confiserie and a heady dose of luxury. If you agree, you can get Fauchon fancy from multiple multi-brand resellers, as far and wide as Asia, Africa, and South America, besides Europe. Or, if you’re close enough, you can go online and order yourself their phenomenal French goodies.
[Via – Fauchon]
