Pierre Hermé | Sugared & Spiced

2015/01/192015/10/07

[Shanghai] Aimé Pâtisserie

Aimé Pâtisserie

Add: 1008 Middle Huaihai Rd, near South Shanxi Rd/ 淮海中路1008号, 近陕西南路
Tel: 6481 0558
Hours: 12-9pm
Price: 32-45 RMB/pastry, 18 RMB/macaron
Visited: Jan 2014

When I was still in Paris, someone on weibo sent me photos of a shop called Aimé Pâtisserie which recently opened in Shanghai, and asked if it has anything to do with Pierre Hermé. I was confused as I browsed through photos of its products, which are so similar to those of Pierre Hermé in terms of flavor combination, design, and even packaging, but they are clearly not from Pierre Hermé himself. What’s going on? I later found out that this is a flagrant case of copying. From what I heard, the French owner hired an ex-employee from Pierre Hermé Japan, who brought along PH’s original recipes, and basically reproduced many of his products here in Shanghai.

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I heard through the grapevine that Pierre Hermé himself found out about this, and actually came to Shanghai to tell off on this Japanese pastry chef who copied his creations, and the Japanese chef subsequently left Shanghai. Apparently Pierre Hermé was so angry that he also told all of his ingredient suppliers to not supply to Aimé Pâtisserie. I don’t know what actually happened since I heard all this through industry gossip, but if it did, it must have been a pretty ugly scene.

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2014/07/282015/08/05

[Paris] Pierre Hermé (6)

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Pierre Hermé

Add: 72 rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 54 47 77
Hours: 10am~7pm (7:30pm on Thu-Fri, 8pm on Sat)
Website: www.pierreherme.com
Price: €4.50~7.30/pastries
Visited on: Jul 2014

Some recent tastings from Pierre Hermé. I’ve been spending a fortune at this shop since moving to Paris, and I just can’t help but get sucked back in there!

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博! Pierre Hermé Add: 72 rue Bonaparte 75006 Paris Tel: +33 (0)1 43 54 47 77 Hours: 10am~7pm (7:30pm on Thu-Fri, 8pm on Sat) Website: www.pierreherme.com Price: €4.50~7.30/individual dessert Visited on: Jul 2014

Yasamine (€7.20), macaron biscuits sandwiching jasmine tea cream, fresh mangoes, and house candied grapefruit. Jasmine-flavored pastries often reminds me of bathroom refresheners since this scent is frequently used for this purpose, but phew! – Yasamine did not have this problem. The sweetness from jasmine cream, the fruitiness from fresh mangoes, and the slight bitterness from candied grapefruit combined wonderfully together, and I was pleasantly surprised by this unusual combination.

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2014/04/222015/08/05

[Paris] Pierre Hermé – Fetish Satine

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Pierre Hermé

Add: 72 rue Bonaparte 75006 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 54 47 77
Hours: 10am~7pm (7:30pm on Thu-Fri, 8pm on Sat)
Website: www.pierreherme.com
Price: €4.50~7.30/individual dessert
Visited on: Apr 2014

After going crazy during Pierre Hermé’s Fetish Ispahan, I calmed down a bit in my PH consumption for a few months. What lured me back recently was Fetish Satine, a collection of pastries featuring the trio of cream cheese, orange, and passion fruit. Voilà voilà. If this flavor combination sounds heavenly to you, read on.

sugared & spiced - pierre hermé fetish satine

And of course, Easter eggs in the boutique.

sugared & spiced - pierre hermé fetish satine

I was also very tempted to try Envie when I spotted it in the window display. It’s a pastry composed of tender almond biscuit, blackcurrant compote, and vanilla violet mascarpone cream – definitely marking this for next time.

sugared & spiced - pierre hermé fetish satine

Also noticed a series of packaging design by Kenya Hara (Japanese graphic designer and art director for MUJI) for Pierre Hermé’s Ispahan. I’ve always been a fan of MUJI and have read a few books by Kenya Hara on his design philosophy (which I quite appreciate), but to be honest I don’t think I’d buy this. In case this is of interest, you can find out more about this here.

sugared & spiced - pierre hermé fetish satine

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2013/11/292015/08/05

[Paris] Pierre Hermé – Fetish Ispahan

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Pierre Hermé

On my first day in Paris, I religiously trekked over to Pierre Hermé’s boutique on rue Bonaparte to have a taste of his legendary creation – Ispahan. Conjured up by the famed chef during his days at Ladurée, Ispahan is two pieces of rose macaron biscuits sandwiching rose petal cream, whole raspberries, and litchis. If you like the sound of this, then you absolutely must visit his boutique RIGHT NOW, because ’tis the season of Fetish Ispahan, during which you can taste 21 different interpretations of this flavor combination, and it ends in just…one week!

Here’s the original Ispahan (€7) for those who haven’t met this charmer yet.

paris pierre herme fetish ispahan

And yes, 21 interpretations of Ispahan including tart, choux, mille feuille, croissant, macaron, sablé, tea, jam, nougat, caramel, etc., and even a recipe book. The choices were tough to make, but these were what I came home with.

First of all, Choux Ispahan (€7). The choux pastry is baked with a layer of crumble, which provides a satisfying crunch at the bite. It’s filled with a light rose mascarpone cream, fresh raspberries, and litchis. Lovely.

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2013/08/232015/08/05

[Paris] Pierre Hermé – More Recent Tastings

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Pierre Hermé

Add: 72 rue Bonaparte 75006 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 54 47 77
Hours: 10am~7pm (7:30pm on Thu-Fri, 8pm on Sat)
Website: www.pierreherme.com
Price: approx €7/individual dessert
Tasted on: Aug 2013

The other day I had a piece of homemade peach tart with cumin, a rather interesting flavor apparently inspired by Pierre Hermé. Intrigued, I decided to drop by the Pierre Hermé boutique myself for a taste of his Tarte Rose, Peche & Cumin (€7). Here it is, in a shortcrust pastry: almond-rose cream, fresh yellow peaches and sugar spiced with cumin. The flavor profile is certainly very unique as cumin is not usually associated with roses and peaches, but somehow the combination works. A pleasantly memorable piece.

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2013/05/192015/08/05

[Paris] Pierre Hermé Fetish Saint-Honoré & More

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Pierre Hermé

From May 7 to June 30, Pierre Hermé reinterprets the classic Saint-Honoré in five flavors: traditional, Montebello (strawberry + pistachio), Ispahan (rose + raspberry + litchi), citron, and chocolate. Here’s Saint-Honoré Carrément Chocolat (€6.90), composed of puff pastry, caramelized choux pastry, chocolate mascarpone cream, and dark chocolate crisp.

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2013/04/292015/08/05

[Paris] Pierre Hermé – Recent Tastings

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Pierre Hermé

If you’ve been following my blog for the past few months, you know that I go to Pierre Hermé almost every other week, if not more often. Here are a few recent tastings that I need to share with you…

Tarte Miraflorès (€6.90): caramelized puff pastry, mascarpone cream spiced with Peruvian peppercorns, topped with fresh strawberries and fresh mangoes. Yes, the mascarpone cream is spiced with Peruvian peppercorns, but don’t be scared – it’s absolutely delightful. The peppercorn taste is subtle but evident, a unlikely yet brilliant accompaniment for the fresh fruits.

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2013/03/142015/08/05

[Paris] Pierre Hermé Fetish Baba & More

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Pierre Hermé

Among all the patisseries in Paris, Pierre Hermé is probably my most frequented spot. Other than all time favorites like Ispahan, 2000 feuilles, and Tarte Infiniment Vanille, Pierre Hermé again and again lures me back with his seasonal offerings, such as the recent Fetish Baba. And what is Fetish Baba? Every year for about one month and half, PH offers a collection of babas in traditional and not-so-traditional flavors like Satine (orange & passion fruit), Mogador (milk chocolate & passion fruit), and of course Ispahan (rose, raspberry, & lychee). Now, I don’t usually like babas since these rum-soaked yeast cakes are often too tipsy for me, but I was curious to see if PH’s renditions would change my mind…

I had already tried Baba Satine (orange & passion fruit) on a previous visit and was put off by how strong the rum tasted (this is a personal thing – I’m not a fan of prominent liquor flavors in desserts). I was almost going to declare that I will shun babas forever…but decided to give PH’s signature flavors Ispahan and Mogador a try.

In the making of Baba Ispahan (€6.90), the brioche is soaked in raspberry syrup and wild raspberry eau-de-vie instead of rum, then topped with lychees, raspberries, and rose-flavored mascarpone cream. The pastry was overall very pleasant, especially because the liquor flavor was less pungent, though I have to say that I still wasn’t converted to a babas fan.

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2012/11/012015/08/05

[Paris] Pierre Hermé Macarons

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Pierre Hermé

“Les macarons n’ont que quelques grammes pour mettre nos sens en émoi. Des yeux, on les dévore déjà. Les doigts effleurent leur surface, les arômes sont doucement humés. Lorsque l’on croque leur fine enveloppe croustillante, les oreilles en sont tout émoustillées. Alors vient en bouche une grâce délicate…”

– Pierre Hermé

I’m not yet ready to say which pastry shop is my favorite in Paris, but when it comes to macarons, Pierre Hermé is definitely my man. It’s almost impossible for me to pass his boutique without buying a bag of these smooth-skinned, soft, delicate rounds that come in all sorts of fascinating colors and flavor combinations. Green asparagus with hazelnut oil? Lemon with caramelized fennel? Wasabi with candied grapefruit? Raspberry with espelette pepper? Or…fresh mint with sweet peas?

Of course, there are also the classic all-time favorites. Here’s what I got on this particular visit, from the top down: Réglisse & Violette (licorice and violet), Infiniment Chocolat Porcelana (pure chocolate from Venezuela & porcelana), Infiniment Caramel (caramel with salted butter), Truffe Blanche & Noisette (white truffle and hazelnuts), Mogador (milk chocolate and passion fruit), Jardin Oriental (orange flower, rose, and ginger), Infiniment Citron (lemon).

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2012/09/022015/08/05

[Paris] Pierre Hermé

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Pierre Hermé

For anyone with the faintest interest in desserts, Pierre Hermé is undoubtedly a must-visit when in Paris. It’s no surprise that this was my first stop after arriving in the city. Lunch? Forget it, let’s go straight to the sweets. There are various Pierre Hermé boutiques located throughout Paris, and one of them happens to be conveniently located near my school…I have a feeling that I will be coming here a little too often.