When I was in Paris during my year abroad, this little delicacy served as a treat after a meal or when out and about on the boulevards. Made up of four or five little elements alongside a little expresso, Café Gourmand (meaning a ‘foodie’ coffee) tickles your taste-buds with a palate of different flavours and textures, rebounding off the bitterness of the coffee at all angles. You will find either miniature versions of classics such as crème brulée or a small slice of brownie, a macaron or even a petit fruit salad! It became an obsession of mine to sample as many versions of this dish as possible and rate restaurants based on their spin on it during my time in Paris! You knew you were in a good place when they ordained it with a scoop of ice-cream!
For me, this custom truly encapsulates the elegance, the restraint and the flair that the French are best known for. Why don’t you wow your friends by trying this out yourself? You can’t get much better than a little nibble of all your favourite things on one plate!
Written by Maddie Kilminster