Why is un éclair called that in French? The primary meaning of the word éclair is "lightning bolt" or "flash of lightning" as during a thunderstorm. What does that have to do with a tube-shaped piece of cream-puff pastry filled with chocolate- or coffee-flavored pastry cream?
There are two theories about the origin of the name. One is that the pastries called éclairs are so delicious that people eat them really fast — in a flash. Lightning fast. Another is that éclairs, invented by the chef Antonin Carême of Valençay and Napoléon fame, were such a hit with the French that they electrified the country like a bolt of lightning. (Carême also invented the cream-puff concoction called profiteroles.) See this web page in French for more information about éclairs, flans, and other pastries.
In the UK, Ken, an eclair is filled with whipped cream, rather than custard and is truly "gone in a flash"....
ReplyDeletethere is no way that the average custard-filled French eclair could be eaten that fast.
I wonder if the original French eclairs were filled with a chantilly-type cream.... and the custard filling followed.
From what I've been reading, I don't think so, Tim. There were pastries by other names with various fillings, but they weren't called éclairs. I think in America what they call éclairs are also filled with whipped cream. Not in France, though.
Deleteje m'en lèche les babines... merci pour ces explications !
ReplyDeleteSeeing those flans makes me want one. They are quite heavy, but they evoke nice French memories for me. My granddaughter has discovered miniature cream puffs that Aldi has in their frozen section- her taste memories are just beginning...
ReplyDeleteNothing to do with eclairs or flan, but a question to both of you (and I am putting this question on Walt's blog as well)? I don't remember ever reading about how you and Walt met and how long it took for you to know that "he's the one for me!" When did you move in together? Roderick
ReplyDeleteWe have lived as a couple since 1983, and we were married in 2012, as soon as we could be.
DeleteI think I lived in DC at the same time as you two. Wish I'd known you both then, as we have a shared interest in France.
DeleteWhen my husband and I toured France years ago, we stopped in a patisserie every afternoon and bought two different pastries to share. I gained eleven pounds on that trip, but it was worth it.
ReplyDeleteWhat torture! lol
ReplyDeleteI have been sitting here wishing there was something sweet in the house! The flan would do nicely.
You could have a chess pie, which resembles the flan and the custard tart but is made with corn meal instead corn starch or flour. I've made French flan with more or less success over the years. Here's the most recent post, with recipes. My flans never seem to come out as congealed or stiff as the ones I get in French bakeries. I suspect they might be using gelatin to thicken theirs. The ones I've made are good though.
DeleteNever would I have guessed that flan, or custard tarts, crossed the Channel from England. I would have assumed it was a Spanish dish, since it is so ubiquitous in that culture. Always something interesting in these parts! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think the history of the flan is something to be taken with a grain of salt. There seems to be some confusion in different texts between the English king Henry IV and the French king Henri IV, who reigned a couple of centuries later. And then there's the Mexican flan, which is called a crème caramel in France and is entirely different. It seems there's a Portuguese "custard tart" that resembles French flan, but it was invented or at least became popular only in the 19th century.
DeleteAs I recall, when I've bought éclairs in the US, they've been like the French ones, filled with custard.
ReplyDeleteMmmmm, flan, yum yum yum.
I see photos on the web of U.S. eclairs that seem to be filled with whipped cream. I'm sure the whipped cream version and the pastry cream version both exist. In France, éclairs are filled with crème pâtissière (flour, egg, sugar, milk + chocolate or coffee for flavor). French pastries are not as sugary sweet as many U.S. pastries.
DeletePersonally, I wonder if éclair is actually a corruption of éclat.
ReplyDeleteÉclair comes from the verb éclairer, which derives from the Latin term with the same meaning.
DeleteÉclat comes from Frankish German.
Well, whatever the origins...I love them all, thanks for the pics.!
ReplyDelete