MousseInterestingly, French mousses and custards got their starts as savory dishes rather than sweet dishes. In fact, it is thought that the first puddings looked much more like sausages as they were boiled in special "pudding casings." Mousses today looking nothing like sausages, however, you will find the occasional savory mousse in
France. Technically, mousse is a type of cream made from egg yolks, egg whites, and sugar. Chocolate or other flavorings can be added and then of course the dish is whipped in such a way as to incorporate a substantial amount of air to make the dessert light and fluffy.
DacquoiseDacquoise is a cake that is made of layers of nut flavored meringue and buttercream.
Crême BrûléeLiterally meaning 'burnt cream', crème brûlée is a plain vanilla custard (it sometimes can be infused with other flavors but that is not typical of the French version), that is topped with sugar. The sugar is then carmelized by a kitchen blow torch or some other heat source. Crème brûlée, like most custard, is served cold in individual ramekins.
Mille-feuillesMille-feuille, which literally means a thousand sheets, is made up of layers of French puff pastry and filling. The filling is usually vanilla cream, although mille-feuilles (also written as mille feuilles and millefeuille) can also come in savory flavors with spinach and cheese fillings. The top is garnished with a fondant.
Choux pastryChoux pastry is made with only four ingredients: water, flour, butter and eggs. The finished product is very puffy as it is raised by the large amount of moisture in the ingredients which creates steam causing the pastry to 'puff'. Choux pastry is a staple to make the following:
MadeleineThis pound cake is flavored with a distinctive butter and lemon taste. You can always recognize madeleines, or petites madeleines as they're sometimes called, by their distinctive shell-like shape.
Tarte Tatin