You should know that I nearly always have a knife in my bag. (One of the tricks of the trade, as a food tour guide.) You should also know that I nearly always have a chopping board in my bag. (Idem.) It means that my bag makes me unpopular with museum security, but also that I’m nearly always ready to pull pastries apart. Case in point: the jewels from Laouz, which I couldn’t resist stopping for on one recent afternoon strolling through Saint-Germain.
Laouz is an Algerian-inspired pastry shop with an eye towards uniting tradition and innovation, not to mention the flavors of Chef Rachid Sellali’s heritage and his travels. The results might be a corne de gazelle pastry scented with Espelette pepper, or a coconut-flavored mchawek. Each offering is more beautiful than the next, making it difficult to choose just one! (So I didn’t.)
These pretty flowers caught my eye, with their almond paste base scented with mint-chocolate or lemon verbena. The eye-catching raspberry-litchi iteration certainly didn’t disappoint, with the bright freshness of the fruit marrying wonderfully with the sweet almond base.
Ghribia could be scented with licorice or aniseed, but this plain one topped with cinnamon caught my eye – and took the proverbial cake.
Buttery, crumbly, and just sweet enough, it reminded me of shortbread (and would definitely be delightful dipped in sweet mint tea!)
Baklava has always been one of my favorite desserts, and this pistachio one certainly didn’t disappoint. That said, while it was a tasty bite, it lacked some of the surprising elements the other pastries offered.
Unfortunately, however, my favorite pastry of the bunch defied even my best attempts to be prepared. Overwhelmed by sugar, I stashed this almond-walnut mkhabez for later and nibbled on it after dark to find a rich, almost marzipan-y base enriched by the depth of walnut. I can’t wait to try new ones when I return (there are so many choices!) but I wouldn’t be surprised if this one reappears.
Laouz – 20 Rue Dauphine, 75006