Anyone with a sweet tooth would do well to head to Lyon tout de suite. Right away.
Chocolate shops abound. We weren’t two minutes out of the hotel before I was drawn to a window by the sight of this colorful gravel heap:
This was at 100+ year old chocolatier Voisin, and I got a sachet of the “grignotines,” an assortment of chocolate and candy covered nuts. And then I regretted not visiting the dentist when I was recently in the States.
The gnarly pink nuggets you see in the mix are pralines roses, the city’s emblematic confection, which finds its way into every kind of treat. Brioches, cakes, and chocolates are topped and filled with bits of the rosy rocks.
But it’s the tartes aux pralines roses that really steal the show:
They are everywhere, in every size. The filling is made by dissolving the pralines (which are almonds enrobed in hard pink sugar) in créme fraîche, producing a sticky sweet mess.
It was a short trip. I could have easily spent the whole time in the old town, getting lost in the traboules, the ancient passageways hidden behind closed doors, connecting the buildings and streets. But I had very important errand to run on the other side of the Rhone: Bernachon was calling.
The pastries at Bernachon are gorgeous, but chocolate is what their known for. And though the chocolates are at the back of the room, the small hits you the moment you walk through the door. Bernachon is special because, among other things, they actually make their own chocolate, taking the raw cacao beans through the roasting and grinding and conching processes to create a range of finished chocolates. Purists can buy a bar to nibble (or gorge) but I enlisted the help of a friendly sales person to put together a box of truffles and bon bons.
It was no easy task.
Can’t make it to Lyon? Bernachon chocolate is available at À l’Etoile d’Or in Paris. But with one to two trains per hour between the cities (and flights, too, when Europe isn’t covered with a cloud of volcanic ash), this is an easy and worthwhile trip.
Sweet tooth or not.
See more photos of my trip to Lyon on Flickr.
Bernachon has a fan in David Lebovitz.
Read about pink praline on Chocolate & Zucchini.
Oh. My. I am beyond jealous. And I was so excited to finally find a place in Chicago for a decent macaron! But now I have to go searching for a sticky almond tart
with a post that begins, “anyone with a sweet tooth”… you had to know i’d show up at some point. aaaah, lyon !
i suppose it was in fact my destiny to fall in love with a frenchman – but even more so, whose family members (on both sides !) are all lyonnais !! that’s not why i always suggest we go visit them, ha ha !
yes, yes and yes to all of the above. mmmm, mais OUI !! lyon, the culinary capital of france ??? i think it’s time for another family reunion…
Stacey – I’ve never seen the tarts outside of Lyon, so good luck finding them in Chicago! Good macarons, though, that’s a score.
Kerrin – I thought of you several times during the weekend, and frankly could have used your help “researching”. Let’s plan a Lyon rendezvouz!
i *love* that you thought of me, merci !! and dude, you are so on. a lyonnais weekend rdv is a must, seriously. [zoom in on my sweet lyon dossier] yes i have one, and yes it’s rather thick. but i never get to play with it, since i’m always chez la famille. ooooh i can’t wait already. just think of the damage— er, research– we’ll do.
I love your site I am sooooo inspired by you.
This is terrific! so many Lyonese goodies
I’ll be back.
Coming to Lyon in June too