The concentration of professional palates were at a peak last weekend when a Gallic elite of regional artisans brought their best dishes to NYC for a Taste of France. The white jackets of Executive chefs were in abundance, as were the magnificent smells and tastes to be savored. Those accents get me every time so that even if I know the food is delicious, the expression of it makes it even more so. The sight of the saucisson made me just as hungry as the saucy lamb shanks, and the perfect melt of soft cheese and regional butters was a treat. But the taste that really stopped me in my tracks was the mini tropeziennes. They were perfectly formed light brioche filled with pastry cream and rolled in pearl sugar. As we stood in trepidation in the queue, many quick hands reached in front of us to score what they thought was a sample, only to be stopped with a ‘monsieur – that will be $3 merci!’

The tropeziennes were sublime, and while I didn’t want to spoil the moment, I couldn’t resist asking the young chefs if they had heard about cronuts… Oh yes, they had, and were curious. So watch this space, the revolution is not over and the dopezienne may be next in line…