French Teatime Recipes

I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate then a shiver ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses. . . when could it have come to me, this all-powerful joy? I sensed that it was connected with the taste of the tea and the cake, but that it infinitely transcended those savors.

Marcel Proust: French novelist

Regardless of the setting for afternoon tea, French pastries—rich fruit and chocolate tarts, crisp Madeleines, fragile mille-fuilles, and perfectly shaped macarons—are an integral part of the ritual. And why not? The French have elevated pâtisserie to an art form and its popularity was established long before that of tea drinking.

Surprisingly, while France is considered a coffee-drinking country, Paris—not London—is actually the tearoom capitol of the world with more than 150 tearooms located throughout the city. Unlike the three-course British afternoon tea ritual, a classic "French tea" consists simply of a pot of perfectly prepared tea and a pâtisserie, or pastry, of your choice. Here the two share equal billing, with the patisserie, like this molten chocolate cake, as important as the tea.

Sokoto Moelleux au Chocolat

5 ounces Sokoto or other couverture style chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
Whipped cream, fresh berries, or fruit coulis for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter eight 4-ounce ramekins and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate with the butter. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour and chocolate mixture. Transfer the batter to the prepared dishes and bake for 10 minutes, or until the tops are firm. Run a knife around the sides of the ramekins and invert the cakes onto serving plates. Serve immediately. Makes 8