-->Hugo & Victor :: Hugo Framboise
By Paris Pâtisseries in Hugo & Victor, Pastry Reviews
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I’d been reading Anthony Bourdain’s Medium Raw last week and got a good laugh out of him calling The Food Network “The Empire of Mediocrity”. It’s sad that people submit to Rachel Ray mooking her way through a no-bake cheesecake with store-bought graham cracker crusts or that they take the hacks of Cupcake Wars as anything more than a joke. America is, on the whole, a culinary cesspool of tragically plebian tastes. And while France is the gold standard – light years ahead of the U.S. – there’s still a very mediocre thread running through even some of the finer shops. Hum-drum ingredient quality, played-out compositions, and tiresomely unoriginal flavors leave much to be desired. Fortunately, shops like Hugo & Victor continue to elevate the game and redefine the standards of excellence.
Even if we just look at H&V’s three staple flavors – chocolate, vanilla and caramel – there’s more than meets the eye. The Hugo Chocolat weaves in lime and tonka beans. Both the Hugo Vanille and Victor Vanille contain a dreamy mélange of vanillas from all around the world. And the Hugo Caramel marries fine milk chocolate with caramel cream, sablée, liquid caramel and macadamia nuts. The ordinary is, at least in part, extraordinary. Then there are the seasonal flavors and compositions, like the subject of today’s review, the Hugo Framboise. Let’s dig in.
The piece is clearly dominated by huge, dazzlingly ripe raspberries, which taste at least twice as good as they look. Ratcheting up their delights even further is a potently framboise’d palet of raspberry mousse I could eat by the pint, if given the opportunity. As for the rest . . . it gets a bit drowned out. Those swirls of almond-imbued crème add a pleasant touch, but I didn’t feel they made a substantive mark on the texture and flavor, given that they had to go up against so much raspberry in every bite. The crème was delicious, but it felt like more of a garnish than a player in the overall experience. The same could be said for the almond Dacquoise base. It’s excellent, with a lovely feel and delicate finish, but I think it had too much to compete against. Then there’s the white chocolate . . .
I love dark chocolate. I love milk chocolate. I love white chocolate (which, yes, is “chocolate” – feel free to email me if you need this one explained). If you looked in my cupboard right now, you’d probably find 30 or 40 bars of one or the other. I am, as you should know, a huge chocolate snob. So it should be no surprise I find pastries that contain tempered sheets and rounds of chocolate to be more than a little troublesome. Most pastries are kept cold, and cold chocolate is, with exceedingly rare exception, not pleasant to eat. Who wants to eat cold chocolate? Yes, it’s “ok” to eat cold chocolate candy, as many do. But why chill fine chocolate? Only when it’s at room temperature is it ready to have its flavors and textures fully enjoyed. It’s also very awkward to eat any pastry that contains tempered chocolate; the texture completely clashes with everything else in it, and it can be very messy, if not impossible, to eat. This is not a criticism of this piece from Hugo & Victor; it’s meant as a criticism of all such pastries everywhere in the world. I feel bad so directly criticizing Hugues’s decision here, but he knows how much I love his work, so I’ll cross my fingers he doesn’t get too irritated with me over it.
Seeing the Hugo Framboise here as a verrine would be nice. I think that would allow the crème and Dacquoise to be played-up a bit more. Or perhaps a Charlotte would be the way to go. While its current incarnation is aesthetically great, and while the taste of each element (except for the white chocolate, by virtue of its temperature) is phenomenal, I would love to see a more balanced use of the flavors and textures.
Since “what you see is what you get”, there’s nothing to reveal as a cross-section, so here’s an aerial view. Very neatly assembled. Thumbs up, team . . .
So, no, I can’t really recommend this – not because it isn’t tasty, original and lovely to admire, but because I think it could be executed in a way that could make far better use of the constituent elements. Its little sister, the Victor Framboise, would be my recommendation when you find yourself in the mood for raspberries chez Hugo & Victor. There are also another dozen treats in the shop you can fall in love with, so promise me you’ll still visit and indulge.
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I see your reasoning behind not recommending this piece.But let's be sensible here.
Living in North America and not in a high end place like NY or San Francisco. What would be offered in place of this.
Surely we would get the raspberries and probably premium ones.
We might get the round of white chocolate, not high grade.
The almond cream? Plain whipped cream with almond extract.
The raspberry mousse........ probably something made with store bought raspberry jam.Have mercy on me Adam!!
Send me a dozen.
Make it three, no six.
As many as your heart desires.Just have mercy!
Charlie
Yeah, my problem is always that I've become far too spoiled. When I go out to dinner, dessert is pretty much universally disappointing. My head just automatically goes into assessing every little bit and weighing it against a freakish catalog of past/related experiences in Paris. And even in Paris, as my list of pieces eaten grows longer, I get progressively more picky. Life is so difficult ;)As for sending you six ... I would, if only I could teleport them in perfect shape.
Raspberry is one of my absolute favorite flavors and while white chocolate is not a favorite, I do like it when mixed with something brighter and a bit acidic. This piece is so lovely and is even wearing a fabulous chapeau! Too bad it did not live up to your expectations, but it is fantastic nontheless. I wish I had gotten to H&V while I was there, but it is on the list for next time. Thanks!I always get all antsy when people say they don't like white chocolate. I don't blame them, as most white chocolate sucks, but there are good whites out there. If you can get your hands on Valrhona's Ivoire or any of the whites from Vestri, you might feel differently. And while I'm recommending chocolates, try Original Beans' Cru Virunga. It's a dark, 70% and it blows my mind; my favorite these days. One of the very few chocolates from the Congo ever made, too.And, yes, do make sure to visit H&V. Between them, Jacques Genin, and Cafe Pouchkine, it's easy to be dazzled.
"America is, on the whole, a culinary cesspool of tragically plebian tastes." - I completely agree! It's tragic what passes for good here. Pastries are so much more than boxed cake and Dunkin Donuts. And don't get me started on those that think the Olive Garden is good Italian!!dear adam....
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Why not enjoy (visually at least!) the art of French pastry. The thing about the great French masters who make these creations, is that they have raised the standard to a very high level. They have brought a great deal of intentionality to the geometric layout, use of ingredients, marriage of flavours and structural design, and then, they add a bit of flair!
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