The Goods from Mon Paris Pâtisserie

Vancouver, BC | Mon Paris Pâtisserie Chef/Owner Elena Krasnova is treating visitors to a tantalizing tour of traditional French pastries via an exclusive showcase of some of the country’s most beloved creations during a weekends-only Summer Series throughout June at her original Burnaby (4396 Beresford St.) and new Vancouver (1731 Manitoba St.) locations.

Each weekend, Krasnova and her teams at both cafés will offer a decadent classic French pastry available exclusively Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. beginning June 7-8 with the Kouign-Amann — a sweet, layered flake pastry that hails from the town of Douarnenez in Finistère, Brittany, where the recipe originated in the 1860s.

The series continues June 14-15 with a focus on the Mille-Feuille — in French, ‘a thousand sheets’ — with Krasnova’s rendition incorporating flaky puff pastry, alternating layers of vanilla custard cream and tangy raspberry jelly. The earliest mention of the creation appears in 1733 in an English language cookbook by French chef Vincent La Chapelle and is seen as the precursor to layer cakes.

The beloved Éclair, a pastry comprising pâte a choux filled with cream and topped with flavoured icing, takes the series spotlight June 21-22 when Krasnova’s creation — which will be filled with a hand-spun lemon custard — makes its debut. The éclair dates to the 19th Century in Lyon, where it was called ‘pain à la Duchesse’ (duchess-style bread) or ’petite duchesse’ (little duchess).

The finale of the series takes place June 28-29 when the focus falls on the sweet pastry known as Paris-Brest, a French dessert made of Pâte a Choux and filled with a hazelnut praline butter cream. The wheel-shaped dessert was created in 1910 by famed pâtissier Louis Durand to commemorate the 1,200-km Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race that was launched in 1891.

The Mon Paris Summer Series creations will be available exclusively at both locations for the duration of that weekend only and while supplies last.

Krasnova, whose artistic creations have been showcased in North American and European publications, recently opened her second Mon Paris location in the heart of Olympic Village to showcase her modern and award-winning takes on cakes, chocolates, pastries and confections as well as Parisian baguette sandwiches and lunch-focused fare.

Mon Paris Burnaby is located at 4396 Beresford Street in Burnaby and Mon Paris Olympic Village is located at 1731 Manitoba Street in Vancouver. Both locations are open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information about Mon Paris Pâtisserie, visit monparis.ca.