10 Easter “fairytale” collections

In recent years, we have seen the designs for Easter “monas” evolve, thus we are convinced that many pastry chefs take advantage of this holiday to stimulate their imagination and, while they’re at it, set trends.

In our selection we wanted to highlight ten personal collections which move away from the traditional “mona” cake, and reflecting the restless spirit of its creators. Some are pure design; others make us travel to the countryside, to space, to Asia or to our childhood. And all of these, to a greater or lesser extent, are inspired by the traditional Easter egg.

1. Lenôtre’s Le Grand Western. Guy Krenzer, director of Création Lenôtre revives the golden age of westerns through three mythical figures, with milk chocolate, the plains of the American West: the cowboy Billy “the Egg”; the sweet Indian “Petite Plume” and a teepee in nougatine and marzipan. // www.lenotre.com

2. The Pâquerette family of La Maison du Chocolat. Nicolas Cloiseau, Master Chef of La Maison du Chocolat, proposes a spring day in the countryside, with a family of daisies that hatch from praline eggs. All pieces are handmade, some with dark chocolate and others with milk chocolate. There is no lack of decorative details: Ivoire chocolate flowers, grass made from chopped pistachio, chocolate ladybirds … // www.lamaisonduchocolat.com

3. Patrick Roger. It’s spring!. When Easter comes, Patrick Roger usually presents proposals that are twists to tradition. This year, the MOF does it again, transforming the typical Easter eggs into crisp and colorful daisy petals which you can calmly pull off in dark and milk chocolate. // www.patrickroger.com

4. Bellanger and his tribute to pointillism. The Bellanger egg, with touches of color, is inspired by the art movement of pointillism and has laminated praline, Marconas almond praline, and fleur de sel caramel among its ingredients. // www.chocolats-bellanger.com

5. Pascal Caffet’s Mini Piou . Mini Piou, the son of Cocorico and Popoule, was born from Caffet’s childhood memories. A chick that will satisfy the sweetest tooth and available in 40% Ivory Coast milk chocolate or 70% Venezuelan dark chocolate. // www.pascal-caffet.com

6. Christophe Michalak. Chokopak. This year, this pastry chef replaces the traditional egg for a 325-gram bar with a crunchy base of caramel and gianduja, which is available in three varieties: milk chocolate / caramelized hazelnuts, dark chocolate / cocoa nibs and chocolate dulcey / caramelized pecan nuts. // www.christophemichalak.com

7. Alain Ducasse. Geometric lines. Nicolas Berger, chocolatier at the Alain Ducasse’s Manufacture de Chocolat surprises with an elegant, simple and geometric hen filled with almond praline. Its current design, signed by Pierre Tachon, seems carved by hand, combining craftsmanship and modernity, two traits that characterize Ducasse. //  www.lechocolat-alainducasse.com

8. La Pâtisserie des Rêves. An entremet … in an egg shape! Philippe Conticini cannot imagine Easter without its traditional eggs, even if only in appearance. This is the case of this entremet consisting of a milk chocolate cookie and a praline covered in crunchy praline, topped with a thin layer of chocolate and an irresistible milk chocolate Chantilly cream. // lapatisseriedesreves.com

9. Julien Álvarez. Asian inspiration . At the Peninsula Hotel in Paris, one can taste this limited-edition egg which the pastry chef Julien Álvarez has created inspired by the theatrical world of LiLi, the hotel’s Cantonese restaurant whose decor reinterprets the elegance of the Chinese opera.
Asian flavors are present in the croucant of roasted and caramelized nuts, the puffed rice hazelnut praline, and sesame nougatines. // paris.peninsula.com

10. Space Travel with Jean-Paul Hévin. One of the most poetic and surreal creations is Hévin’s creation. An owl full of stars that invites us to travel into space. Made with 68% dark chocolate cocoa and filled with fried dark and milk chocolate. // www.jeanpaulhevin.com