Le Petit Duc invited us over to their sparkling new boutique on rue de Rapp in the 7th to taste test their delightful products.

Le Petit Duc has a two word philosophy : Pationelle & Tradisserie

Which are actually two words mixed and matched together : Patisserie and Traditionelle. They have taken the two concepts and sliced them together to create their own definition, one that treats tradition with passion and a lot more.

Laurent Palanque took over the little single shop business of all things regionally delicious, that Anne And Hermann opened up 20 years ago in Saint-Remy.

Laurent has brought the concept to Paris and into the modern marketing age. Reaching out o blogs like ours, he is looking to create a community of fans and enthusiasts to sustain his pationelle tradisserie!

Le Petit Duc is not although a place where only delicious things are made. It is a pastry shop that in its beginning and still today researches recipes from history and reworks them to fit into today’s palette and consumer but still with a respect of the traditional ways of baking. Some of the recipes used are derived from medieval recipes from 500 years ago! Of course, sugar back then was an incredibly rare commodity, and today our tastes are more used to a sweetened pastry, so some medieval recipes have seen a modification of sweetness to be sure. Le Petit Duc is like a little pastry laboratory that tests the old with the new, and comes up with a delightful and delicious result!

Nonetheless, with a little modernization of ancient recipes, Le Petit Duc is proud to use simple ingredients, “real” products and traditional methods, in addition to the tradition method of enticing a potential client! We were invited to come to the new boutique on avenue Rapp,  in the 7th district, to taste some of their most popular and enticing products. The charming boutique has a south-of-France-feel to it, and is decorated with simple tastes and a discreet elegance. So French! And so provincial with plenty of charm. For those of you who can’t wait to get on vacation, head over to Le Petit Duc for a taste of the sunny South.

Laurent and his assistant greeted us with sweet smiles, and showed us around the boutique while chatting about the history of the business. And then proceeded to explain their most popular and interesting products. I loved their Calisson cookies. A cookie made with almond paste and famous from the ones that come from Aix en Provence. But Aix en Provence isn’t the only place that makes the lovely little (lactose free) bites! They are a specialty of the whole south of France. And frankly, I prefered the Calisson of Le Petit Duc to any I have ever tasted in Aix. (Honestly I never knew what the hype was all about until now).

Frank tasted the cookies that I couldn’t have because of the dairy. Their famous “Triangles”  he described as très bon and “slightly crunchy but not too much”. In other words, parfait!

One of the other delights that I was ecstatic over was the rose confit. Actual tiny roses crystallized in pink sugar! There is also lavender confit seeds, violet confit petals and confit mint leaves. Délicieux!!!

For more pictures…

Le Petit Duc

31 avenue Rapp

75007 Paris

tel : 01 76 21 64 90