Tout Sweet


A new dessert line makes a French connection.


We’ve read the book, memorized the rules, but once again we’ve got cause to ask: Why don’t French women get fat? This time, it was an elegant new line of French desserts—fruit tarts, frosted éclairs, and flaky-crusted, seasonal fruit pies—that gave us pause.

Made by former Seaport Hotel executive pastry chef Christophe Marquant, these are not simply pretty sugar bombs: The lemon curd tart is creamy but still bright with citrus, and even the éclair frosting has complexity, with its hint of dark chocolate. Our favorites are Marquant’s signature charlotte, which looks like a cheesecake but is actually layers of cloudlike orange mousse with a crackly sugar top, and his pecan-caramel mousse tart, a sort of Sandie meets- pecan pie (the only version we’ve encountered that’s not toothache sweet). Best of all, almost everything comes in miniature, which is key for controlling portions and—oh, we get it—staying slim.

Miniatures, 75 cents–$1.50; individual sizes, $3.50–$4.75; full sizes, $12–$25.

Available at Ice Cream Works, 4 Hartford St., Newton Highlands, 617-969-6256.