The Black Forest, its history and our selection of the best addresses
In Germany, as in Alsace, the Black Forest is a source of inspiration for pastry chefs. Chocolate, cherry and whipped cream combine to pay homage to the dense forest of fir and cherry trees found on the banks of the Rhine.
Invented in 1915 by German pastry chef Josef Keller, entremets were made with whipped cream, kirsch cherries and chocolate, placed on a dried-fruit shortcrust pastry for easy transport. Over time and with today's means of preservation, the pastry is transformed into cocoa sponge cake. Often thought of as a winter cake, the black forest can also be made in summer, swapping kirsch cherries for fresh cherries. Gault&Millau reveals five interpretations of this world-famous cake.
Black forest tart, Christine Ferber, Niedermorschwihr, Alsace
"With my black forest tart, I wanted to recall this original dessert. I make a shortbread pastry with hazelnuts and praline, which I top with a thin layer of dark chocolate ganache, Morello cherries and whipped cream. I add a lace of dark chocolate."For this tart, made without kirsch or sponge cake, Christine Ferber chooses an ancient variety of Morello cherry, the Montmorency de Sauvigny, which she appreciates for its fine, tart flesh and almondy taste. A tart you must try at least once in your life.
Forêt noire, Sho Kimura, Les trois chocolats, Paris
"It took me almost two years to perfect this black forest recipe. I've kept the codes of this dessert by combining chocolate, vanilla, cherries and kirsch, but this is my personal interpretation."Sho Kimura creates a chocolate shortbread cookie, which he combines with a vanilla mousse, a dark chocolate and kirsch ganache, a creamy cherry jam and fresh cherries. On the palate, the strength of the chocolate is tempered by the sweetness of vanilla and the fruity notes of cherries.
Forêt noire, Anthony Coquereau, Fouquet's, Paris
In this black forest, what really stands out are the fruits. "I chose to combine amarena cherries and Morello cherries with kirsch, and to add to the heart of the cake a confit made with Morello cherries, Morello cherries and amarena cherries to push the taste of the fruit even further.As for the chocolate ganache, I bind it with morello cherry purée."The freshness of the fruit balances the flavors of the kirsch. To be discovered without delay.
Black forest cake, Nicolas Bernardé, La Garenne-Colombes
A master of cakissime, Nicolas Bernardé imagines a chocolate-cherry black forest-style cake. It features the intensity of a creamy dark chocolate ganache over a soft chocolate-almond cookie, interspersed with cherries preserved in a light syrup. A non-alcoholic interpretation of the black forest for an irresistible cake that smells of the first frosts.
Forêt noire glacée, Maison Raugi, Bastia
If ever there was an ultra-lightweight black forest, it's the iced version of Fabrice Raugi. "I've gone back to the basics of this traditional cake. I combine a Morello cherry confit with a pure Ghana chocolate ice cream, then add a chocolate cookie soaked in Morello cherry syrup and a vanilla ice cream."For textural contrast, this dessert is presented in a crunchy chocolate shell, then topped with vanilla whipped cream. Presented individually, the dessert is all the rage on the Isle of Beauty!
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Montélimar Nougat, tasting at the Atelier du Goût
Nougat is a very old confectionery, mentioned as early as the Middle Ages in Arabic writings. It then developed throughout the Mediterranean basin, where almond trees grow. It's called "turrón" in Spain and "torrone" in Italy. The word nougat comes from the Occitan "nogat" meaning "nut", in reference to the almond; it only became "nougat" in the 19th century.
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