Corn, sweet sunshine for the taste buds

In flour, cream or even puffed form, corn is a versatile ingredient that can be used to make both savory and sweet dishes. When ground, it adds a slightly grainy, crumbly texture to preparations, while its sweetness is perfect for desserts.

Cornbread in the United States, arepas and tamalitos in Latin America or even Caribbean cakes, flour is also used in France in a wide range of preparations: far aux prunes, crêpes, gluten-free cakes. But it's above all for its taste that pastry chefs use it.

Matthieu Carlin's caramel popcorn cookie

After the madeleines cart experience, Matthieu Carlin launches the three-cookie cart, to be enjoyed with steaming chocolate. The unexpected corn, caramel and popcorn cookie is an experience in itself. Made with farine des Gaudes, a roasted corn flour, almonds and chocolate chips, it is topped with salted butter caramel and a few kernels of popcorn. " I find the crunchy, salty corn interesting, as it adds pizzazz to the tasting experience and marries perfectly with the roundness of the cookie and the caramel. "A snack like no other!

• 10 place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris
• www.rosewoodhotels.com

Victor Bellot

The Jardin Maya macaron by Pierre Hermé

In his " Les Adorables " collection of Christmas macaroons, Pierre Hermé gives corn pride of place in a macaroon that invites you to take a trip to Mexico. Inspired by the first chocolate drinks of the Incas, the macaroon recipe is made with Pure Origine Belize dark chocolate, spiced up with honey, before roasted and salted corn kernels complete the tasting experience. A mouthful of indulgence!
► www.pierreherme.com

Stéphane de Bourgies

The chocolate bonbon from La Maison du Chocolat

For Christmas 2023, Nicolas Cloiseau has imagined a corn praline that fits perfectly into a milk chocolate bonbon. " In 2018, for the MOF Chocolatiers competition, I asked candidates to make a praline without oilseeds, which isn't easy. The proposals were varied, flax, wheat, oats, but the praliné that stood out was the one with corn. I wanted to take up the idea again for the festive season. "A very corn attack with caramelized corn and crushed grilled corn chips, spiked with fleur de sel for a tasting of sweetness.
► www.lamaisonduchocolat.com

©Stéphane de Bourgies

Edwart Chocolatier's praline popcorn bar

We melt for this totally addictive bar of 70% cocoa Grand Cru dark chocolate from Venezuela topped with a hazelnut and popcorn praline. In addition to the unexpectedly rounded visual of the chocolate squares, we love the contrast between the round, fruity notes of the chocolate and the sweetness of the corn, as well as the texture of the popcorn, which adds an ultra-addictive crunch. We want more!

• Boutiques in Paris
• www.edwart.fr

©emilieFranzo

Brandon Dehan's corn-flavored chocolate bonbon

Brandon Dehan imagines a praline chocolate bonbon in which corn recalls the crunchiness of popcorn. " Corn is quite unexpected in chocolate, and we can work with it in a variety of forms, from toasted to puffed."On a hazelnut praline base, the corn is used puffed, but also toasted to enhance its taste. The dark chocolate coating contrasts with the sweet, smooth notes of the praline, which the pastry chef enhances with a touch of fleur de sel to bring out the flavors.

• 500 route de Baumanière, 13520 Les Baux-de-Provence
• www.baumaniereboutique.com/chocolaterie/

©VirginieOvessianPhotographe