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Light and delicate macarons come in an array of pastel

colors and flavors.

La Bonne Vie EMBRACE THE GOOD LIFE—FRENCH STYLE—WITH DELECTABLE PASTRIES THAT RIVAL THOSE FOUND ON THE STREETS OF PARIS. BY MATTHEW WEXLER

Whether you’re just starting your day or enjoying an afternoon

repast, a flaky French pastry makes the perfect nosh. The East

End has no shortage of authentic options, including this season’s

arrival of Financier Patisserie (760 Montauk Hwy., Water Mill, 726-0711;

nycpastry.com). Its signature is the Financier, an almond cake baked in the

shape of a gold bar, but its vast offerings include French strawberry short-

cake, Napoleons, and macarons. “Financier Patisserie represents the

marriage of classic French technique and the beauty of fine art,” says

Executive Pastry Chef William Quellec.

Francophiles head to Pierre’s (2468 Main St., Bridgehampton, 537-5110;

pierresbridgehampton.com) for Pierre Weber’s legendary croissants. “A croissant

without crumbs is just a piece of bread,” says Weber, a fifth-generation pastry

chef who produces thousands of croissants each week.

For those craving a more decadent French treat, Blue Duck Bakery Cafe

(30 Hampton Road, Southampton, 204-1701; blueduckbakerycafe.com) delivers,

courtesy of Keith Kouris, who studied at The French Culinary Institute and

has been baking on the East End for more than 25 years. Chocolate éclairs

begin with a classic pâte à choux (cream puff) dough and are then filled with

French custard and finished with chocolate fondant.

Pam Weekes of Levain Bakery (354 Montauk Hwy., Wainscott, 537-8570;

levainbakery.com) always sold cinnamon and chocolate brioche by the slice.

But after an inspiring trip to Paris 20 years ago, during which she and business

partner Connie McDonald tried individual brioches, they started making

them at home too. One day during a kitchen break, Pam took one of the hot

rolls and stuffed it with Valrhona chocolate for a treat, a combination they later

learned is a favorite among French schoolchildren.

Mimi Yardley and Margaret Brooks of Sag Harbor Baking Company

(51 Division St., 899-4900) are childhood friends who joked for years

about opening a shop; to this day they admit, “there’s not a master plan.”

Taking things in small steps seems to work, especially when it comes to

the bakery’s individual fruit galettes. The free-form treats rely on regional

fruits and therefore change throughout the season, but it is ice-cold butter

and minimal dough handling that yield a f laky and tender crust.

Precision is also a priority of Beach Bakery Cafe’s (112 Main St.,

Westhampton Beach, 288-6552; beachbakerycafe.com) proprietor Simon

Jorna, whose large assortment of baked goods includes his signature rasp-

berry-filled fried croissants. Jorna also offers delicate Napoleons—towers

of flaky pastry and crème Suisse. H

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THE DISH

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