French dessert menus were boring. Then this dish came along

In the early 1990s, a shockwave rippled across France’s restaurants. In the country that has given the world desserts such as creme brulee, Paris-Brest and tarte tatin, diners were turning away from the sweetest course on the menu.

The French are known for their sweet tooth – consuming twice as many desserts as their European counterparts – so something was seriously off.

A bit of this, a bit of that...Credit: Alamy

While an increasing health consciousness was playing a part, another reason loomed large.

“There had been no innovation in the dessert menu; it was always the same: creme caramel, fruit salad and chocolate mousse,” says Paris-based gastronomy expert Bernard Boutboul.

In other words, the nation’s palates were bored.

Inspired by mignardises, or the bite-sized desserts that finish a meal at Michelin-star restaurants, Boutboul, who has spent his career working with some of France’s leading restaurants, had an idea.

Creme Brulee … a familiar – some would say too familiar – French dessert.Credit: iStock

“Why couldn’t we do something similar,” he recalls thinking. “We could offer two or three mini-patisseries alongside a hot drink – a coffee or tea.”

That’s how the cafe gourmand was born. The menu rarely specifies the contents and can change daily, but it often includes elements such as a slice of cake, a small serving of mousse, slices of fruit, and a scoop of ice-cream. Traditionally, a short black is also served.

Boutboul’s concept has been credited with turning around the fortunes of the ailing French dessert menu. Yet no one could have predicted just how popular the dish would become. Today, 750 million are ordered every year.

Bernard Boutboul … diners were “bored”.

You will find one on the menu in chic bistronomique (bistro food with a gastronomic twist) addresses, cosy neighbourhood brasseries, rural village restaurants, mountain refuges and even the stylish beach bars of the Cote d’Azur. But, even though it was inspired by the Michelin set, the cafe gourmand has yet to be elevated to fine-dining fare.

For diners, the attraction is clear: why decide on just one dessert when you can have a taster of three or four – or sometimes more? “It’s also dessert when you don’t want to have a dessert,” says Alain Fontaine, owner of Le Mesturet bistro (lemesturet.com) in Paris. “Plus, you get something sweet and coffee at the same time, all included in one price.”

Fontaine, who is the face of the movement to have France’s bistro and cafe culture protected on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, has spent 20 years perfecting his take on the dish. “Every pastry or cake is homemade, and a smaller version of the desserts on the menu – depending on the day, that could be a cheesecake, a moelleux au chocolat (a chocolate fondant), sorbet, etc.”

Australians living in France are among those enamoured with the cafe gourmand. “I love desserts and sometimes find it difficult to choose just one, so a cafe gourmand is the best answer,” says Michele Bond from Perth. Her favourite is at Caffe Cuisine, a bistronomique restaurant on the banks of the Dordogne River in the village of Branne, close to her south-western France home.

It’s also the go-to dessert for Owen Huynh, a Sydneysider who lives on the French border near Geneva. Yet Huynh knows from experience that the quality can vary wildly.

“In a Parisian cafe or brasserie-style restaurant, or more touristy areas, I often find pre-made biscuits, such as a madeleine, with a chocolate mousse that’s made from a ready mix,” he says. “The best are when the desserts are made from scratch and are more intricate, like a homemade tarte au citron.”

I have enjoyed my fair share of cafe gourmands in my 15 years living in France too and agree that fait-maison (homemade) is key. I also often find the best versions in places least expected, like Cafe Kris in Digne-les-Bains in the north of Provence, where one hot early September lunchtime last year, I was served up a generous six mini-treats, including a pot of creamy panna cotta and a salted caramel tart.

On their side, nutritionists have advised that, from a health perspective, it’s better to order a single dessert than indulge in a cafe gourmand. “The French are not going in the right direction,” Boutboul laughs.

But when you’re on holiday, isn’t one of the simple pleasures throwing the food rule book out the window?

The writer lives in France and travelled at her own expense.