Freshly Baked Pain au Chocolat by Makati Shangri-La

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

The modern pain au chocolat is made from the same buttery, flaky pastry as the classic croissant, but with a “baton” (or two!) of rich, dark chocolate tucked in the center. The secret to this puff pastry treat is in the lamination, the technique of folding and rolling dough and butter to create visible delicate layers. The semi-sweet to bittersweet cocoa taste blends with the richness of the buttery pastry, accompanied by a satisfying faint crunch.

PAIRINGS

Whether you enjoy your viennoiserie over a lazy breakfast or a mid-afternoon treat, it’s truly marvelous with a warm cup of coffee. The rich chocolate taste is enhanced by a good, strong espresso, but a smooth latte also complements the buttery creaminess of the pastry. We find that our beautifully roasted Vittoria Espresso Ground Coffee does the trick, for intercontinental flavor harmonization.

NAME THAT PASTRY

It is sometimes said that infamous Marie Antoinette is responsible for introducing the pain au chocolat to the world, but the truth is equally as divisive. The pain au chocolat was was introduced in Paris, France by Viennese baker August Zang in the 1830s as a “schokoladencroissant”. But as more and more similar establishments opened with French proprietors, they began laminating the dough like their traditional croissant until it resembled a popular children’s treat, the “chocolatine”. The name “pain au chocolate” gradually became the more common name worldwide, but in the southwest of France and modern-day Canada, “chocolatine” persists.

Storage Instructions

Baked fresh on Sat­ur­day morn­ings at Makati Shangri-La. Best con­sumed upon arrival, but you can store it at room tem­per­a­ture for up to two days in their original packaging. For storage up to a week, wrap them in parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate. Alternatively, you can freeze your parchment-wrapped viennoiserie in a ziplock bag for up to two weeks.

To refresh refrigerated viennoiserie, preheat your oven to 200°C and place the pastry on a baking tray with a loose covering of foil. Bake for 5-10 minutes (depending on your oven) then allow to cool to desired temperature. The same process applies to frozen viennoiserie. Just thaw them overnight first!