I was searching for the right adjective once when my French teacher spared me further anguish with this: "Never hesitate to use the language of love when talking about French cuisine."  The same could be said of religion. A number of French sweets have names with religious roots. With any luck, you have tried the delightful pastry known as a "religieuse." Made with two stacked cream puffs, it is thought to resemble a nun. A religiieuse can be filled with just about any kind of cream, from violet to caramel, and coated with any kind of glaze.

 

On that theme, we're introducing our own religious experience, our "mendiants." In French, the word means beggar, and mendiants are a classic French treat consisting of a disk of chocolate topped by dried fruits and nuts. The various types of fruit and nuts said to refer to the different mendicant orders, such as the Dominican and Franciscan monks, that depended on charity to survive and serve the poor. 

 

Our mendiants offer a twist, as usual, on the classics.  Made with Madagascar Grand Cru chocolate, they are topped with morsels of raspberry pate de fruit and caramelized pistachios. If virtue is your thing, try these.  They have all the complexity of a sophisticated ganache without any of the butter or cream. Order Now