The French classic gâteau de crêpes (crêpe cake) has become one of the city’s most sought-after desserts, thanks to Lady M, which evocatively dubbed (and later trademarked) theirs Mille Crêpes, a play on the famous mille feuille, and revived it in elegant new flavours: chocolate, citron, green tea, marron, earl grey and more.
The dessert can now be found at a host of sweet salons, but the chic Japanese- French patisserie’s is a work of particular precision and refinement. I ordered a wedge of the original – twenty paper-thin crêpes layered with light pastry cream and a golden top à la brûlée – and sunk my fork in. It slid through the perfect tiers and the mouthful was délicatesse and flavour in one.
I’ve taken another NYC favourite – banana cream pie – as the backdrop for my own gâteau de crêpes, melding fresh banana, spiked Chantilly cream and little pops of graham cracker crumb. It’s easier to make than its namesake, and just as special.