lille

Since my recent trip to Lille, I have been obsessed with making Merveilleux at home. These meringue and chocolate cream sandwich pastries are a famous specialty from French and Belgian Flanders and can be spotted across bakeries and pastry shops all over the city of Lille. I actually spent several minutes staring at pastry chefs crafting them through the windows of Aux Merveilleux de Fred, one of the most famous spots in the city to buy and eat Merveilleux. So as soon as I was back in my kitchen in …

Early this December, as I was spending a few days in Paris, I yearned for a change of pace and booked an impromptu day-trip to Lille, in the Hauts-de-France region – a city I had always been fascinated with but never had a chance to visit. Located at the Northern tip of France, Lille is the fourth largest city in France (after Paris, Marseille and Lyon), the biggest city of the Hauts-de-France region, and the capital of French Flanders (near France’s border with Belgium).

The Sugar Pie from Hauts-de-France is an iconic dessert that can be found in any Northern brasserie and bakery. The authentic recipes call for the use of real vergeoise (beet brown sugar), though regular brown sugar will work well too. The Great Lille Braderie is just a few days away! This centuries-old street market is the largest one in Europe, and a time of festivities for locals and visitors. Over 2 days, the city center fills with thousands of vendors and millions of curious gawkers hoping to find antique gems …