The new "It" dessert

It seems the glory days of the macaron (or “macaroon” if you want to anglicise it) are long gone and a new French fancy has taken the mantle of most Instagrammed treat.The humble éclair has been given a makeover of Caitlyn Jenner proportions: gone is the sticky splodge of icing, replaced by silky ganache, floral appliqués or gold leaf, and that questionable crème filling now contains 68% Ecuadorian dark chocolate or Tahitian vanilla. They are also somewhat more petite than their predecessors - despite being more expensive.While Christophe Adam’s L’Éclair de Génie blazes a trail for fancy éclairs in Paris and Japan, Joakim Prat's Maître Choux is doing the same for those with sweet teeth in London.The theories behind both pâtisseries are the same: dainty éclairs with perfectly light pastry, presented in unique, contemporary flavours – some of which aren’t so unique, as both outlets seem to share remarkably similar tastes.Of course there are still the classics – the traditional dark chocolate éclair from both pâtisseries perhaps bears the most resemblance to the original format, but packs a rich, velvety punch in the crème filling and is decorated with paper-thin chocolate and delicate gold leaf.Another former fad, salted butter caramel, appears on both menus. Maître Choux’s was delicate and light, but despite being topped with sea salt flakes I found the flavour a little lacking.  L’Éclair de Génie scored a win in this category, and with added depth from the mascarpone in the filling, it’s no wonder why this is their top-selling éclair.Lemon – or citron if you want to be proper – also features at both joints, with L’Éclair de Génie adding tangy yuzu to the mix. But it was Maître Choux’s more classic Sicilian lemon filling which took honours – especially in the stripped-back choux buns, which don’t have any icing to spoil the perfectly-pitched sourness of that lemon curd.Despite the obvious flavour similarities, there were a couple of truly unique, stand-out varieties at each patisserie. At L’Éclair de Génie it was the passion framboise which took my fancy, the tart passion fruit balancing perfectly with sweet raspberry and a sticky, fruity glaze. Across the Channel at Maître Choux, the star of the show was the violet and berry – the latter ingredient adding a tangy twist and ensuring the floral notes remained subtle but detectable.Priced from €4.00 and £4.90, it’s fair to say the new “treat of the moment" is a little more cost-prohibitive than the ubiquitous macaron. Will this have an impact on its ability to dominate the dessert world, just like the macaron did? Only time – and taste – will tell. L’Éclair de GénieÉclairs priced between €4.00 and €6.00.Various locations in Paris and Tokyo.leclairdegenie.com Maître ChouxÉclairs priced between £4.90 and £5.20, choux buns between £3.00 and £3.20.15 Harrington Road, South Kensington, UK, SW7 3ES.Maitrechoux.comBy Lisa Tan