624466 Tue Jun 02 08:44:57 -0700 2009 35 22 Quebec (including Montreal) 0 4735509 Hello! Just wondering where to find the best chocolate croissant (sp) in montreal? I tried one at le fromentier, but it seemed dryish/nothing too special (maybe cause it was end of the day?) Does anyone know where to find some really delicious chocolate croissants? Thanks Tue Jun 02 08:44:57 -0700 2009 223856 Pigurd 1 4735774 I like both Ducs, Lorraine and Gascogne: http://www.ducdelorraine.com/ http://www.ducsdegascogne.com/ Tue Jun 02 09:57:27 -0700 2009 4735509 146613 Evilbanana11 1 4735810 Cavallaro on Sherebrooke St. Instead of putting in 2 sticks of chocolate in the pastry dough, like most other places do, there are many small pieces of chocolate that create the perfect dough-to-chocolate ratio. Not to mention that they also put some chocolate sprinkles on top. Delicious. Tue Jun 02 10:05:16 -0700 2009 4735509 322050 Dusty08 1 4736915 Mamie Clafoutis and Fous Desserts both make pretty good chocolate croissants. Le Fromentier's are usually pretty good, too, but I find some of their pastries do tend to dry out quickly. Tue Jun 02 15:10:45 -0700 2009 4735509 19331 cherylmtl 2 4738347 Do these places make chocolate croissant AND pain au chocolat ? The Chowhound team should change the title of this thread to make it searchable...i.e. "Cwossiant" should be corrected. Wed Jun 03 06:39:49 -0700 2009 4736915 13143 souschef 3 4738367 Pardon my ignorance but what is the difference between them? I don't think I have ever seen a chocolate croissant - unless you are referring the Jewish style, croissant shaped cinnamon or chocolate danish- which really has nothing to do with a real croissant, except for the crescent shape. I think what the OP was referring to was a pain of chocolat - that many people inadvertently call a croissant au chocolat. Wed Jun 03 06:45:33 -0700 2009 4738347 118582 maisonbistro 4 4738395 Pain au chocolat is the term used in most of France. In Quebec and parts of France the pastry is usually referred to as a chocolatine. Don't think I've ever seen a pastry shop refer to it as a croissant au chocolat [cue for someone to chime in with eight pâtisseries that do...]. Wed Jun 03 06:52:39 -0700 2009 4738367 10520 carswell 4 4741001 I have seen crescent-shaped croissants drizzled with chocolate, but can't remember if there was any chocolate inside. Wed Jun 03 20:37:44 -0700 2009 4738367 13143 souschef 4 4741632 While on the subject of pain au chocolat, you should try the pain au double chocolat sold at Privilege at JTM. It's a loaf of chocolate bread with morsels of chocolate in it. Tastes great for breakfast, especially after being warmed up....but don't put it into your toaster unless you want chocolate in your toaster. Thu Jun 04 07:15:44 -0700 2009 4738367 13143 souschef 5 4741708 Holy crap! is that a pain viennois au chocolat I see in the top left corner of that picture? I think I'll have to investigate. http://www.chocolatsprivilege.com/fr/gateaux/pain.htm Thu Jun 04 07:36:26 -0700 2009 4741632 18488 SnackHappy 3 4738410 I'm pretty certain the OP was referring to pain au chocolat / chocolatine. In North-America, chocolate croissant is the widely accepted name for this pastry. What, in your experience, is a chocolate croissant? I don't think I've ever seen a chocolate flavoured pastry that was actually crescent shaped. Wed Jun 03 06:58:54 -0700 2009 4738347 18488 SnackHappy 4 4738783 hmm didnt know there were that much variations. My GF likes those croissants with the chocolate inside the roll? think it is refered to as croissant au chocolat wonder if it is possible to spread a layer of chocoalte over every layer in the croissant... 300 layers of chocolate... Wed Jun 03 08:56:31 -0700 2009 4738410 223856 Pigurd 5 4738811 Yes, as mentionned early in this thread, the term is pain au chocolat (in Paris) or Chocolatine (Quebec and the rest of France). I presumed that in North America the term is indeed Croissant au Chocolat which refers to the same thing. I do agree that the title of this post should be changed. Wed Jun 03 09:04:08 -0700 2009 4738783 276359 mtlmaven 6 4741047 I have to say I have a very different idea of pain au chocolat in Paris. When last in Paris (far too long now) I recall purchasing pain au chocolat which consisted of small chocolate chips baked into a loaf of bread. The bread was not the flaky croissant dough, but rather, a doughy bready concoction that was slightly sweetened. I had expected to get a chocolate croissant, but got this instead. What a lovely mistake! We ate many of these things when we were there. In Montreal, the only thing I have seen that resembles the Parisien pain au chocolat is sold at Premiere Moisson. This version looks like a row of three dinner rolls baked together, and when you break into it, there are a lot of little chocolate chunks. Very delicious. It is as it is named, bread with chocolate. On the other hand, a chocolatine is what I consider to be the chocolate croissant. This is a croissant pastry baked with sticks of dark chocolate on the inside. The key difference is the type of pastry around the chocolate, croissant vs. bread. I am sure that the term "pain au chocolat" has been used to refer to chocolatines in Paris, I would not presume to know the actual correct terms for these things. But what I like about my distinction is that I get a better sense of what I am getting. Pain au chocolat = chocolate bread... makes good sense to me. As for other types of chocolate croissant, there is also the Italian version, the cornetteria with chocolate, just for a change. La Cornetteria on St. Laurent makes a tasty one. Wed Jun 03 21:02:58 -0700 2009 4738811 89969 moh 7 4741055 Aha: found the name of the product at Premiere Moisson: it is called carre au chocolat: http://www.premieremoisson.com/Produits/Boulangerie/Nos-pains-speciaux/Carre-au-chocolat/ This is very similar to the "pain au chocolat" I bought in Paris. Bread, not croissant. Wed Jun 03 21:10:27 -0700 2009 4741047 89969 moh 7 4741491 Moh, was the bread you had in Paris made with brioche dough? I think what you had was pain viennois au chocolat, one of my favourite breakfast treats ever. I even started a thread here a while ago seeking baguette viennoise in town, but never found any. Thu Jun 04 06:10:37 -0700 2009 4741047 18488 SnackHappy 8 4741513 Snackhappy, I'm not sure if was brioche dough or not, although that might explain the slight sweetness and richness of the bread. My memory of the Parisien item is slightly different that the brioche I've had since, it was closer to a regular loaf of bread than a true brioche. But now that you mention this possibility, I suspect you may be right. Have you tried the Carre au chocolat from Premiere moisson? Is this simliar to the pain viennois au chocolat you've had? If not, how is it different? The carre is very close to what I had in Paris. Thu Jun 04 06:20:09 -0700 2009 4741491 89969 moh 9 4741549 I don't recall having the carré au chocolat, but looking at a picture on the PM site, it looks like the crumb is a lot looser than that of pain viennois. It looks more like a brioche. Pain viennois is a bit denser and almost cake-like, although versions can go from a cake-like pain brioché to something more like the carré au chocolat. Thu Jun 04 06:38:27 -0700 2009 4741513 18488 SnackHappy 7 4742383 Moh, I was recently in Paris and I concur with your impression. Most of the pain au chocolat were indeed a bread-type of dough and not flaky croissant. I had a few that were of the croissant variety but they were still called pain au chocolat. I sparked controversy on the France board when I called them chocolatine. See thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/609592 For the OP, also see: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/315477 Thu Jun 04 10:35:39 -0700 2009 4741047 12421 hungryann 8 4742415 Hungryann, thanks for posting the link to the France board thread. It is priceless! So it is clear that we are all unclear on exactly what a pain au chocolat is. I really shouldn't be surprised. Different people and cultures and subcultures use the same name for many different items, that is just the way life is. Vivre la difference! Thu Jun 04 10:53:08 -0700 2009 4742383 89969 moh 5 4738818 Have had croissants that were spread with chocolate before final rolling into the crescent shape. They came from local Jewish bakeries and it's been a while since I've seen any. Mamie Clafoutis has a chocolatine called "Oh mon dieu" (OMG) that's filled with ganache and drizzled with chocolate. www.montrealgazette.com/life/food-wine/Casual+Dining+Happiness+Mamie+Clafoutis/1601187/story.html Wed Jun 03 09:05:10 -0700 2009 4738783 10520 carswell 6 4739789 What I was referring to in my response was indeed pain au chocolat (or chocolatine), but as the OP called them chocolate croissants, I didn't bother to change the term. Mamie Clafoutis and Fous Desserts have them. And if I'm not mistaken (and perhaps someone can confirm this) the proper way to make them is with sticks of chocolate inside instead of pieces of chocolate or chocolate chips. Wed Jun 03 13:37:29 -0700 2009 4738818 19331 cherylmtl 7 4740179 2 chocolate baguettes to be precise. Wed Jun 03 15:22:01 -0700 2009 4739789 118582 maisonbistro 6 4781586 Cheskies has them in mini & regular sizes, Snowdon Del has them mini but not great value for the $. 2 dozen minis at Snowdon cost me $16.00 last Sunday. Wed Jun 17 11:31:19 -0700 2009 4738818 43126 RhondaB 6 5071375 The cafeterias at mcgill always have that chocolate croissant where the individual layers are spread with chocolate before being shaped like a crescent. However, I personally did not care much for their taste. The place i saw that last (and i am sure they will probably have it if you try to go there) is the cafeteria at the Mcdonnel building (first building near the milton gate). Personally, i call it a croissant if it's crescant shaped :) and a pain au chocolat if it's a square so as not to confuse the vendors. Moh and snackhappy, doesn't Olive et gourmando have an awesome brioche au chocolat? how does that compare to the product you guys had in france? Thu Oct 01 00:03:24 -0700 2009 4738818 108538 hala 6 5071458 Would the ones from Jewish bakeries be rugelach? As I recall, the pastry in those seems to be less flaky and puffy and than croissant pastry, and the chocolate doesn't seem to be straight chocolate but possibly a chocolatey spread of some kind. They have several other flavours as well. Thu Oct 01 03:40:45 -0700 2009 4738818 160768 stak 5 4741009 [quote=pigurd]"wonder if it is possible to spread a layer of chocoalte over every layer in the croissant... 300 layers of chocolate" [endquote] In Pierre Hermé's book "Chocolate Desserts" he has a recipe for chocolate puff pastry, which does have chocolate between the layers. I have not made it yet, but plan to do so. Wed Jun 03 20:41:01 -0700 2009 4738783 13143 souschef 1 4743175 The best chocolatine I've ever had was from Kouign Amann on ave. Mont Royal... Thu Jun 04 15:09:51 -0700 2009 4735509 253988 TheLibrarian 2 4745430 do you know what their opening hours are? i don't live in Mtl, and last year my friend had called before we visited and they were actually closed for the summer (or maybe they were closed for a little while and not the entire summer). her french was rusty so she may have misunderstood. i'm planning another trip next month and definitely want to go to Kouign Amann! Fri Jun 05 10:11:20 -0700 2009 4743175 21259 auberginegal 3 4746629 They open early, at least earlier than 8 (that is the earliest I can be out ha ha), and close early as well, 5 or 6. They usually run out way before their closing hour. The store is closed for vacation twice a year, I think, during early August and around Christmas. I live very close, so if you let me know, I can check the dates for you. Fri Jun 05 15:23:17 -0700 2009 4745430 53259 emerilcantcook 4 4749528 Their hours are posted on the door, I'm on the other side of the city or I'd check myself. I think they close at 5 on Sunday only, and the rest of the week it's between 6 and 8pm. Can anyone verify? They closed for a couple weeks last summer (late July, I think), but the best way to find out if/when they'll be closed is to call them. The owner only speaks French, but the girls at the counter are usually bilingual. If the number hasn't changed, it's 514-845-8813. Let us know what you think! Sat Jun 06 22:41:33 -0700 2009 4746629 253988 TheLibrarian 2 5069110 I second that. So good I had two in a go... perfection. Wed Sep 30 07:28:57 -0700 2009 4743175 180653 sinjawns 1 4749686 Can't help you with Montreal, but the greatest chocolatine this side of the Atlantic is from Nieman's in Kamouraska. Actually, I'd go so far as to say it's the best bakery period this side of the Atlantic. Seriously. Sun Jun 07 04:59:45 -0700 2009 4735509 122459 davidpg 2 5065065 I totally second this. So far, the chocolatine I had at Neiman's is the best I have ever tasted! Quality chocolate inside with nuts on top. Heavenly. Mon Sep 28 15:37:44 -0700 2009 4749686 1097135 etmeum 1 4750949 You would be remiss if you missed out on Le Coissanterie Figaro, at Hutchison and Fairmont. While there, have Le Brunch, 7am on weekends for brunch. It's also great for bistro-style food, or a beer in the mid evening. Sun Jun 07 15:34:56 -0700 2009 4735509 1081375 poutineguy 2 4780965 Thanks for all the suggestions, i will wander around and fatten up for winter Wed Jun 17 08:19:57 -0700 2009 4750949 223856 Pigurd