Chocolate Eclair Pastry Limoges Box on a Plate

A chocolate eclair rests on its own little plate, looking every bit as tempting as one from a Paris patisserie window. This pastry is a Limoges box, formed in Limoges, France, with its chocolate glaze and plate colored by hand.

A Patisserie Classic

The eclair, with its long choux pastry, cream filling and glossy chocolate top, has been a star of French pastry shops since the 19th century. Its name means lightning in French, perhaps because it disappears so quickly.

Sweet Shelf Mates

• Hand-painted porcelain from Limoges, France
• Groups with croissant, macaron and ice cream pieces
• Fits a French pastry, dessert or patisserie collection

For the Pastry Lover

This is a delicious present for a pastry chef, a baking show fan, a graduate of culinary school, or a friend just back from Paris who talks about the pastries more than the museums. Set it on a kitchen shelf, a coffee bar beside the espresso machine, or a china cabinet among dessert plates. It also makes a playful thank-you for the person who always brings dessert to the party.