Revisit, reshape, reconstruct; this is exactly what Myriam Sabet did with the Middle Eastern pastries at Maison Aleph.
While using the right ingredients and flavors, she wasn’t afraid to refashion traditions and come up with these delicious bite-size pastries.
Myriam Sabet is from Aleppo, Syria, a city I know quite well, as my father grew up there. We used to go often to visit the family; I still have memories from the past. Although it’s been a while, there are scents and tastes that remind me of the beautiful city of Aleppo: spices such as clove and cardamom and flavors like rose water and orange blossom water are forever a part of me.
I was walking in the 4th arrondissement during my last trip to Paris; I wanted to go back to Michalak Pastry shop. I love what he does and I was eager to see his last products. Aleph is right next to Michalak and caught my attention. The store is quite small and the window has only a few items elegantly exposed: solid wood for the display, a few pastries, homemade orange blossom water, and rose water bottles, ice cream flavors, and bottles of refreshing lemonade made with Damascus rose and Amalfi lemon.
The revisited versions of the kadaïf, the Nids patissiers or pastry nests, look like cute tiny nests. They are made of gold and crunchy angel hair filled with candied fruits and topped with flavored whipped cream. They come in a range of different flavors: Chocolate/clove, orange/orange blossom, quince/almond, pomegranate/dark chocolate, Pistachio, salted caramel/vanilla, lemon-cardamom, and fromage blanc/Damascus rose.
The nids voyage, or travel nests, are other versions of pastry nests topped with a round, edible, thin slice of chocolate instead of cream. They also come in different flavors: coffee/cardamom, almond/orange blossom, hazelnut from Piedmont, dark chocolate from Peru, pistachio from Iran, orange, and some seasonal flavors such as mango/jasmine and rhubarb/almond.
Other specialties of the house are the “1001 feuilles”: puff pastry made of crunchy phyllo dough garnished with dried fruit and nuts: a contemporary interpretation of the baklava. Different flavors are available: blond sesame/halva, chocolate/peanut, Piedmont hazelnut/lemon, Perigord walnut/cinnamon, almond, and pistachio/orange blossom.
Other products you can find in the store: Chocolate bars with dried fruits and nuts and chocolate bars made with angel hair, almonds, dried fruits, and sunflower seeds. They are also available in different flavors.
The design and the color of the packaging are most probably inspired by the tiles of the Castle in Aleppo. They are very well thought out and they come in different sizes and shapes: squares for the nests – assortments of 4, 9, 16, or 25 – and rectangles for the 1001 feuilles – assortments of 6, 12, or 18. They are beautiful to present as a gift when dining at friends’. A marketing genius has been there!
During summertime, Maison Aleph sells ice cream based on Middle Eastern flavors: sesame, roses, and orange blossom… it definitely revives my childhood memories!
Maison Aleph
20 Rue de la Verrerie, 75004 Paris
📞 +33 9 83 03 42 02
Monday – Friday: 11 am – 1 pm, 1:30 – 8 pm
Saturday – Sunday: 10 am – 8 pm
Metro: lines 1 & 11 – Station Hotel de Ville
