The Merveilleux: a success story

Deliciously creamy, the Merveilleux combines simplicity and modernity in a very successful combination of soft and crisp.

Pierre Marcolini, the Belgian Chocolatier and Pastry Chef (winner of the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie in 1995 and the European Pastry Cup in 2000), constructed the Merveilleux reminiscent of his childhood memories.

This great classic of Walloon patisserie is traditionally an alliance of a meringue and Chantilly cream covered with chocolate shavings that add a bit of crunch.

It enjoys success worldwide thanks to French Chef Frédéric Vaucamps.

Since his first shop “Au Merveilleux de Fred” opened in Lille in 1997, the Chef has inaugurated two shops in London, one in Geneva, one in Berlin, four in Belgium, twenty in France (including seven in Paris) and one in New York. In his shops, the classic Merveilleux stands side by side with variations that are each more delicious than the last. The Chef plays with flavours, with, for example, one featuring speculoos whipped cream coated with white-chocolate shavings (the Incroyable), one with cherry whipped cream coated with crystallised meringue (the Excentrique) and another with praline whipped cream coated with almond chips and caramelised hazelnuts (the Magnifique).

Other Chefs also offer delicious revisited variations: who could forget the version with chocolate ganache and a hazelnut praline insert that Chef Yann Couvreur came up with when he was in charge at the Prince de Galles, or Pierre Marcolini’s coffee variation?

Due to its potential for reinvention, the Merveilleux is a marvellous platform for Chefs to express themselves. When will we see a revisited variation with a savoury twist?