provencal sweets
Before the time of the manufacture, at the end of the XIXth century), the sugar remained a rare commodity, used with reserve. Le Petit Duc followed the same principle during the hours he spent studying the recipes before the calisson d'Aix to finally arrive at his signature recipe of Calissons de Saint-Rémy... not very sweet, extremely soft and with a delicious almond taste. To discover without delay, delicious square Calissons sublimated in magnificent metal boxes or in tablets revealing their so delicate shape...
The Maison du Petit Duc, founded in 1991, is located in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, in the South of France. Although production now takes place within the factory, the Petit Duc boutique still welcomes you at 7 Boulevard Victor Hugo as it did originally. It invites you to discover their delicious confectioneries, especially the famous Calisson. A revisited artisanal and family recipe of the famous Aix calisson!
The calisson of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, a delicious emblematic sweetness of the Provencal region, has an origin as rich as its flavor. Its history dates back to the year 1991 and is imbued with family traditions and artisanal craftsmanship.
Before the advent of factories, around the turn of the 19th century, sugar was a scarce resource, used sparingly.
After long deliberations and hours of work dedicated to studying the ancient recipes of the Aix calisson, we found our ideal version, which we named the Saint-Rémy calisson. These efforts gave birth to a confectionery, soft, rich in flavors, and light in sugar, the result of meticulous and passionate work.
30 years ago, when calissons began to be manufactured, Le Petit Duc did not have a calisson press... Due to lack of resources, they could not create this famous diamond shape. They then had the idea of passing the calisson paste through the rolling mill before cutting it into "squares" with a guitar.
Their square shape was so successful that they never dared to change it, and today, it has become the signature of this creation.
The manufacturing of the calisson of Saint-Rémy has always followed the same artisanal recipe, from its beginnings to today, thus preserving an immutable creative know-how. Every day, these delicious confectioneries are handmade in a dedicated workshop, where the paste is prepared with meticulous care.
The secret to the soft texture of the Calissons lies in the meticulous attention paid to each stage of production. Each piece is cut precisely and delicately glazed with a thin royal icing, adding the note of sweetness and brilliance of the calisson.
This is how we get our delights!
The calisson derives its unique flavor from its carefully crafted composition. It is a blend of almonds, sugar, candied fruit, and egg, each contributing its touch!
Sugar brings its natural sweetness, almonds offer a creamy texture and a subtle taste to the whole. While the candied orange zest adds a refreshing citrus note. The sugar syrup makes the calisson soft and maintains its moisture. The eggs are used to bind the ingredients, while the wafer sheet provides a light and crispy base to this delicious sweetness.
Together, these ingredients give the calisson its incomparable character and unforgettable flavor.
The calissons of Saint-Rémy are made within the Biscuiterie de Provence, in a small workshop dedicated to the creations of Petit Duc. They are then meticulously hand-packaged in this workshop.
A few years ago, Le Petit Duc decided to reinvent the calisson recipe. In our range of calissons, you can find:
These are just a few of our calissons, but don't hesitate to discover also the softness based on calisson and organic calissons, just as delicious as our original calissons.
Petit Duc calissons are real delights to offer! These are small low-sugar confectioneries, created from a meticulously crafted artisanal recipe.
To offer our calissons, there is nothing better than choosing our Damier range: assortments of calissons accompanied by fruit paste or chocolate, presented in a very beautiful metal box. An ideal and easy to offer gourmet mix to a loved one.
Also presented in beautiful boxes, discover our original flavors with our calissons with ginger and lavender. These are creations full of originality just waiting to be tasted by gourmets.
A little temptation from Provence not to be missed! Especially since we all have a little bit of greediness deep down.
