Le Méridien Amps Up Dessert With Johnny Iuzzini's Eclairs

Le Méridien Hotels is breathing new (pastry cream-filled) life into an old French favorite: the éclair. The hotel chain is partnering with Johnny Iuzzini (Top Chef: Just Desserts; James Beard award winner), to serve three modern twists on the classic chocolate, vanilla, and coffee flavorings, as well as an éclair creation inspired by local ingredients, and unique to each of the Le Méridien's locations.

First up is the San Francisco éclair, inspired by chef Iuzzini's journey throughout San Francisco to find the perfect ingredients, as seen in his mini-movie "The Éclair Diaries." The half-savory, half-sweet creation features an unusual corn pastry cream filling inside the éclair shell, topped with a vanilla icing and sprinkled with honeycomb, almond slivers, and fresh blueberries.

In total, chef Iuzzini will be creating eight seasonal éclair recipes for the hotel chain this fall, including surprising flavor combinations like the maple bacon éclair and Texas honey pecan éclair at Le Méridien Dallas; a savory éclair with goat cheese, cranberry, and pumpernickel crumbs in Munich; and  a citrus-inspired éclair with mango, lime, and ginger, at  Le Méridien Bangkok.

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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter@JoannaFantozzi