Quiet cult

Maison Aleph (4th arr)

GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Bakery

After searching in vain for the Levantine sweets of her childhood in Syria, Myriam Sabet quit finance, got a diploma in pastry, and opened Maison Aleph. That was 2017. Since then, her orange-blossom and rose-water desserts have quietly amassed a cult following. Signature creations include Nids, delicate nests of kadaïf pastry filled with flavored creams or fruit confits, and 1001 Feuilles, a riff on mille-feuille, made with filo and filled with halva, pistachios, and other Middle Eastern staples.

Her shelves are lined with memories and inventions of her own: zaatar chips made from toasted pita, housemade jams, spice-dusted orangettes, and bars of grand cru chocolate perfumed with cardamom, rose, or saffron. There’s even an intense, perfectly chewy spice cake inspired by the Iraqi klija, baked with a secret mix of seven Levantine spices and crowned with nigella seeds. It keeps for two weeks, but rarely makes it past the weekend. –Victoire Loup

→ Shop: Maison Aleph (4th arr) • 20 rue de la Verrerie • Daily 11h-20h.