Need your help! Where to get cheesecake in Paris?
 

Help! Help! Help!

I'm told that cream cheese is unavailable in Paris - at least, not the American variety.

So, if I can't make cheesecake in Paris, is there somewhere in the Magic City it can be bought? Preferably not too sweet.

Or mebbe you could suggest a French substitute for cream cheese?

TIA! :)

there are plenty of soft French cheeses, but I don't know what exactly with that texture or mild flavor.

It's not a French dessert, but it's not that hard to find it in Paris. The bakeries and delis in the Marais Jewish section have cheesecake. I think I've had it on the menu in various restaurants, also, but can't name names. It wouldn't surprise me if you couldn't just buy a frozen one in a good supermarket, like Monoprix.

Um, could this be a leeetle joke, maybe, do you think?

In all the many years I've been visiting Paris, I've never seen cheesecake in a patisserie, restaurant, gourmet store, or anywhere else. Nor have I seen American cream cheese (with almost 400 varieties of cheeses of their own, I somehow don't think they need it).
There are cheeses that are similar to cream cheese, like fromage frais or fromage blanc, but nothing I can think of that would make an American-style cheesecake.
There was a thread here some time ago about stores in Paris where you could get root beer and other American products, though - maybe you can dig that up and get some ideas.
Dare I ask why, in Paris of all places, you need American cheesecake?

A perfectly good question, St Cirq!

It's because I recently had a friend from Paris visit here in the States. We drove along almost the entire West Coast. Quite a considerable amount of time was spent trying to find "genuine" American things, like cheesecake, pumpkin pie, etc. Things that cannot be gotten in Paris.

It looks like I'll be going to Paris next year and I'd like to be able to make/buy her some American cheesecake.

Now, it looks like short of having to bring cream cheese in my luggage, there is no possible way of giving her the genuine article! Lo! (Will cream cheese be considered a "weapon"? Will it be confiscated?)

What about sour cream? To make the cheesecake less sweet, I use some sour cream to tone it down. Will my luggage be filled with sour cream as well?

This is a very serioius problem. A problem on a grand scale!

Christina: that's a good suggestion. I'll look in the Marais. Thanks very much!

If we have bagels with cream cheese here, it's logical to assume that maybe in some Jewish bakeries they would have some cream cheese around.

easytraveler, it can only be a weapon if the person it is intended for is on a diet :D
There used to be a store on the Left Bank called The General Store..on rue de Grenelle near rue de Bac.
I would suggest looking for cream cheese there .. good luck ~

...on the other hand, isn't there an American product store called "Thanksgiving" somewhere in beautiful downtown Paris? Surely they'd have cream cheese.

Otherwise... perhaps epicurious.com has a recipe for the italian version (just to get the dry/wet combination and cooking times) using their fresh farmer's cheese and creme freche. I'd try crumbled madeleins for the crust...
oh goodness...!!

quote>>>
Dare I ask why, in Paris of all places, you need American cheesecake?
>>>

i knew someone would make you explain

Just had another thought - I think there's a Real McCoy store in the 7th. They specialize in American foods that expats sometimes crave. Maybe cre3am cheese fits into that category? I know it would for me!

walkinaround: "...MAKE you explain?" How did you leap from "dare I ask" to "make you explain"?

OK, folks! This is getting really serious here!

Scarlett: I'll ask if she's on a diet! :) She's so thin, she probably needs a rreverse diet - lo!

I've checked epicurous and foodtv and neither has a good substitute recipe. Except that, on foodtv, there was one recipe that recommended using "Neufchatel (sp?) cream cheese". What the heck is that?

about.com gave me phone numbers for all three places that have been recommended: Thanksgiving, The General Store, and the Real McCoy. Thank you all for those great store suggestions! I do have one small concern - what if, on arrival in Paris, none of these stores carry cream cheese or cheesecake?

So, here's the backup question: what can I use as a French substitute? Suzie's suggestion to use madeleins in place of graham crackers is good. What French product would be the closest to American cream cheese?

I'm also in the experimental stages of making American crab cakes and finally figured out that one has to use a NON-STICK frying pan for the crab cakes not to fall apart. If there were such an easy solution for the cheesecake problem!

TIA again!

I definitely wouldn't use plain old Neufchatel - that's like a Camembert. "Neufchatel cream cheese" I've never heard of.
Why not send an email to Fromage.com Customer Service and ask what would be a good substitute. You can reach them at [email protected]

Kraft cream cheese is easily available especially at large supermarkets but that's not what your are looking for?>

Neufchatel cream cheese is sold in San Francisco where the regular cream cheese is sold - check your local Cala Foods! StCirq, it may be a USA invention :)

I would def. try the Marais, I wasn't just speculating, I know the bakeries over there sell cheesecake, as I've seen it. Now whether some of the delis sell just the cream cheese, I don't know, but it's worth a try. They sell cheesecake at the bakery near Chez Marianne's restaurant, for one place (as a Google search found).

They also serve it at the tea salon L'Heure Gourmande on passage Dauphine in the 6th, and the NY outpost of Joe Allen's restaurant in Les Halles.

Neufchatel cheese is sold in American super markets in the cream cheese area and has been for many years now(which is why that book said "Neufchatel cream cheese" -- it's what they call low-fat cream cheese on the label (Neufchatel will be in small print), although it's not exactly like what you'll buy in France. I use it myself at times to cut down on calories. I think it could work, although it is not as creamy and thus not as good for cheesecake. Neufchatel is made from whole milk, not cream. Even in France, it is a soft, spreadable cheese, and I would not judge it as hard as camembert or of that musky flavor. I think Neufchatel is a name that can be applied to a variety of cheeses in France (it's from Normandy). I would not use that to make a cheesecake, it won't be very rich (although you could experiment with some if you have time). I think that recipe was thinking of the Neufchatel-style cheese you find in US supermarkets.

One can make very nice cheesecakes with ricotta. They won't be as rich as full-fat creamcheese cakes, obviously. I presume ricotta is available in Paris.

Wow! This is really great! Fodors strikes again! What a wonderful plethora of options!

OK, this is what I am going to do:
1) Send my friend to the Marais and the other places mentioned by Christina and have HER see if there is any cheesecake sold in Paris that she likes. After all, she lives there - lo!

2) I'll try to make some cheesecake with ricotta and see how it turns out. Any specific brand of ricotta?

3) Thanks to all for the clarification on Neufchatel cream cheese. It sounded like a French cream cheese. Whew! That was a great puzzle! :)

4) I WAS going to try a triple creme brie that's in my refrigerator. Would you recommend even trying the brie at this stage?

I've had cheesecake many times at A Priori The in the Galerie Vivienne in the second arrond. It's a tea salon owned by an American woman, a New Yorker I believe, and the cheesecake is pretty good. Usually a lemon cheesecake.

I do not think brie is a good idea.
The Marais is a brilliant idea. They sell nova and bagels and cream cheese..

I have to add that I have found Philadelphia brand cream cheese in many Belgian supermarkets (virtually every large supermarket carries it) and also in several French hypermarches, although I've never made a point of looking for it in Paris. Easytraveler, if your friend ever gets up to Brussels, tell him/her to look for cream cheese in any Delhaize or GB supermarket. They'll have it.