Say oui to dessert: Handcrafted petits fours have landed in Newcastle
Words and photos: Laura Nierengarten
Tucked within the suburban streets of North Lambton is French pastry chef Charline Barre’s beautiful patisserie kitchen.
You might recognise Charline’s French pastries from her Broadmeadow bakery, French Faves. Now, she’s embarking on a new chapter with Maison Augustine, where she crafts her beloved pastries in a purpose-built home kitchen designed entirely around her passion for baking.
French pastry chef Charline Barre
Maison Augustine represents an evolution of French desserts, a refined and elevated take on classic recipes with a modern and local twist. Each pastry showcases what Charline loves most about her art.
Using high-quality ingredients, including edible decorative flowers grown in-house, every order is made fresh and personalised through advanced ordering, ensuring each treat is beautifully curated for Maison customers.
At Maison Augustine, the beauty is in the detail. Precision and presentation come together in perfect harmony.
These exquisitely displayed pastries are elegant, mess-free desserts that elevate any celebration or gathering. Paired perfectly with a freshly brewed latte or a glass of bubbles, you really can’t go wrong. Très magnifique!
What Charline's DisHhing up
Modern gourmet French sweets that almost look too beautiful to eat, ooh là là! From handmade celebration cakes and tarts to personally curated petits fours, Maison brings a touch of French elegance to every occasion.
What we love most? Maison’s reimagined take on the French classic, petits fours. For Charline, these bite-sized pastries are a love letter to her French roots, infused with local inspiration—a perfect blend of tradition and innovation.
Maison’s current petite fours collection features nine seasonal flavours, each carefully balanced for taste, texture, and elegance. A mix of mini entremets, tarts, travel cakes, and reimagined French classics.
The lowdown on the current collection lineup:
• Tarte Citron (GF): A fan favourite from French Faves, this delicate lemon curd tart is silky, bright, and refreshingly crisp, one bite and you’re hooked.
• Religieuse Lavande-Myrtill: An elegant duo of choux filled with whipped lavender and vanilla ganache, paired with vibrant blueberry ganache and topped with a glossy blueberry gel veil.
• Tarte Tatin (GF): Tender, caramelised apples on a gluten-free, buckwheat Breton sablé base, finished with a buttery swirl of vanilla chantilly.
• Gâteau Marbré: A moist marbled chocolate and vanilla cake, topped with whipped peanut ganache, crunchy peanut praliné and caramelised peanuts. A playful nod to French childhood goûters.
• Entremet Poire-Chocolat (GF): The chef’s personal favourite, a silky dark chocolate ganache layered with fudge-like chocolate cake made from fine dark chocolate. Smooth, indulgent, and irresistible.
• Financier Noisette: A decadent browned butter hazelnut financier filled with creamy white chocolate-hazelnut filling, topped with roasted hazelnut pieces and rich dark chocolate décor. A true slice of hazelnut heaven.
• Fraisier (GF): A delicate Madeleine sponge layered with vanilla diplomat cream, glossy strawberry gel, fresh strawberries, and strawberry ganache. An ode to French patisserie perfection.
• Roule Pistache: A refined soft pistachio sponge made from choux dough, filled with whipped pistachio ganache and coated in a crisp white chocolate and toasted almond shell. A must-try for pistachio lovers!
• Chou Passion-Coco: A surprisingly light choux pastry filled with whipped coconut ganache, topped with exotic passionfruit crémeux and gel and decorated with black sesame seeds.
And if you love these pastries as much as we do, keep an eye out for Maison Augustine’s upcoming holiday petits fours collection, it’s set to be the sweetest season yet!
The rundown
• Perfect for celebrations and gatherings
• Custom creations
• Gluten-free options
• Special treat $$$
The DisHh features are booked anonymously and paid independently by HUNTERhunter. A restaurant cannot pay to be featured in The DisHh.