This S'mores-Inspired Gavotte Recipe Reimagines the Classic Campfire Dessert
Byron Talbott’s elevated take on the humble s’more swaps out traditional graham crackers for thin, crispy French gavotte crepes.
There are few dessert combinations as universally loved as the s’more. The nostalgic trio of crunchy graham cracker, melted chocolate, and toasted marshmallow instantly transports us back to crisp autumn nights and campfire stories. But what happens when a classic American treat meets the delicate finesse of French pastry?
In his latest culinary feature, chef and creator Byron Talbott does exactly that, trading in the campfire stick for a blowtorch to assemble an incredibly elegant, multi-layered "Gavotte S'more."
By breaking down the traditional elements and reconstructing them with refined techniques, this recipe turns a messy hands-on snack into a stunning, restaurant-quality plated dessert. Here is how it all comes together.
The Elements of the Ultimate Gavotte S'more
To elevate the s'more, Talbott focuses on contrasting textures: the shatteringly crisp crunch of homemade gavotte, a rich and velvety chocolate cremeux, and a light, glossy Italian-style meringue.
1. The Gavotte (Crispy French Crepes)
Traditional s'mores rely on graham crackers for structure, but this version uses gavotte—a famously thin, crispy, laced crepe from Brittany, France.
Talbott starts by mixing a smooth batter of softened butter, sugar, vanilla bean paste, egg whites, and flour. The magic happens on the baking sheet:
The batter is spread incredibly thin using an offset spatula.
After baking until deeply golden brown, the crepes are immediately sliced and folded while still warm and pliable.
As they cool, they harden into exceptionally delicate, flaky layers.
2. The Italian Meringue
Instead of standard store-bought marshmallows, Talbott whips up a glossy, stable meringue. By slowly drizzling a hot, bubbling sugar syrup into whipping egg whites, the meringue cooks perfectly as it fluffs up. A dash of vanilla bean paste is folded in at the end to give it that authentic, warm marshmallow aroma.
3. The Chocolate Cremeux
The chocolate element gets a major upgrade from a simple candy bar. Chopped dark chocolate is melted down with cream and sugar over a hot water bath, then chilled over an ice bowl while being continuously whisked. The result is a thick, spreadable, pipeable chocolate cream that holds its shape beautifully.
Assembling the Masterpiece
Once the individual components are ready, assembly becomes an art form.
The Base Layer: A single square of the crispy gavotte crepe is anchored to the plate with a small dot of chocolate.
The Fillings: Talbott pipes alternating, elegant ribbons of the rich chocolate cremeux across the crepe.
The Secret Ingredient: For an extra layer of complexity, a luxurious swirl of smooth caramel or nut butter is drizzled over the chocolate.
The "Campfire" Touch: A generous layer of the vanilla meringue is piped on top. Talbott then brings out a kitchen blowtorch, gently caramelizing the ridges of the meringue until they turn a perfect, smoky toasted-brown.
The process is repeated to create a stunning double-decker stack, capped off with one final golden gavotte shell.
The Verdict: "This is Incredible"
When it's time to dig in, the dessert shatters beautifully under a fork, offering a perfect mouthful of crunchy crepe, silky chocolate, and airy, toasted marshmallow cream.
Taking a bite of his creation, Talbott couldn't hide his satisfaction. "This is incredible," he noted, praising the balance of the delicate crunch against the rich fillings.
For home bakers looking to impress at their next dinner party, this sophisticated twist proves that you don't need a campfire to capture the magic of a childhood favorite—just a little bit of French pastry technique.