Paris shop windows of any kind are always so fabulous. The windows of patisseries and chocolatiers are the ones I love the best. I finished up my latest travels in Italy with a few days in Paris. As it was Easter season, many of the chocolatiers had their windows decked out in Easter chocolates.
To kick off Easter weekend, this Friday in photos are all about the Easter chocolates of Paris chocolatiers. Come take a peek in the windows with me. They look almost too pretty to eat, don't they?
From the windows of Hediard (21, Place de la Madeleine, 8th arr.) -
The year 2010 was filled with so many fabulous memories of food, travel and friends. Through writing this blog, I've made many new friends, who have also become regular readers of the blog. Whenever I see a comment or get an email from a reader who has made a recipe or visited a restaurant or place I wrote about, I'm ecstatic. I love them! Please keep the emails and comments coming. I truly love to hear how your dishes and travels turn out.
Below are my best memories of the year. Many of them are also some of the most popular posts on Food Lover's Odyssey, so it looks like they're your favorites, too. Thank you for traveling, and eating, along with me. I wish all of you a very Happy New Year and a 2011 full of great food, friends and happy travels!
Pasta and Friends in Rome
Usually I've planned my meals before I step foot off the plane or train in Rome. Pasta Dishes in Rome are some of the best in Italy. It looks like you agree as the post, Roman Pasta Dishes and 10 Places in Rome to Eat Them, was the most popular of all others in 2010. Although I love all of them, my favorite is L'Amatriciana. The readers' favorite was Cacio e Pepe in a Parmesan Bowl inspired by the trattoria Roma Sparita. This year I got to eat these dishes again at some of my favorite trattorie and was able to recreate those two along with Potato Gnocchi for Gnocchi Giovedi and the fall specialty Fettuccine ai Funghi.
Not only were my Rome memories filled with pasta, but they were also filled with friends. I met up with Daniel - my "big brother from another mother" - yes, the Daniel from my stories in Venice. We became fast friends last year. Although it had been a year since we'd seen each other, it felt as if no time had passed when we met up again in Rome. After days filled with sights and pasta, we would walk off our meals under the city in lights. Paris may be called the City of Lights, but Rome at night is just as enchanting.
As the Italian saying goes, "Rome, una vita non basta." (Rome, one life is not enough.) Because it is so true, I'm already planning meals for my return in March. I can promise you more pasta posts from Rome and recreations of those dishes in 2011.
After pasta in Rome, this was my favorite dish of 2010. Though it has been almost 6 months since I've tasted that sauce of the sea, so simple and so intense, it still lingers in my memories, if not on my tongue. I remember every last drop that I sopped up with the thick country bread.
I love this post and this dish for so many reasons - how I obtained the recipe, the history of the dish, how good it is, and that it helped me win a contest! I was lucky to have the chef at Capo di Ferro in Rome give me his recipe for this dish. It, along with the other offal dishes of Rome, is rooted in Rome's culinary history and La Cucina Povera. By recreating this dish and writing about it, I was the winner of the September GranTourismo Travel Blogging Contest. My prize is a stay in a HomeAway apartment, which I will be using in Venice in March 2011.
Seeing Napoli with Napoli Unplugged
I first met the Napoli Unplugged duo, Bonnie and Steve, via Twitter. While I was in Napoli this year, we met face-to-face. The American expats have adopted the city as their own. Their love for Napoli and their gracious and welcoming spirits are equal to any of the Neapolitans I've met.
They took me to a feast of several Neapolitan food courses at Ristorante Buon Gustaio on via Posillipo. Afterwards, they gave me a night tour of their neighborhood in Posillipo. We had a Cafe del Nonno (creamy dreamy dessert-like coffee with ice and a little chocolate) from Antonio. Over the cafe, I met some of the local characters in the neigborhood. Bonnie, Steve and their son had me cracking up over their stories of the city and wanting to return for a New Year's Eve in Napoli. Another day, Bonnie gave me a personal tour of her classic stroll through the Centro Storico. Grazie Tanto Bonnie and Steve!
Although there is so much more to the food of Naples than just pizza, pizza in Napoli is always a highlight for me. This year, I ate pizza in Napoli, and I made it. It was a pizza class in Sorrento through Ciao Laura. We actually made three courses in total, but the highlight was the pizza, cooked in a wood-burning oven. The class, geared towards cooks of all levels, was so much fun but also very educational. The group ranged from teenagers who may never have stepped in a kitchen before to a guy from Canada that had been making pizza professionally for 10-plus years. We each made the type of pizza we wanted, then shared it with the group. I made the classic pizza margherita, which was exceptional. After this class, I'm inspired to make more pizza. That is, once I build my own wood-burning oven.
Foie Gras for Breakfast in the Dordogne
I spent a month in the Dordogne in France. It was work-related, but I was also able to venture out and see some of the villages, towns and cities in the area. Although I haven't shared all my travels with you yet, here are a two: Market Day in Sarlat and Duck Dishes of Dordogne. In that month, I'm sure I ate more duck than I had in my entire life, even having foie gras for breakfast at a market one morning. In the next month or two I will share the rest of my travels in Dordogne, and maybe a duck dish, with you.
Pesto and Other Dishes in Liguria
Liguria was not in my plans for 2010, but the July heat and humidity in Italy had me making some minor travel adjustments. Instead of a visit inland to Tuscany, I spent a week mostly lounging on the beach in the Cinque Terre. I did get off my lettino (sun bed) to visit Camogli and a few other coastal towns. Along with the beach and my lettino, fish and seafood were highlights of my visit. Besides the fish ravioli I mentioned above, other highlights included Pesto, Seafood Risotto, Spaghetti allo Scoglio.
A Sicilian Holiday Dinner
Sadly, I didn't get to Sicily in 2010. I was able to transport myself and others to Sicily with a few dishes for a December birthday dinner party. Involtini di Melanzane (Stuffed Eggplant rolls), Spaghetti Siracusana, Braciola di Maiale (Braised Pork Roll), Lemon Granita and the Torta Setteveli (included in my best sweet memories of 2010). When I cook for others, I'm giving and sharing part of myself with them. It was such a pleasure to share the island I love so much with Paula (who's also Sicilian-American), her family and her friends.
Le Fete du Vin in Bordeaux -- Especially the Spectacular Light Show Finale
Many travel to the Bordeaux region and visit only the wine regions located outside the city. My first trip to the region, I did just that. This trip I went mainly to check out Le Fete du Vin, but found a truly vibrant city with so much history. I can't wait to go back. The wine festival was more about sipping and socializing, than actual wine education, but it was fun. And, where else but in France would there be foie gras as festival street fare and free samples of Jambon de Bayonne?
The highlight of the event was the Light Show Finale, which told the history of Bordeaux through light images and an audio retelling. The buildings on Place de la Bourse were used as screens for the light show. I thought it also appropriate to end this post with a slideshow of the photos I took during the show.
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What was your best food and/or travel memory of 2010?
A ritual I repeat with each visit to Paris is an afternoon visit to LaDuree's tea salon. I don't mean walking up to the take-away counter and ordering a box of macarons and a few pastries to carry out and eat in a nearby park. Although, I do that, too. No, a trip to Paris isn't complete without an afternoon in one of LaDuree's salons de thé. I must nestle myself behind one of the petite tables, with my legs tightly tucked underneath, and have dessert.
There are many joys to visiting LaDuree that begin before you even enter the salon. The windows, with their pastel-colored decorations and macaron towers, have you anxious for the princess-like treasures inside. The ornately decorated belle epoque salon transports you back to a time where women wore dresses with bustles, hats, gloves and carried parasols. I always feel an awe when inside, immagining what famous person might have sat in the same seat as I am. The atmosphere and the pastries are definitely reasons to dine dessert (I only eat the sweets) inside. They are not the real reason I go. No, the real reason I enter the tea salon is for a specific dessert. It's one you can only get inside, seated at a table.
The dessert is the Minis Macarons Glaces (mini macarons with ice cream). It's not really a beauty, especially compared to the colorful little jewels, those macarons and pastries, that first come to mind when one says LaDuree. No, this dessert is an ugly stepsister to those pretties. What she lacks in looks, she more than makes up for in taste. I'm a sucker for contrasts both in flavor and texture, so I love this dessert. Two delicate, sweet and crispy macarons sandwiched around dense and creamy ice cream, a little symphony of flavors. They also offer sorbets with the macarons. A little different contrast are the sorbets. Here bright, cold, and tangy sorbet is like a jive dance with the macaron cookies.
Now, I have always been able to pick each of the four flavors, and I always make the tragic faux pas of combining ice cream and sorbet. A French person told me once, this is "just not done!" Oh well, that's what I like, and I made my usual request for a scoop of chocolate ice cream, two macarons with ice cream and two with sorbet, lemon and raspberry flavors. The waiter told me I could only choose my scoop of ice cream, and they would choose the four macaron flavors. What?!! They can't change the rules! I was certain my horrible French was causing the confusion and repeated my request three times. Finally, my friend Karina, who's fluent in French, stepped in and asked for me. Yep, they changed the rules, probably to keep goofy Americans like me from commiting the mortal sin of combining sorbets and ice creams. I ordered pistaschio ice cream, and with it, came chocolate, vanilla, cafe and pistachio macarons filled with the same flavors of ice cream. It was creamy and sweet, dense and light, the contrasts of flavors and tastes I love presented in a silver cup. I did think about ordering another cup with only sorbets but decided to do that next time. Instead, I purchased a few macarons and other pastries from the take-away counter for later. My trip to Paris was complete.
Individual Saint Honore pastry from LaDuree
Harmonie Pastry from LaDuree
Note: Photos inside LaDuree are not allowed, but I snuck a quick photo of the macarons and ice cream dish solely to share it with you. The rest of the photos were taken outside.
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Is there a thing you must do or eat when visiting one of your favorite cities?
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Join
me in Provence in 2013 for a French Pastry Culinary Vacation and learn how to
create these and other classic French pastries! Details here: Pastry-Making Vacation in Provence
My recent trip to Bordeaux made me nostalgic for the first time I was there. It was about 4 years ago when I was living in Paris. Seven of us took a weekend road trip. We spent the weekend driving around the Medoc, visiting wineries, and having a good time. For all but the one French man in the group, it was our first time there, and everything was new to us. We drove by one grand chateau after another, each hovering over its vineyards like proud yet protective parents. We learned about Bordeaux wines through the stories of each wine maker and saw centuries old wine-making estates. It was a magical weekend both because of what we saw and learned and also because of the company.
Glimpse of the Chateau Margaux through its tree-lined entrance
During this trip, I passed the Pavillon de Margaux, both a bed and breakfast and restaurant, and remembered the lunch we had eaten there. Because Chateau Margaux is closed on the weekends, we were unable to visit. Instead, we had lunch at Pavillion de Margaux. From our lunch table, we could look out the window and see the vineyards of Chateau Margaux.
There are two dining areas, one inside of 19th century decor and the other, an enclosed patio. We chose our lunch from one of the "menu" options. In France a "menu" is a meal option, usually some sort of combination of entree, plat (main dish), and dessert for a fixed price. The actual menu (as we call it in the U.S.) is called la carte. (I'm forever forgetting this. I quickly realize my mistake when I see the waiters' annoyed faces after I've asked for le menu.) At the Pavillon de Margaux, this menu option also included an amuse buche and ended with mignardise (little sweets) of chocolates and a coffee. Not exactly your light lunch. Of course, we shared a bottle (or two - there were 7 of us) of Bordeaux wine. As this region is also part of the "land of duck," my main course was a duck dish. I remember being thoroughly stuffed after this meal, but I also remember the dessert. It was an apple tart that was wrapped up in flaky phyllo dough and looked like a little present on the dish. I had never seen a tart made like that in Paris. The crust and apples were two contrasts in textures. The flaky phyllo was crisp and crunchy against the soft, cooked apples.
After a little research, I found that the tart is popular in the southwest of France, especially around the area of Gascony. Originally the dough was a hand-stretched strudel-like one, but now they use phyllo to make the crusty (croustade) top. As apples are again in season, and Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) is just around the corner, I thought I would recreate this dessert. It's a nice twist to the traditional "apple pie" and was quite easy to recreate. The trickiest thing is mastering phyllo dough, but I have a few notes, after the recipe, to help you. For me this apple tart also brings back memories of my first trip to the Bordeaux region and this last one. More detailed information on the chateaux I visited and the city of Bordeaux will be for another post(s). Until then, I'm sharing a few photos from my recent visit to the Medoc along with this recipe. I hope you try it, and if you do, please let me know what you think of it.
Wine tasting room's terrace
Grounds around the wine estate
Gardens of the Chateau Kirwan
Join
me in Provence in 2013 for a French Pastry Culinary Vacation and learn how to
create these and other classic French pastries! Details here: Pastry-Making Vacation in Provence
Croustade aux Pommes Inspired by Pavillon Margaux and adapted from Ma Cuisine Bordelaise by Myriam Daumal
(Makes 4 individual tarts)
5 Granny Smith apples Scant 1/2 cup vanilla sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)** 2 tablespoons Armagnac, cognac or brandy
For the crust: About 12 sheets phyllo dough 1/2 cup clarified butter, melted (see below) 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Peel, core and slice apples 1/4-inch thin. Mix together the sugar and the cinnamon, if you're using the cinnamon. Add to the apples and stir so that sugar is coating each slice. Add the armagnac and let the apples macerate for one hour. Strain the liquid from the apples.
Preheat an oven to 350 F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and butter the rim of four 4-inch tart ring molds.
To assemble each tart: Brush a sheet of phyllo with some of the melted butter. Slice the sheet in half so you have two squares (or fat rectangles). Place one of the cut sheets into a mold, and place the other on top perpendicular to the first sheet. Repeat this with another sheet and place in the mold in the same manner. You should have 4 layers of phyllo in the mold. Press the pyhllo down and against the buttered sides. Fill the mold with apples 3/4-inch in height. Take another sheet of phyllo dough and brush it with butter. Slice it in half the same way and place one of the cut sheets on top of the apples, and the second sheet of phyllo on top of it. Fill the mold with more apples about 1/2-inch in height. Fold the excess layers up and over the apples. Fold and/or crinkle the excess edges up and on the top of the tart. Brush the top with the melted butter and sprinkle some of granulated sugar on top. Repeat this procedure for the three remaining tarts. Place into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the phyllo crust is a golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing the mold. (As long as the phyllo hasn't fallen outside of the ring, you can lift the mold up over the tart.) If the mold can not be lifted up to remove, you can remove it by sliding a four-inch piece of cardboard under the tart, lifting the tart and lifting the tart up from the mold. The tart should be served warm. Dust with powdered sugar. It goes perfectly with both caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. Enjoy!
**Note: The French would probably think it sacrilege that I would add even a pinch of cinnamon to this tart, but I like a little cinnamon with my cooked apples. If you want the true Gascon dessert, leave the cinnamon out.
Clarifying Butter:
Melt the butter on low heat just until it bubbles. Skim the bubbles, which are the impurities in the butter. Let it sit and separate. The water and milk solids will sink to the bottom. You can pour off or ladle off the butter fat that has come to the top, and discard the rest. About 3/4 cup of butter will render 1/2 cup of clarified butter. Using clarified butter with phyllo dough, allows you to have crispier layers of dough as there will be no water/moisture added from the butter.
Working with Phyllo Dough:
Many people hate working with phyllo dough, but with practice you won't think twice about using it. There are a few important things to remember. Defrost it in the refrigerator, not on the counter. When working with it, it's important to keep it moist and work as quickly as possible. To keep it moist, I lay a dry paper towel over the top and place a damp dish towel over the paper towel. The moisture from the dish towel will soak the paper towel a little but not too much. Before I open up the phyllo dough, I have my work area all set up. Then, I am able to work as quickly as possible. Once you've defrosted the phyllo dough, you will need to use all of it. You can make these tarts in advance and freeze them, or you can make various appetizers with them. (A few appetizers suggestions coming soon.)
I recently spent a month in the southwest of France, most of it in the Dordogne. This region, (also called Perigord) surrounding the Dordogne river, is lush with meadows, forests and some vineyards. Included in the landscape are castles on cliffsides, prehistoric painted caves, formal gardens and a countryside dotted with picturesque villages. However, to me, this area will forever be the “land of the duck.” In one month, I'm sure I ate more duck than I’ve eaten in my entire lifetime. I even had it for breakfast! At a morning outdoor market several foie gras vendors invited me to sample their delicacies. What kind of visitor would I be to decline? Foie gras and breakfast had never before entered my mind, but I had to try it. Those little slabs of foie gras on crusty French baguette cubes were one of the best breakfasts ever.
The Village of Saint Genies
Market in Perigueux
France is famous for its duck dishes. You will find Magret de Canard (duck breast) or Cuisse de Canard also known as Confit de Canard (duck leg slow cooked and preserved in duck fat). Tournedos Rossini, the classic French dish of filet mignon topped with a slab of foie gras and served in a Sauce Perigueux (truffle sauce -- yes, Perigord is also famous for its truffles) and topped with shaved black truffles--just in case it wasn't already rich enough. These duck dishes you can find throughout France, but in the Dordogne you find them and so many others. Duck is as common to the Dordogne people as a chicken breast is to a Californian.
In addition to the beef tournedos, just as popular are Tournedos de Magret. Two slices of duck breast strung together to make the round "tournedos" form, then a slice of foie gras is placed in the center. The tournedos are pan fried and served in the same rich truffle sauce. There are Aiguilettes (duck breast tenders), usually cooked to rare and served with a cream sauce. The dish above is a salad of gesiers (duck gizzards). The gizzards are also confit in duck fat. If you’d like more variety of duck in your salad, then try a Salade Perigourdine. It has gesiers, slices of either smoked or dried duck breast and topped with a fat slab of foie gras. Along with the various parts of the duck and cooking preparations, there are the numerous types of foie gras - cuit, mi-cuit, cru, entier, bloc, pate, mousse. Like I said, I was in the land of the duck.
After a month, I had even become somewhat of a duck snob. At a wine festival where they served street fare versions of regional food (yes, foie gras as street food), I was nibbling on an assortment of duck and very disappointed in the quality of the foie gras. It was a bit grainy. A French woman asked me where I purchased the plate. I told her, warning her that the foie gras wasn’t very good. She frowned and explained that it was more likely that I was not in the habit of eating foie gras. I smiled and thought, “Lady, what do you think I’ve been eating for the last month?!” Compared to her life-long consumption of it, she was probably right.
Duck isn't exactly a staple in California. Except for fine dining restaurants and some ethnic markets, it's nearly impossible to find. And, you certainly don't see confit duck gizzards or jars of duck fat in the supermarkets. I'm glad I got to try all of the duck variations during my visit. I would suggest any and all of them for your next visit to Dordogne.
Assiette Perigourdine (Assortment of Duck)
Magret de Canard (Duck Breast)
Aiguillettes (Duck Breast Tenders)
Confit de Canard and Foie Gras at the Market
Common Supermarket Items in Dordogne - Jars of Duck Fat and Gesiers Confit
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While traveling what food/dish did you find that was so common in that country and so rare in yours? Which Dordogne duck dish sounds most appealing to you?
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Village of Saint Genies France
This post is part of WanderFood Wednesdays - check out the other wandering foodies that blog.
Did you know that the croissant isn’t really French? It’s actually Austrian. Legend has it that after the failed attack by the Turks during the Siege of Vienna in 1683, Viennese bakers made pastries to celebrate. They shaped the pastries in the form of the crescent they saw on the flags of the Ottomon Turks. These “kipfel” (German name for crescent) became popular in Vienna after that celebration.
In 1770 the croissant came to Paris. The Austrian Princess Marie Antoinette went to France to marry King Louis XVI. To honor her, Parisian bakers made these same pastries, calling them the French name, croissant. Croissants were as popular in Paris as the kipfel in Austria. The French perfected and popularized the croissant making technique. The little half-moon shaped pastries went on to become one of the most famous food symbols for France.
There is a whole category of French breakfast pastries that fall under the name Viennoiserie (Viennese Specialties). The technique for making them lies somewhere between the crafts of the boulanger (baker) and and that of the patissier (pastry maker). Viennoiserie are made with a yeast-leavened dough having some similarities to bread making; however, butter, eggs, milk, sugar and sometimes cream are added to the dough making them sweeter and bringing them closer to pastry making. You will find them in a boulangerie. Some, not all, patisseries sell them. The more popular Viennoiserie are croissants, pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins, brioche, baguette viennoise, and chausson aux pommes.
They are best eaten right out of the oven. When in Paris, I like to sneak out super early in the morning and pick up one while they are still warm, preferring other types of Viennoiserie over the croissant. Whether you are croissant faithful or not, you should have at least one (per day) of these breakfast pastries while in Paris.
A perfect Paris morning for me: a warm Viennoiserie, a bench in one of the many lush Paris parks, the melody of children laughing, birds chirping and flowing waters from fountains in the backdrop, and flaky crumbs covering my lap once I’m finished eating.
Flaky layers inside a Pain au Chocolat from Maison Kayser
Pain au Pistache (cousin to the Pain aux Raisins) from Boulanger de Monge
Chausson aux Pommes from Boulangerie Gregoire at 69 rue Monge
Tuilleries Garden
A tip on finding the best boulangeries in Paris:
There are great boulangeries in every arrondissement in Paris. I wouldn't get on the Metro and go across the city to search out the "best" boulangerie. Instead I'd stay near your hotel/apartment and look to see where the the Parisians are lining up. Especiailly weekend mornings and around 7:00pm during the week, they'll line up at the best neighborhood boulangeries waiting for baguettes fresh out of the oven. This also might be the only time you'll ever see a Parisian waiting in line. One of best pleasures in Paris is buying a freshly baked baguette (or 2) so hot out of the oven, you can barely carry it home, if it makes it home---that's why you get two. I usually make at least one stop at Mayson Kayser who has boutiques throughout Paris. If I'm in the 14th or 15 arr., there's the Quartier du Pain (the chef, Frederic Lalos is a MOF) and Phillipe Gosselin in the 1st, 7th and 9th arr. But, I happily stand in line to test another boulangerie's goods wherever I am.
Jardin du Luxembourg
Join
me in Provence in 2013 for a French Pastry Culinary Vacation and learn how to
create these and other classic French pastries! Details here: Pastry-Making Vacation in Provence
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What is your favorite Breakfast Pastry? How would you spend a perfect morning in Paris?
No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to L'as du Fallafel. It's not French food, and it's definitely not haute cuisine. It's a dive, but they make some really tasty falafels and the price is even better (7 euros for a falafel and a soda). I'm not the only one who thinks so, either. During lunch time, there is always a wait for a table; and I've never been there when there wasn't a line to purchase a falafel to go.
(The To Go Window)
I had to get my falafel fix in before tomorrow when my friend from Israel gets here; he's supposed to bring me a great fallefel recipe, so I can make them when I'm not in Paris. (Moshe: if you're reading this, don't forget my falafel recipe.) He's not going to want to go there because going to Paris and eating a falafel for him is like an American going to Paris and eating a hamburger. (Oh no, I've just used the American/hamburger stereotype.) But when we all lived here while going to school, he at first made fun of us Americans going to the L'as du Fallafel. After a few months though, he asked me to go with him because he was missing falafels. And, he kept going back.
Falafels are what I would call fried chickpea (garbanzo beans) meatballs. They take the chickpea flour and add spices and herbs; then fry them. They are then stuffed into a pita type bread along with cucumbers, cabbage, and sauteed eggplant. They top it with tahini sauce, and a spicy sauce if you want. You're supposed to eat the HUGE falafel only with your hands. I can't do it without spilling sauce and a few falafel balls all over me, so I use a fork. I guess this is a big no no because Moshe, rolls his eyes and scolds me when I use a fork. Then he starts looking around to make sure he doesn't see anyone he knows. Heaven forbid he is seen with someone eating a falafel with a FORK! Messy and good, and also vegan. Aren't most things that are messy also good? In any case, no matter what kind of budget you're on while visiting Paris, you should definitely make L'as du Fallafel one of your stops. Sunday's are one of it's busiest days as it's in the Marais (the Jewish section of Paris---and nowadays also the gay and trendy & chic section) and most stores in this area are open on Sundays. The address is 34 rue de Rosiers; the closest metro is St. Paul.
It takes a little while to adjust to an apartment in Paris. For instance, the kitchen in my rented apartment, where I imagined creating fabulous pastries and French dishes, was once a closet, or should I say 1/2 a closet (the other half has the washing machine, a vacuum, and a little space for my clothes). In the so-called kitchen, I have two burners, a college dorm-sized refrigerator, and a microwave. I knew the kitchen was going to be small, but the information about the apartment online said it had a microwave/oven. Unfortunately, there is no oven, only a microwave. I'm going to have to get creative to make these pastries, but we'll see what I can do. Then, there's the bathroom. The bathroom has just enough room between the toilet and the sink for me to slide between them sideways and wash my hands in the sink. The shower is about 3 feet by 3 feet; however, the way the shower curtain hangs into the shower, it cuts off about 1 1/2 of the feet. I now have 3 feet by 1 1/2 feet of room. Basically the point is to shower fast, and moving is out of the question, or expect water to flood out into the rest of the bathroom.
Somehow after only three days here, I managed to take a shower without flooding the bathroom floor. The three towels I had put down to absorb the gallons of water that would flood out from the shower (I've been known to flood bathrooms in Europe, to the point that the water drips to the room below) were DRY. Yes, the floor was dry! I had adjusted, and now I was ready to conquer Paris.
I had reason to celebrate and the best way to do that was to indulge in a Pierre Herme pastry in my favorite park in Paris. Pierre Herme is one of the best pastry chefs, if not THE best, in all of France. When visiting Paris, you shouldn't miss going to one of his shops. His pastries are perfectly constructed, he combines unique flavors and textures, and the pastries taste as good as they look. His shops look a little unapproachable, and it can feel like you're at Tiffany's instead of a food shop. They even place the pastries in a box, specially made for Pierre Herme. Many patisseries in France have these specially made boxes.
It's sunny today, and I'm headed straight to the Notre Dame Cathedral, or actually the back of Notre Dame. While so many tourists, and gypsies, are clamoring around the front or the sides of the cathedral, few are behind it in the park. The park is named Square Jean XXIII. It's a peaceful and scenic escape to enjoy my pastry. From my park bench, I gaze at the flying buttresses of Notre Dame, the greenery of the trees pruned perfectly into 90 degree angles, the tulips in bloom, and a few children running around or away from their parents. It's a great place to take a sightseeing break or to enjoy a croissant, sandwich, crepe, or even a pastry.
The pastry I've chosen for today is called "Montebello Individuel." It's an individual sized pastry with a pistachio dacquoise (cake made with meringue and ground nuts---in this case, pistachios), pistachio pastry cream and strawberries. Simple yet a perfect blend of crunchy (the dacquoise has a crunchy crust), creamy (pistachio pastry cream) and sweet (strawberries). After enjoying this pastry, I decide I will try a different patisserie and pastry each day I'm here and report back to you. It's rough work, I now.
As I walk on to my next desitination, I cross the street and almost have my hip nicked by a car. I am instantly reminded that the French see crosswalks, as many of us Americans see yellow lights, only as a suggestion to stop; even when there are pedistrians in the middle of the crosswalk. OK, so I have a long way to go before I conquer Paris. I'm here for a month, and I'll keep trying. In the meantime, let me know what are your favorite patisseries in Paris, your favorite parks, or places you would like me to "conquer" while I'm here?
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