Dessert By Candy

Baking Classes At Ecole Lenôtre

(continue from previous installment)

During my 10-day stay in Paris back in October 2004, I took a couple of baking class for homecooks at Ecole Lenôtre. I was very excited about going to these pastry classes offered by the famous Lenotre at their Pavillon Elysee branch. With my very limited French vocabulary, I managed to register for both the pain d’epice and the opera cake class by email correspondence with the helpful staff. The classes are hands-on and are taught in French with a maximum of 8 students per class. Before I left for the trip, I was a little worry that I would not understand the instructions given in class. Our instructor chef Francois Schmitt was very patient with my limited understanding of the language. The course was represented in a very clear manner that was easy to understand. Not only did I survived the course, I found the classes to be extremely beneficial.

The pain d’epice class included five different recipes: ice-cream, crème brulee, pain d’epice, spiced hot chocolate, and a pistachio petit-fours that was scheduled in at the last minute. We began with making the ice-cream since it requires the longest chilling time. The ice-cream was an egg-less mixture containing pureed pain d’epice and candied orange peel. The mixture was fragrant with the four spices. I was surprised to find how rich the mixture was even without the eggs. Next, we began to scale for the pain d’epice. It was a simple cake that didn’t require much skill to make but I did learn the importance of using a flavourful honey such as pine (sapin) or chestnut (chaitagne) honey. The creme brulee was an easy mixture of uncook custard with a slice of pain d'epice in each dish. The custard was baked in a bain maire until it was set but still jiggly in the center. Don't let the simplicity foold you, this recipe yielded very amazing result. The pain d'epice was soaked with silky custard which made it very delicious. The spiced hot chocolate was a classic european chocolat chaud recipe made with dark chocolate, milk, cream, and sugar but infused with pain d'epice spices. I have yet to come across a cup of chocolat chaud that I didn't like in Paris so I was more than happy to have a recipe from Lenotre. The spices made the rich warm chocolate a bit exotic and it cut the richness well. We enjoyed both the ice-cream and the chocolat chaud at the end of the class while chatting with chef.

Since we had all those egg whites left over from making the ice-cream, chef decided to add another recipe to the class at last minute. We used the eggs whites and pistachio paste to make a pistachier, similar in texture to a financier. We baked the petit-fours in a star-shape flexipan which gave them a rather whimsical appearance.

The next morning, I returned to Pavillon Elysee for my second pastry class. Unlike the day before, I arrived with time to spare. The topic was Opera cake. One of my main reasons for choosing this class was the variety of different skills this cake involves. Little did I know that I would pick up some many useful tips by the end of the class! Here is a brief summary:

• How to make a pliable jaconde: do not overbake. It should only take a little colour. Before the batter goes into the oven, remember to run your thumb against all sides of the pan. This prevents overbaking along the edges.
• How to peel the parchment paper from a sheet of jaconde: turn the jaconde upside-down so that the parchment paper faces the ceiling. Put a cooling rack on top of the jaconde and start peeling. As you pull, the cooling rack is slowly moved away by the parchment as well. The weight of the cooling rack is helpful in keeping the jaconde down and prevents tearing.
• How to slide a cake layer from the cooling rack to the mould/cake ring.
• How to prevent the assembled cake from sticking to the bottom of the mould: paint the bottom of the cake layer with melted chocolate and dust the bottom of the mould with cocoa for good measure.
• How to adhere the assembled cake to the cake board: a tiny dab of glucose

In addition, it was also good to observe the techniques that chef Francois Schmitt used such as glazing, brushing syrup onto the jaconde using cross strokes, cutting & trimming of the cake, whipping egg whites, and most interesting of all, making a crème anglaise-based buttercream. I was surprised to find how easy it was to make this rich buttercream without the hazzle of cooking a sugar syrup. A crème anglaise was made on the stovetop and whipped until cooled to room temperature. By the time it was cooled, the crème anglaise increased in volume by quite a lot. Simply beat in softened butter and the buttercream would be ready for flavouring. Chef also showed us a trick to soften butter using the microwave. Just simply wrap cold butter in clingfilm, heat in microwave briefly, punch & flatten with hand, and heat more as required. This is a very convenient trick indeed that I've been using to this day.

Chef cut the sheet cake into smaller portions so that each student had their own cake to decorate. We each got to pipe on the signature script "Opera" onto the cake along with decorative borders using warm chocolate compound in a parchment cone. As a finishing touch, we dotted some obligatory gold leaf onto the cake as well. I got to take this cake home with me and I must say, having opera cake for breakfast with my best friend S in an apartment by the Eiffel Tower was quite a memorable experience!

Technorati: baking class, Ecole Lenotre, Pavillon Elysee, dessert

Lingerie Shopping Can be Fun

One thing that I absolutely enjoyed in Paris was lingerie shopping. During my last trip in 2004, I saw a set of red and black plaid by La Perla. It was exactly the kind of things I love but for whatever reason, I didn't buy it and I've been regretting since.

During my first day of shopping in this trip, I spotted this really pretty set by Chantal Thomass at Le Bon Marche but I didn't have a chance to try them on with only a few minutes until store closing. The design was unlike anything I've seen before...it was so feminine and so pretty in a non-fussy kind of way even through it was adorned with bows. During my very last night in Paris, I went into the Orcanta boutique and finally gave it a try. It was gorgeous as expected. I bought it without hesitation along with another pretty set in pink & brown (my latest favourite colour combination) by Passionata's Managua collection. Compared to shopping for lingerie back home, it was such a joy to shop there. Everything is so pretty and of course, the service was personal and impeccable.

One thing that's worth mentioning is Orcanta's loyalty program. It is free to enroll and you get a 5 euro coupon upon first purchase. For every 2 euro you spend at the store, you recieve 1 point. Once you've accumulated 100 points, you get a 10 euro coupon. This boutique carries many great brands and It's definitely a better deal than shopping at the individual brand's boutique. I now have 15 euro's worth of coupon....if only I'm going to be back in Paris in the next 3 months!

Pierre Herme

No visit to Paris would be complete without a visit to Pierre Herme Patisserie. I had a chance to sample a few pieces from his Desirs collection. The Emotion is a layered dessert sold in a glass that I'm particularly fond of. On the left is the Emotion Orientale containing layers of pain d'epices creme brulee, soft fruit and dates cooked in tea, and lemon gelee. The tea lends a very pleasant flavour to the dried fruit and it went well with the fragrant spices of the creme brulee. On the right is the Emotion Mahogany with layers of litchi compote, mango compote, coconut dacquoise, and caramel mascarpone cream. I really really enjoyed this dessert. Although I work with tropical fruit very often, I did not discover how well litchi and mango work together until I tasted this dessert. The caramel also tied the flavour together very nicely. This dessert is very inspiring indeed...I'm already getting all sorts of ideas of using this flavour combination.

The third item I tried from the Desirs collection is Instant, the teardrop shaped chocolate dessert shown on the right. Inside it's shell of dark chocolate, I found Earl-Grey tea gelee, tea-flavoured ganache, chocolate mousse, and soft chocolate biscuit. I did not enjoy this very much, possibly because I had it too cold. The tempered chocolate shell was very hard and so was the mousse. The flavour was rather muted and the texture was just all wrong to me. From the signature collection, I tried the Desire. It was a sable breton base, lemon cream, strawberry & banana compote, soft lemon biscuit, and fresh wild strawberries. It was a very refreshing taste of lilting lemon and fruity strawberry. I wish I had this at the height of the strawberry season. The remaining item in the picture was a bombe de marroon from Rollet Pradier. It was a fondant covered cake with chestnut mousse and genoise filling. It was a little anti-climatic after the much more complicate Pierre Herme desserts.

So this wraps up my brief stay in Paris this year. I'm looking forward to coming home.

Another Lunch At Le Comptoir

As promised, I returned to Le Comptoir again for lunch today for more great bistro food.

My appetizer was a ballotin of rabbit, garnihsed with a wedge of lettuce and a drop of reduced balsamic vinegar. It was very meaty and tasty though in a very straightforward kind of way. The reduced balsamic vinegar was a nice touch though. It was another nice day today so I absolutely enjoyed sitting at the outdoor terrace while watching the world went by. Besides, outdoor lighting makes the picture of the food so much more appetizing in a picnic kinda way!

For my main course, I chose the lamb with couscous and dried fruits. I was a little put off by the layer of grease floating on top of the couscous but after a taste of that flavourful couscous, all thoughts of healthy eating went out the window. It picked up all the flavour of the lamb without effort. The mixture of dried prunes, apricots, and golden raisins were a nice touch too, adding a little sweetness to this otherwise heavy dish. The meat was very tender after long hours of cooking.

My dessert was a pots de creme au chocolate. Now, shouldn't it be brown instead of the cream colour in the picture? That was the question many other diners asked as well. They actually floated a layer of creme anglaise on top of the chocolate pots de creme. Once I dug into the custard, the silky smooth chocolate custard revealed itself. It was again a very simple dessert that was done very well.

[Sigh] How I wish I can get bistro food of this quality back in Toronto!

Mulot and Laduree

Here's a look at what I had for breakfast this morning...starting from the top left corner, there was the Palerme from Gerard Mulot. It was a pistachio bavarois with a chocolate macaron base and filled with raspberry compote in the middle. The whole dome was set on top of a pate sucre coated with chocolate. Next was a lemon tart from Mulot as well. I must say Mulot really knows how to make pate sucre well. Both the lemon tart and their cherry clafoutis have a tender and flaky crust that does not seem at all affected by the moisture of the filling even after long hours. Kudos to them. Also in the picture was a buchette arabica from Laduree. It was an intensely coffee flavour mousse enhanced by the crunchy chocolate/roasted espresso bean garnish. However, presentation-wise, I found the rectangular piece of pate sucre a little silly. I also had a buchette marron from Laduree but it was not included in the picture. Reason being...I tripped on blvd Saint-Germain while holding the box containing two buchettes. I scraped and bruised my knees quite badly and the buchettes did not survive my fall too well either. I liked the Fauchon version of pear and chestnut buchette better.

Paris Photo Album

I have added a Paris: December 2005 photo album to show some of the interesting pictures taken during this trip. These pictures don't necessarily relate to my meals. To me, these that things that captured my attention and made me wish you are here to experience the city with me. Enjoy!

Buchette De Noel and Chestnuts

It's Christmas time in Paris and to me it means chestnut & buche de noel season. Chestnuts is one of my absolute favourite flavour of all times and the mere fact of seeing the dazzling varieties of chestnut desserts in pasty shops makes my heart skip a beat. Buche de Noel is the ubiquitous Christmas log cakes that signifies the last rush of holidy shopping to me. The traditional buche typically looks like a festive jelly-roll tempered with plastic figurines and too much chocolate frosting. However, most of the modern buche found in pastry shops in Paris are streamlined and so very chic (check out page 18 of the Fauchon Christmas 2005 catalogue). Of course, getting a full-size buche is not at all practical for me during my trip so I was glad to sample the miniature version of individual size called buchette.

More likely than not, pastry shops offer more than one flavour of buche de noel and being chestnut season, a marron flavour buche is a given. For example, I had the buchette de poires et marrons from Fauchon for breakfast this morning and it was a very tasty chestnut concoction. The tiny cubes of poached pears in the middle made for a nice contrast of flavour. I have two more buchettes from Laduree (chestnut and coffee). I will definitely report back!

How Much Does Honesty Cost?

As I found out today, I kept my honesty and integrity for the bargain price of 32 euros. Let me backtrack a little for the complete story...

Today was my much-anticipated lunch at L'Arpege, chef Alain Passard's famed 3-Michelin-star restaurant. I unwisely packed my morning with a frantic schedule that included multiple stops in some of the busiest stores in Les Halles (E. Dehillerin, G. Detou) plus visit to the Christian Louboutin boutique nearby. Needless to say, by the time I figured out my metro route to Varenne, I had only seconds to spare before my arranged time for reservation at the restaurant.

Chef Passard is famous for his vegetable dishes and I was determined to find out for myself. Although the set menu looked rather interesting, there was a couple of dishes on the regular menu that really caught my attention. This is what I had:

• Homard « Arpège » au miel du jardin: one of chef's classic dish of lobster with honey. It was absolutely the best lobster preparation I've ever had. The sweetness of the lobster flesh was enhanced by the flavour of the honey. So refine in an understated way...I will never look at lobster the same way again.
• Arlequin potager à l’huile d’argan chou, carotte, navet, oignon, betterave, radis d’hiver, céleri-rave…: This was unlike any thing I've ever had before. The huge round plate was totally filled wtih an explosion of colour provided by all the different vegetables in this dish. Each piece of vegetable offered its own unique flavour profile. It was a reminder of all the wonderful gifts nature has given us. It sounds really cliché but this dish was a revelation to me.
• Grand cru de chocolat noir: a dark and delicious chocolate souffle that so satisfyingly proper. I needed it to erase my last chocolate souffle memory.

Of course, there were also an amuse of softly set egg in its shell flavoured with maple syrup and mignardise of pâtes de légume (just like pâtes de fruit except that they were made with vegetables) and puff pastry rounds glazed with whiskey.

Compare to my other dining experience at Pierre Gagnaire and Taillevent, I must say there's nothing much in common. I felt pampered in every way at Taillevent but the food was not particularly memorable. At Pierre Gagnaire, I was blown away by the innovation and showmanship of chef Gagnaire's cuisine. At L'Arpege, neither the service nor the creativity measure up to the previous two but there's a certain sincerity that really shone through.

Now that you're forced to read through my thoughts on the meal, I can finally tell you about the 32 euro story. When the bill arrived, I was surprised to find that the chocolate souffle was not included. I struggled long and hard, trying to decide if I should just take the advantage or remind them of the missing item. I decided to be honest.

I can only hope that I'm building good karma (and boy I know that this good karma has not come back to me yet...).

Sunday Shopping

I suppose I really luck out. I originally didn't expect to do much except for visiting Champs Elysees on Sunday but since it is only weeks before Christmas, many stores have extended their opening hours to include Sunday shopping.

My route today look me to the Palais-Royale/Lourve area, down to Les Halles, and eventually to Place de la Madeleine. Walking along rue St Honore towards Les Halles, it was interesting to see the change in neighbourhood--how the boutiques gave way to butchers, bakeries, and epiceries. The more I walked towards the 1st arrondisement, the less glamourous the surrounding appears. On my way there, I spotted the bakery of Phillip Gosselin. I recalled reading some high praises for his baguette ancienne so I had to try it out myself. The crust was not as crispy as the one I sampled at Poujouran yesterday but it had a very open crumb in creamy colour. The flavour was great.

Before I knew it, I was smack in the middle of Les Halles with my favourte kitchen supplies stores steps away. Unfortunately, none of these stores are open so I will have to come back next day to do my purchases.

I spent quite a bit of time in Les Halles and Montorgueil in my last trip and really enjoyed the boutique shopping here. As much as I like the department stores, there is something fun and a sense of discovery when shopping in small boutiques. A good number of these boutiques were open today due to the Christmas schedule so I had a great time looking at all the pretty things on offer. For midday snack, I had a baba au rhum from the very famous pastry shop Stohrer. Legend has it that this is the birthplace of baba au rhum so of course it is not to be missed. I recall not really enjoying it when I tried it two years ago, thinking it was too boozy for my taste. However, I think my taste has changed since. I ate my baba in front of the St Eustache church and enjoyed every single boozy bite. Perhaps eating it at a cold temperature made it better?

Dusk comes early at this time of the year in Paris and it was very dark when I walked along rue St Honore back torwards Place de la Madeleine. In the opposition direction, stores became more chic and more exclusive until eventually I found myself surrounded by designer boutiques. There was a costumn jewelry store Satelite that really caught my attention. Absolutely everything in that store was beautiful. If you are like me and have a penchant for romantic intricate jewelry, I think you will like this store too.

For me, no trip to Paris is complete without checking out the original Laduree shop on Place de la Madeleine. It was crowded as usual and I lined up to get my order of macarons gerbet and marshmallow. After sampling macarons from a number of prestigious pastry shops around Paris, Laduree is still my first love. I bought a selection of chestnut, rose, pistachio, orange flower, black pepper (!), and dark chocolate. Chestnut is a seasonal flavour but definitely my favourite. Black pepper was just too weird to my liking.

I ended my long day with chocolat chaud at the Fauchon salon de the. It was a nice and relaxing way to wrap up a busy shopping day.

Sunday Lunch at Le Comptoir

After hearing so much good words about Yves Camdeborde's new bistro Le Comptoir at the Hotel Relais Saint-Germain, I was determined to dine there this time in Paris. Unable to secure a reservation for one of the weeknight dinners (they have a different menu), I still wanted to try their bistro menu at lunch. After some unexpected delay at the apartment, I finally made it to Odeon around half past noon. The terrace outdoor seating was empty except for two tables but the inside was completely packed. Between the heated lamps above and the blankets that I could use to drape over my lap, I was not at all worry about the cold.

It was a sunny afternoon but the chill in the air was unmistakable. Naturally, my menu selection geared towards the comfort food. For my appetizer, I had a hard time making up my mind. There was a rabbit dish that I wanted to try but in the cochonaille section, there were sooo many choices (I have a weakness for sausages, pate, and forced meat). I ended up selecting the basket of sausages with a little ceramic pot of spread. Well, let's just say I was surprised by the portion the minute the plate was set in front of me. There was a bodin noir (blood sausage), a tripe sausage, and a dried sausage ver similar to salami. The spread was like a rillet. With the crusty baguette slices and a glass of red wine, I could have call this a complete meal. It was delicious. I like the tripe sausage and the spread the best. When the people sitting at the next table saw my order, they ordered the same too.

For my main course, I ordered a piping hot joue de boeuf au vin rouge (beef stew in red wine). It was just the thing for this chilly December afternoon. The broth was robust and hearty; the beef was spoon-tender; the carrots were sweet; the wild-mushroom delicious; and the macaroni was the perfect starch to pick up the broth. This is the kind of comfort food that I've been craving since breaking my 5-week meat-free fast.

The dessert menu stayed in the bistro style of simple offering. I had a hard time deciding between the apple mango tarte tatin, chocolate pot de creme, and the petit gateau basque avec glace de lait brebis. In the end, I had the gateau basque because it was one of my favourte cakes to make. The cake was moist from the baked-in pastry cream filling and fragrant with almond. The ice-cream has the occassional ice crystal but otherwise was delicious.

There are many other things that I would still like to try from their bistro menu. Perhaps I'll visit again on Tuesday. High quality French bistro food is rare, if not non-existent, in Toronto. I enjoy fine dining as much as anyone but you know, comfort food is what I really want now.

Le Comptoir

9, carrefour de l'Odeon

Paris 75006

Shopping For Breakfast

As many of you already know, I love breakfast. It has always been my favourite meal of the day as far as the type of food being eaten. In Paris, I love even more to shop for my breakfast because I can shop for all kinds of perishable/refrigerated food that I can't bring back to Canada.

The dairy section of La Grande Epicerie de Paris is always one of my stop on my first day in this city. There, I would pick up a kinds of different yogurts, desserts, and milk for the remainder of my trip. Let's take look at what I had for breakfast this morning after my very fruitful trip last night:

On the left, I had a molten centre cake in chestnut flavour. I love all the different kinds of chestnut desserts here. In the front, I have a little glass container of custard with caramel at the bottom. It was okay, not as smooth and silky as I would expect. On the right, it was a box of macarons that I bought from Iunx, a very chic and modern perfumerie. The macarons were made by Laduree and it was in White Amber flavour (one of Iunx's signature scent). It was surprisingly very very delicious. Last but not least, I had a glass of full-fat milk too.

I'm looking forward to begin my day!

Memory Can Be A Powerful Thing

During my frist trip to Paris in 2004 with A, I didn't particularly pay much attention about the restaurant that we visited. Of course, dining in Paris was fun but it certainly wasn't a focus of the trip. Since then, I have become more interested in restaurants & cuisine and of course, the rest is history.

One of my vivid memory of that trip was a dinner at Cafe du Marche on rue Cler after a particularly long day of sightseeing. Both of us were tired so we just ordered a plats du jour, a steak tartare, and a creme brulee. That was my first taste of steak tartare and it was here that I've been converted to a fan. It was full of the great taste of beef before the manipulation of heat. The great balance of flavour was offered by the capers, onions, and seasoning. Since it was A's dish, I only sampled a few bites but the impression it made was deep. The creme brulee for dessert was also magnificient. I had never been a fan of creme brulee but remembering that my pastry teacher urged me to have one while in Paris, I did.

During this trip, although I can be much more selective about the food I eat, I can't help but to revisit Cafe du Marche tonight. The steak tartare and creme brulee were just as delicious as I remembered. I probably have tasted better version but the fact that I was reliving that precious memory was a powerful ingredient that made the food so much more important. The creme brulee was better than most fancier version that restaurants tend to dress up. It was a simple shallow dish of silky custard (admittedly, no visible vanilla beans) with a generous proportion of shattering caramel. It was absolutely delicious.

Christmas Market At St Sulpice

I wandered around so many places today it was a little difficult to keep track. For some stupid reasons, I refused to take the metro so it was a whole afternoon of walking (okay, I was actually feeling guilty about all the food I ate/plan to eat hence the walking). After five weeks in India, I was absolutely thrilled about experiencing "real winter" again. The mere thought of the chill in the air made me grin.

First thing first, lunch. I had my mind set on eating at Cafe Constant because I've been dreaming about their pot au feu ever since I last ate here. Unfortunately, it was not on the menu. I had an equally satisfying lunch of country-style pate, tete de veau, and poire belle Helene instead.

I started my journey in the Tour Eiffel neighbourhood and walked along rue de Grenelle towards Saint Germain. As cliche as it sounds, of course it was the journey, not the destination, that made it fun. Along the way, I made so many detours, wrong turns, and stopovers I was surprise by the end of the day that I was not completely lost in the city. The picture on the left shows the changing of the guards ceremony at Invalides that I just happned to walk past. This stretch of rue de Grenelle is lined with government and embassy buildings. It was not super-exciting except for Patisserie Rollet Pradier on rue Bourgogne. On the in-flight magazine, they had a picture of the Bombe de Marron of Rollet Pardier as part of the Christmas features. It costs 39 euros and was huge so I couldn't try it even if I wanted to.

I made a turn at rue du Bac because I saw the store front of Chapon. It certainly was a distinguish-looking place so I was curious enough to have a few pieces of chocolate here. I tried the rose & raspberry in milk chocolate (not bold enough), black tea in dark chocolate (unremarkable), pistachio & almond in dark chocolate (good), and a coffee in white chocolate (surprisingly good).

I kept on walking until I reached rue de l'Universite where I located the IUNX store. This was the most advant-garde fragrance store I've ever seen. The interior was sleek and dark with samples of the scents available in the most unusual stations. I couldn't even begin to describe it but suffice to say I felt like a total country bumpkin the minute I walked into the store. I bought a box of white amber macarons.

I started to lose track of my orientation around this time partly because the streets were now lined with interesting boutiques that kept on drawing me in (as well as my reluctance to use my map). I was surprise to find that it gets dark at such an early hour in Paris. It was only around five but the Christmas Market at St Sulpice positively sparkled with lights against the quickly darkening sky. I bought a paper-cone full of roasted chestnuts and began strolling around the market with piping hot chestnuts to keep my hands warm (how romantic is that!). Well, these kind of temporary markets are rarely any good as far as shopping goes. It was just the usual mishmash of people selling ethnic jewelry, toys, holiday cookies, and snacks. I was quickly attracted to the brightly-lit stall of marshmallow vendor. In addition to all the colourful skewers of marshmallows, chocolate-dipped marshmallows, candied apples, and chocolate-dipped strawberries, an apparatus took the place of honor with spun marshmallow hanging off one of its hooks. It looked like a sugar-high fantasy.

Blissfully Happy

After a long journey from Pune to Bombay to Paris, I have finally settled down comfortably in my apartment and begin to relax. This is my first vacation in eleven months.

I am once again staying at the same apartmant as I did in my previous two trips to Paris. Needless to say, I know my way around the neighbourhood without needing a map. The minute that I dropped off my luggage, I hopped right back to the street and strolled around the rue Cler area in search of breakfast.

There are lots of good boulangerie and patisserie in the 7th arrondisement and I knew exactly where I was going. I got a pain au chocolat at Millet and then lined up for baked goods with five or six locals at the Poujauran boulangerie. I bought a pain aux amandes, quartre-quarts au chocolat, and a demi-baguette. As I continued my walk around the rue Cler market, I couldn't help but kept on taking bite after bite of the delicious baguette. The crust was crisp like you wouldn't believe. It was so delicious that I finished the entire half stick of baguette before I returned to my apartment.

I also went to the Hevin2 shop on Motte-Piquette and got myself six chocolate macarons and a box of dark chocolate truffle/gianduja/praline. It will be tough when it comes time to pack.

I think I'll freshen up and go shopping in the 6th. With the temperature hovering around 0 degrees, the air is crisp and fresh. All the shop windows are decorated with Christmas decorations and there was just something so welcoming and magical about this time of year. I'm so blissfully happy.

Places To Visit In Paris

Patisserie

• Pierre Herme: 185 rue de Vaugirard Tue-Sun 10:00 to 19:00; 72 rue Bonaparte Tue-Fri, Sun 10:00 to 19:00, Sat 10:00 to 19:30
• Xavier Le Quere: 121 rue Mouffetard (Censier-Daubenton ligne 7) Tue-Sat 9:30 to 20:00, Sun 9:30 to 19:00
• Arnaud Larher: 53 rue Caulaincourt Tue-Sat 10:00 to 19:30, specialty Kouign Amann
• Gerard Mulot: 76 rue de Seine/2 rue Iobineau
• Stohrer: 51 rue Montorgueil Mon-Sun 7:30-20:30, specialty baba au rhum

Chocolaterie

• Patrick Roger: 108 boulevard St-Germain (Odeon ligne 4) Tue-Sat 10:30-19:30
• Le Maison Du Chocolat:
• Terroirs & Terroir Chocolat: 21 passage Choisseul (Pyramides, Quartre Septembre)
• Michel Chaudun: 149 rue de l'Universite 75007 Mon-Sat 9:30-19:30
• Christian Constant: 37 rue d'Assas 75006 (St-Placide) Mon-Fri 8:30-21:00, Sat-Sun 8:00-20:30
• Michel Cluizel: 201 rue St Honore
• Richart: 258 boulevard St-Germain 75007 (Solferino)
• Jacques Genin: 18 rue St-Charles 75015, specialty caramel (minimum order 1kg@50euros)

Boulangerie

• Maison Kayser: 8 rue Monge (Maubert-Mutualite ligne 8) Wed-Mon 7:00 to 20:30, 14 rue Monge Tue-Sun 7:00 to 20:15
• Philippe Gosselin: 125 rue St Honore
• Jean-Noel Julien: 75 rue St Honore
• Poilane: 8 rue de Cherche Midi

Restaurants

• Les Ambassadeurs: Sunday Brunch 12:00 to 15:00 60 euros per person. Reservations taken 2 weeks prior. Hmm, it's fully booked. (Concorde ligne 8)
• L'Arpege: reservation Monday Dec 12, 2005 13:00. Confirm reservation one day prior. 84, rue de Varenne, 75007
• Senderens: in progress
• Le Comptoir: fully booked will try to drop in for lunch. 9 carrefour de l'Odeon, 75006
• Cafe Constant
• L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon: Hotel Pont Royale, 7 rue de Montalembert, 75007

Shopping

• Christian Louboutin: 19, rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Falais Royal-Musee du Louvre)
• Colette: 213, rue Saint-Honore (Tuileries or Pyramides)
• E. Dehillerin: 18-20, rue Coquilliere, 75001 (Les Halles or Louvre)
• G. Detou
• Iunx: 48-50 rue de l'Universite (Rue du Bac)

Paris Fooding Adventure II

(continue from previous installment)

The day started slow. I thought there’s a market at Pont d’Alma so I headed that direction after a quick breakfast of more pain Poilane, butter, and Swiss Delice vanilla yogurt with vanilla beans (I simply love the choice of yogurt in Europe!). Unfortunately, I didn’t find the market so I headed over to Anne-Marie Cantin fromagerie on rue Champs de Mar for some cheese instead. While I was strolling by rue Cler, I decided to finally give those golden translucent champagne grapes a try. At the cheese store, I was excited to find vacherin available. They were only available in large wedges though. Considering that I didn’t want to eat the same cheese until the end of my vacation, I got a half round of Camembert and a thin block of Comté instead.

Realizing that it was almost time to leave for lunch at Pierre Gagnaire, I quickly dropped off my groceries at the flat and took the metro to Etoile. The restaurant was easy to find and was a quick walk from the station. They sat me at a table in a little nook with a good view of the whole dining room. I eagerly started to read the menu and regretted that I did not bring my dictionary. It was the height of autumn (i.e. game season) but I didn’t recognize many of the vocabulary. Along with the carte, there were also a lunch set menu (90 €) and the tasting menu (225 €). I had my heart set on trying the langoustine starter and the turbot main course so decision was easy indeed. While I was perusing the menu, the pre-amuse arrived. I included a score out of 10 indicating how much I enjoyed the dish. These are the notes I made immediately after the meal but since I did not have the menu in front of me, they are only as accurate as my memory goes.

Crunchy Foie Gras Ball: A ball of foie gras skewered on toothpick coated and deep fried to have a crunchy exterior and creamy interior. Love the textural contrast. [8/10]

Fromage Frais Canape: Square of thin pastry topped with fromage frais and half a blackberry. [6/10]

Mushroom Paté: A spoon of mushroom pate served with a bread stick and a square of nori. [7/10]

Crunchy Stuff: A savory tuile topped with some kind of seeds and folded in half like a taco. A dried veggie puree stick. Both stuck in a cup of bread crumbs. I did not understand this and I made a mess of the crumbs. [4/10]

Shortly after I ordered, the dining room started filling up. Before I knew it, the amuse-bouche arrived.

Oeuf Mayonnaise (?): Half of a poached egg yolk rested on top of a mound of soba noodles in a pool of foamed mayonnaise. Chopped egg whites sit in a pile on the lip of the bowl. This was one of the highlights of the meal. The yolk was addictively gelatinous which complemented perfectly the texture of the mayo. [10/10]

Grilled Eggplant: A roll of grilled eggplant topped with a round of sausage and a triangle of daikon. Topped with dressed bitter greens. The roll stood in a pool of creamy yellow sauce. The eggplant was very flavourful. In fact, so much so that I had trouble deciding whether it was over-salted or just flavourful. I liked the peppery taste of the greens though. [7/10]

Fromage Frais with Apple Granita: The famous magnetic coffee cup held not too dense fromage frais topped with green apple granita. Excellent flavour combination. [8/10]

Steak Tartare: A deep bowl of tiny cubes of beef, lardon, onions, capers. Topped with a lacy tuile of crunchy baked parmesan cheese.  The cheese tuile was expectedly salty and crunchy. I was surprised to find it so greasy though. My mouth was so coated with grease that I suspected it prevented me from enjoying the tartare as much as I should. I liked the texture of the tartare. [7/10]

Grilled Sardine: A tiny sardine filled with some pate on top of julienned leafy veggie. Tasted good but lacking in sardine flavour. [7/10]

One of the important things to me at this meal was to cleanse my palate between each dish. By the end of the amuse-bouche, I had already tasted 9 different dishes. An overwhelming thought was taste-sensory overload. Even with a tasting menu at any other restaurant, I doubt that I will try this many different flavour combination in such a short time.  The langoustine entrée arrived with five different preparations:

Tartare: This dish was a revelation. I never imagine that the sweet flesh of langoustine would go so well with slushy apple sauce. The tartness of the fruit brought the sweetness of the langoustine in the best possible way. [10/10]

Poached: Poached langoustine sat in a steamed egg white and topped with a creamy foamy yellow sauce. The langoustine was poached so gently that it rivaled the smooth texture of the steamed whites. I found the sauce too rich in retrospect though. [9/10]

Bouillon: I had high hopes for this dish because I thought the broth would be like a concentration of the langoustine flavour. The jellied bouillon was flavourful indeed especially with the dollop of carrot puree. However, the langoustine flavour was subtle. [8/10]

Pan-Fried: Langoustine tail rubbed with a spice mixture and pan fried. Served with mache and dressed bean sprouts in a demi-tasse. My first impression was loving every bite of it. The langoustine maintained its wonderfully juicy texture. As I gave more thought to it, I understood why I liked it so much. It reminded me of the stir-fried lobsters popular at Cantonese seafood restaurants. [9/10]

Grilled: Two skewers of langoustine were grilled and served with a lime/balsamic vinaigrette. The tartness of the sauce was just right to highlight the smokiness of the langoustine. [9/10]

At the end of the entrée, I felt that it was worth every euro of its 110€ price tag. Before I had enough time to savour the décor of the dining room, the main dish arrived.

Steamed Turbot Filet: This dish was served with great fanfare. It arrived covered in a ceramic dome. Once opened, the waiter spooned the sauce over the filet. The sauce was filled with black peppercorn and other spices. I was curious to find that the filets rested on top of a ceramic steamer. Wouldn’t the sauce drain to the bottom? Questions aside, the filet was nice but a little overcooked for my taste. The sauce was, for lack of a better word, intriguing. Every bite offered a different flavour. [8/10]

Turbot with Mango: In a separate bowl lied a mound of turbot pieces and mango cubes. I thought it came from the really tender part of the fish just under the fins. Although this dish was not a ceviche, the lime juice and the mango combined gave it a very tropical flavour. A nice counterpoint to the steamed filet. [9/10]

Braised Lettuce with Turbot Skin: Just when I thought that the third preparation had yet to arrive, a waiter appeared and deftly removed the steam rack to reveal a mound of lettuce below the now-consumed filet. The juice of the steamed filet drained to the lettuce and turbot skins. This was absolutely genius. The lettuce was expectedly flavourful but the fish skin was a little mushy. Sort of like yabu for some strange reason. [7/10]

By this time I was quite full. The waiter came by with dessert selections: Les Grands Desserts or soufflé (choice of chocolate, caramel, or vanilla). I couldn’t pass up the chance to sample Les Grands Desserts since it was the reason that I made the reservation in the first place. With a change of cutlery and napkin (who knew that I need a smaller napkin for dessert course?) and finally clearing those pesky crumbs from the pre-amuse, the mignardise arrived first:

Cashew praline with crème anglaise: Excellent. The slight bitterness of the caramel worked well with cashews. Properly crunchy. [9/10]

Raspberry Coulis in White Chocolate Tube: A fresh raspberry rolled in sugar topped this mini shooter of raspberry sauce. Love the tartness of the raspberry coulis. It was like the essence of raspberry in a bite. [10/10]

Candied Orange Peel: A small cube of candied orange peel was adhered to a disk of isomalt with a dab of almond paste. It didn’t do anything for me. [6/10]

Dark Chocolate Tube Filled with Ganache: The ganache was properly smooth and slightly fruity. This was good but nothing extraordinary. [8/10]

Sablé with Red Currents: A matchstick of sable was topped with red currents and black seeds. It looked visually stunning (very geometric) but the taste didn’t stand out. [7/10]

Pear Purée: A ball of pear puree sat on a spoon and topped with a square of crunchy green sugar. It looked very interesting but I didn’t particularly like the taste. [5/10]

This meal felt like a rollercoaster ride and I was finally coming to the last stretch. Being a part-time student in pastry, I was really anticipating the dessert course and hoped to discover some unusually flavour combinations. Eight courses of dessert followed.

Baba Au Rhum: A shallow wide brim bowl arrived with a puddle of wine gelée (infused with ginger and other spices) in the middle. On the brim of the bowl, a dollop of thickened crème anglaise adhered one ball of baba and a tiny mushroom cap topped with half of a candied kumquat. I was totally puzzled by the mushroom (although it was a nice container for the kumquat). The baba was good but the wine gelée was marvelous. I loved the flavour and the barely set texture. [9/10]

Ice-cream: I couldn’t figure out the flavour and my listening skills failed me. A quenelle of ice-cream was surrounded by a ring of candied lemon. There was a piece of bright red poached fruit underneath the quenelle and it was garnished with a flower that held many dark crunchy bits. I told you my taste buds were confused. [7/10]

Raspberry Soup: Nicely tart raspberry coulis with floating pieces of figs and raspberries artfully arranged. In the middle was a strip of almond paste in cream and pink colour. I found the almond paste too sweet for the rest of this dish and I thought the raspberry shooter in the mignardise was far superior. [7/10]

Cassis Sorbet: A quenelle of blackcurrant sorbet sat on top of blackcurrant compote. Garnished with purple meringue sticks and candied carrots. I did not enjoy this dish at all unfortunately because I was too full to enjoy the tartness of the blackcurrant. [4/10]

Pineapple Cake: This was a tiny square of a jewel. An almond based cake soaked with pineapple poaching syrup was topped with poached pineapple, pineapple mousse, and a super thin toasted meringue. [8/10]

Grapefruit Sorbet with Caramel Foam: In a cone-shaped glass, candied grapefruit peel were topped with grapefruit sorbet, caramel foam, and garnished with what tasted like a flattened palmier. The caramel taste in the cookie was excellent but I hated the candied peel. It clashed with everything else in the dish because of its cloying sweetness and it was a dish that I did not enjoy at all. [3/10]

Chocolate and Caramel: A cylinder of chocolate was filled with chantilly cream and topped with a square of chocolate praline and two pecan enrobed with caramel. This dish was garnished with caramel sauce. After the last disappointing dish, I was convinced that I must be to full to enjoy anything else. I was wrong. This was absolutely my favourite dessert (I prefer fruit over chocolate/caramel in general) because of the wonderful flavour and texture contrast. The pecan was crunchy and sweet with a sligh hint of bitterness. The chocolate square was heavenly good although I could not identify it. The cylinder was thin as a piece of paper and shattered like glass. The chantilly was creamy and highlighted the fine chocolate. [10/10]

Hazelnut Passionfruit: A quenelle of hazelnut cream was served with a puff pastry roll filled with passionfruit pulp and a tuile roll filled with cream. The dish was garnished with three strings of candied angelica. A cube of passionfruit gelee sat on the brim of the bowl. The richness of the hazelnut cream tasted a little greasy but all other opponents of the dish tasted good by themselves. I wasn’t quite sure they worked well together. [7/10]

When I was lingering over an after-meal espresso, the waiter ceremoniously brought out a two tier wooden case from the wine cellar. Turned out, it contained pieces of chocolate lined up neatly like jewels. I had a piece of dark chocolate & whisky and a piece of milk chocolate & vanilla. Both were good. The coffee and tea service was quite something too. When I asked for an espresso, they offered a Blue Mountain as well as a Jamaican blend that is stronger. At one side of the dining room, a cart held a few tea sets appropriate for each kind of tea served.

After such a luxurious meal, I took a leisurely stroll around the 8th along Champs Elysée. As the night approached, I decided to get something for dinner. Brief stops at Hédiard, Fauchon, and Ladurée brought together a simple and good-tasting meal that I enjoyed back at the flat.

Baguette (Maison Kayser, purchased at Hediard): This baguette had nice crust and open crumbs. The inside was a shade of pale cream colour. It tasted very good with the Camembert.

Camembert and Comté (Marie-Anne Cantin): The Camembert stank but it tasted so creamy and rich! I liked the Comté with toasted pain Poilane too.

Macaron Pomme Caramel (Ladurée): An individual-size macaron that sandwiched caramel sauce, caramel cream, and slices of baked apple (upper right). I wished the apples were more juicy but the caramel tasted good.

Passion (Fauchon): Two layers of genoise sandwiched a thick layer of cream and fresh red fruits (upper left). This looked better than it tasted.

Strawberry Marshmallow (Ladurée): Finally I understand what the big deal is with marshmallows. The strawberry marshmallow from Laduree (bottom) was fragrant and bursting with strawberry flavour. The candy was soft and airy like a little pink pillow. Fabulous.

(to be continue...)

Paris Fooding Adventure I

In November 2004, I spent ten days in Paris seeking out great food. The Paris Fooding Adventure series is an account of my travel originally posted on eGullet's France forum. I'm now republishing it on my blog.

After a bit of freshening up at the rental apartment, I started a leisurely walk from the 7^th to Le Bon Marche in the 6^th along rue de Grenelle. Upon arriving at the department store, I first looked for delicabar. The delicabar is a stylish café in a courtyard surrounded by the women fashion department. The entrance opens up to a long bar with a glass tabletop showcasing all the sweet and savory goodies like precious pieces of jewels. The menu was a little confusing at first with sweet and savory intertwining among each other. Turned out the format made sense in its own way—each method of preparation (e.g. bubble) is presented with both savory (carrot bubble) and sweet (mango bubble). These were what I ordered:

Chocolat Chaud (delicabar)

Different than the Laduree variety, this cup of hot chocolate is a little foamy, a bit more grainy (not in a bad way), and deeply chocolaty. I find the airiness quite a nice contrast with the typical silky thick concoction.

Serrano Ham & Griotte Open-Faced Sandwich (delicabar)

A simple tartine of thinly-sliced toasted bread, a pile of sliced ham, griotte jam, and a huge curl of butter. I especially liked the sweetness of the griotte jam with the saltiness of the ham.

Mango Bubble (delicabar)

A half sphere of airy mango mousse filled with Earl-Grey tea cream centre on a round of sable. The lightness of the mousse was just right and I liked the flavour combo of tea and mango. The sable was too tough though.

With a full stomach, I was ready for La Grande Epicerie (I always believed food shopping on an empty stomach is cause for impulse purchases). The pastry display case occupied a prominent spot at the entrance and it naturally drew every shopper’s attention. They have a signature cake that looks like a variation on the Herme Cherry On The Cake. The cake is a cube of raspberry and pistachio flavour layers with a removable chocolate case imprinted with the word “cake” in various languages. I walked out of the store with jars of Christine Ferber jam and many dairy products which would serve as breakfast for days to come.

My next stop was La Maison du Chocolat on rue de Sevres. I got a small box of assorted dark chocolates as well as a Florentine. The Florentine was fragrant with the aroma of orange zest and properly crunchy. Of course, the dark chocolate complements the sweetness. So this is what a Florentine suppose to be (you don’t want to hear about my failed attempts).

Poilane on Cherche-Midi was my next destination. There was a small line outside the shop but no matter. I lined up and bought a few slices of the famous sourdough and of course I didn’t miss out on a little sample of punition. Unfortunately, my knowledge on bread is very limited so I can’t really tell how well the bread was made. All I can say is I enjoyed the bread very much.

Dinner was a simple affair of steak tartare in Café Champs de Mar back in the 7^th. Although the dish came out already mixed and seasoned, I was just too glad to be back in Paris to criticize my supper.

(to be continue...)