Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Sunday in Paris

Sunday morning in Paris is perfect to go foraging for desserts.You must start early. M and I left by 9:30 am joining joggers and dog walkers. While Paris sleeps you'll catch the best desserts that got away all week, when you walzed in the late afternoon to find zero. A Paris restaurant 'guard' cat watches us go forage... Gerard Mulot is always buzzing with activity on Sunday from dessert foragers. I'm looking for desserts to shoot and later paint. Never easy at Mulot - too many to choose from. Ah ha! This chocolate dome will do the trick. I send off M. with the booty while I head on for more treasures. She has instructions to carry the desserts gingerly. Pastry vitrines are full of springy colors and flowers to honor new macaron flavors..
Why do I always feel like this 5-year old full of excitement and anticipation in any Paris patisserie?
I head off to Pierre Herme on rue Bonaparte. The windows are impossible to shoot, full of reflections. Photographing inside is verboten. I have a plane to catch Monday so.
Last pit stop for the elusive sesame eclair at patisserie Sadaharu Aoki. It's M.'s birthday and she must have a sesame eclair bien sur.
Back at the apartment I shoot like mad in the beautiful overcast morning light. Pierre Herme's Cherry Pistachio tarte looks an awful lot like M.'s bumpy Japanese tetsubin teapot.
The PH cerise/cherry comes in handy as a prop.
Pistache cupcake + cerise... The other two patiently wait their turn. I've never been a eater of cupcakes, but suddenly I'm converted. I wolf down the citron.
Later I meet up with Amy of Sweet Freak at Carette's newest tea salon in the Marais at 25, Place des Voges...
I can't even eat even one bite of Amy's clafoutis.
I'm desserted out. Still, can you think of a better way to spend a Sunday in Paris?
I'm back in New York, unpacking, paying bills, and heading out to the pool to work off that citron cupcake!
BONJOUR DIMANCHE!

29 comments:

  1. I am starting to see some birds in your posts :):) Glad to see the week in Paris finishes up on such a delicious note(s)!
    Today happens to be my birthday so I am running off to get some macaroons of course! Hope that that only table in the Burlington arcade outside of La Duree is going to be vacant for us :)

    Thank you for great idea for self-indulgence :)
    Cheers,
    Olha

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  2. That teapot also looks bumpy-framboise-y. Egad what a way to start the morning, making up adjectives.

    Giulia would love work as a guard cat in France or Italy; must work on it.

    So glad you had a great trip to Londres & Paris.....

    ciao, Carol

    PS: And happy birthday to Olha above...

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  3. your pictures and paintings-
    Love them!
    I've never been to Paris,so I vicariously see Paris through you. Its my dream to go to Paris before I am too old!
    Silly goose I am .
    I gather one is never too old to fall in love with Paris. I enjoy your stories and I think France must have the largest raspberries and reddest strawberries i have ever seen!
    THANK YOU

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  4. Sunday morning is always the best time and day to go hunting for pastries! I adore that Laduree now sells cupcakes. Can't wait to try them!

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  5. I love Sundays--these images are all gorgeous, Carol. Great way to spend a day, I'm thinking. Thanks for making me salivate.

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  6. C'est incroyable, Carol! "Desserted out"!? I only believe you because I was there...

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  7. "Non, je ne regrette rien!" - I can hear you singing, Carol, while swimming your rounds! ;-)

    Demel has a chocolate dome too, only theirs is topped by flakes of gold leaves. I wonder how it tastes, never tried. Did you, the French one?

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  8. NON!
    I just gazed at my reflection in the icing and it said to me,
    "Do not EAT this!"

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  9. Anonymous10:19 AM

    Bonjour Caroll, I am living for Paris tonight I was a little anxious to live but after seeing your Sunday in Paris I cannot wait.

    So next sunday I will do the same and think of you. Thank you again for your blog and the sharing of feelings about Paris.

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  10. Too bad you're not here for Tuesday in Paris -- 70°F and deliciously sunny! You could have walked off the cupcakes at Canal St. Martin...

    La Mom
    An American Mom in Paris

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  11. oh wow, everything in this entry looks absolutely delicious!!!

    leethroughthelens.blogspot.com

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  12. I'm new to posting here, but wanted to oohh and aahh over these photos. Love the light of an overcast day. And your illustrations are wonderful.

    Enjoy your day! :)

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  13. M. in Paris12:42 PM

    très drôle, merci pour les photos, belle lumière !
    A bientôt C+++++++
    Micha

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  14. The best way to spend a Sunday C....happy swimming, xv.

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  15. Deborah1:12 PM

    Don't a lot of those gooey desserts look better than they taste?
    They're gorgeous to photograph.

    Deborah

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  16. I'm hungry!
    Great shots of the pastries and the streets and I love the cat :)

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  18. That looked like a ton of fun. Hope you enjoyed your time at the pool. Paris dreams ~ of you coming back!

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  19. Each time I visit ... your pictures have me longing to go back to Paris!!! Welcome back to North America Mon ami;
    HHL

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  20. I don't think I've ever come across desserts like these in Los Angeles. But they must be SOMETHING like that here right? I must find them and I'll report back to you. But I can't promise any of them will live long enough to be photographed.

    Thank you for the inspiration of The Great Dessert Search;)

    Cheers!
    J

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  21. First I must say I love Amy's blog! It is awesome!

    I also love the way Laduree has the names of the pastry in like a photo frame...so elegant. I hope to get there one day.

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  22. I always hate it when I have the urge to shove an eclair up someone's nose! But, day after day, week after week, month after month, you show us pictures of the most delectable food ever to grace our planet. Yet, not once have you offered us a sample of these sweet delights. Is it asking so much for you to send just one desert to each of your faithful readers? We don't want you to gain weight after all. Yes, that's it. We'd be doing you a favor by eating some of those deserts you seem to be constantly buying in France. No? Oh well. I'll keep on dreaming of macarons and eclairs and . . .

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  23. Finally! I have long wondered about the mysterious "M", who appears regularly in your posts, with nary a hint of his/her (now thanks to the photo, I know M is a her!).
    And what do you mean - not one bite of the clafoutis??? Surely PB is made of sterner stuff than that! We rely on, nay, DEMAND that you sacrifice for your art! And our curiousity! Next time you think you can't do a single bite, please think of us, waiting desperately for your report.....and LIE about it! Tell us it was delicious!

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  24. Great stuff. I hope you had a fun and productive journey.

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  25. *sigh* what a perfect day!!

    Needless to say I wish I could jump into my monitor screen and gobble everything in sight!!
    Why does real life not work that way??

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  26. Bonjour !!!
    J'adore Paris, et j'aime aussi ton blog decouvert aujourd'hui. C' est sympa de trouver filles comme toi qui aime chaque chose française, mais je suis très triste de vivre en Espagne, loin de la Tour Eiffel ...

    Je suis sur ton blog =)
    Bisous

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  27. It may be Tuesday, but strolling Paris with you put me in the best Sunday frame of mind. I adore the way you see the city and its treats. As always, merci, for taking us along. xoDorie

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  28. YammMMMmmYyY Tasty Pastries :) Great Post Loving it all living in Paris... its a delicious post!!! LIVING IN PARIS

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  29. I'm never easily tempted my desserts.. but mon dieu!! just look at those pasteries!

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