Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Maison Guinon Versailles

I've thrown down the gauntlet to the almighty peony and shall not give up till I've won the joust with watercolor as my weapon.
 
Back to Versailles. The purpose of my afternoon trip was to explore the patisseries and the Notre-Dame marché. Maison Guinon was first on the list simply because it was closest - 60, rue de Paroisse, the main shopping street in Versailles that leads right up to the gardens.
There's a grandiosity to the shops and products in Versailles, as if at any moment they might get a rush take-out order to send up to the palais. Look! Another pretty ciel bleu. These heavenly painted ceilings seem to be reserved for patisseries and salon de the. So far I haven't seen them elsewhere..? Have you?
 
Very grande gateaux wouldn't you say?
One of the house specialties - le Courchevel. Vanilla cream-filled with crushed rasbperries and a crepe drapped on top.
 
Next up the rue at #44, rue de la Paroisse, Maison JC Gaulipeau is almost too grand to enter.
I suppose if one were riding horseback it would be easier to see.
 
Again tartes and gateaux fit for a queen
Have you noticed the profusion of raspberries? I did.
 
In the marche Notre-Dame, a big square of surrounding buildings is the answer. These are REAL raspberries like the kind you picked as a kid and they taste real. Sweet and not at all uniform in size.
 
A typical fruitier in the marche - somehow more fabulous that ones I've seen in Paris but it could be me getting into the spirit of things, thinking suppose I were queen.
 
The marche has 4 main entrances and square itself is filled with venders as well. Clothing on Saturday.
Displays from a nearby epicerie makes me think of banquets, mountains of rare delicacies.
 
A piece montee in a window.
 
Do look up. You may see a harp in a window.
And hear Baroque music wafting by as you browse the gateaux...
More information on visiting the town of Versailles at Marjorie Williams.
 

14 comments:

  1. Your peony is perfect ..peonies.. and the box too:)
    I have seen painted ceilings..in Rome:)

    And a home near here..I am sorry to be honest and say it did not go well..blue w/ white cherubs..
    The harp ..always look up..look down..to the right and to the left.
    I love seeing things through windows.

    ReplyDelete
  2. im so sad ,been two times in Versailles and never in town to visit those fantastic places,i went just in a fish market to buy some saint-jacques to cook a la provenzale ...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've not had petit dejunner yet and this post is making me VErY hungry!

    ReplyDelete
  4. While you are arming yourself for battle, perhaps you could take up the trusty fork and cut into one of those courchevel...I am most curious about how it gets that crisp rectangular shape with the soft ingredients. (Merci for the description!)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think you have won your peony battle. I think I could plan a vacation around these shops.

    ReplyDelete
  6. cyndi from SD10:56 AM

    Your are feeding my obsession with peonies,pastries, Paris,and in this case Versailles.Thank you for your artist's eye.
    As always,merci.
    Cyndi


    ReplyDelete
  7. Your gorgeous peony painting started today's post off in the most wonderful way(!) only to be followed by glorious shops and pastries to steal our imaginations!
    My gosh, how could it possibly get any better?
    (only,perhaps, by the rose a the end!)
    Thanks,Carol! Your blog always makes our day!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the interior of the shop - the ceiling shot, but it's nice to see so many delicious pastries in this post. They look so good today!

    ReplyDelete
  9. OMG the harp in the window.... Sigh

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous11:00 PM

    These places are just fab...the color of the fruits in that shop are breath taking...the bakeries are so elite..
    The detailing of the ceilings are works of art, it's like going to a museum...
    Lynne

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous12:37 AM

    This is one particularly colorful post. LIKE!!!!!
    And I just got the quote for it :
    " The purest and most thoughtful minds are those
    which love colors the most. " -- John Ruskin
    Myrna

    ReplyDelete
  12. So cool, the HARP in the window! What an eye you have!!! :-)

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh wow.. why aren't the French fat.. they have all this wonderful food around them constantly. Love that Fruitier. I've been so busy lately got behind in your posts here.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous4:44 PM

    You need to go darker underneath the flower to make those delicate pinks spring to the fore. And then more mediums in the glass to establish the beautiful placement of those raspberries. Then get that space ship of a yellow box down on the ground, you could probably do it by just giving that shadow a bath. But as always a lovely post.
    Ella

    ReplyDelete

Love hearing from you