Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Europain 2014

Sunday I headed out to convention center Villepinte Nord to visit Europain 2014.
It's a huge bread/boulangerie show I've been meaning to visit for ages. It did not disappoint. These are famous Eric Kayser's breads. People are crazy for his baguette Monge.
And here is Eric Kayser! He certainly doesn't look like he eats a lot of bread...just another skinny French person who can get away with eating whatever they want and not pay the piper. Grumble, Crumble.
 
Hall 4 and 5 were filled with aromas of baking bread...enough to make you swoon right on the spot.
 
You're not just inhaling. There's tons of endless samples.
 
Crispy undecorated eclair shells filled with lemon cream...the shells were the crunchiest I've tasted. Simply Yum.
 
A multitude of bread baking machinery demonstrating their skills.
 
And all the charming accoutrements like wrappers, metal boxes, bags.
 
These are not fruit juice samples, but coulis, those decorative dribbles on your dessert plate - thick and intense.
 
Most Paris boulangeries serve ice cream. Isn't Paris WONDERFUL.
 
Doodly-doodly-do
 
Spring has arrived early this year. The ice cream trucks were out last night.
 
There is a lot a bread at Europain..
 
And bread demonstrators.
 
Sugar sculpture demonstrators too. These guys are artistes.
 

A huge array of display baskets
 
Quite elegant bread racks.
 
A lot like the 17th century balconies on Ile Saint Louis.
 
Interesting display of the variety of grains. I love grainy bread, but the French prefer their grains on the outside as a decorative element. Few grains get to make it inside.
 
But I found wonderful grain crackers at Europain! They're from Norway!! SIGDAL Bakeri. Please Galeries Lafayette, Grand Epicerie and Naturalia Listen up.
Remember a few years ago I had a mad love affair with the French cracker. I was ready to move to Paris for a cracker. It's true. I even attempted to make them myself and you know me and baking don't get along. Well I fell out of love with ze French cracker, even my own home-grown version. They are just too darn hard. Break-your-teeth hard. But these Norwegian crackers are not hard or too thick. They are rather delicate. Perfect at Apero time. Perfect for all-time snacking in fact. I want to find this cracker in France. Do I have to move to Norway to have a ready supply? This would not be good for Paris Breakfasts and I would miss the Seine...If anyone out there knows someone at Galeries Lafayette...? There are plenty of grains too btw...Bear loves them too.
 

27 comments:

  1. What a fab. day that must have been ! I bet you did lots of 'endless sampling' as you said. I love the smell of fresh bread, Mr France is baking bread every other day in our house, but I'm afraid it will have to stop !! it's being noticed on my waistline !! Love your new profile photo. Enjoy our early Spring sunshine.

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  2. Carol, how I would have loved to visit Europain with you! It looks like wonderland to me.

    Maybe, if you inquire at the Norwegian embassy you might be able to find a local Parisian source for those tasty, grainy crackers?

    xo

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    1. No no the purveyor has not made yet any sales in Paris!
      Should I open a Norwegian cracker shoppe?

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    2. Oh yes, Carol, but be sure to also have space to show your watercolor paintings!

      xo

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  3. I am coveting those baskets! Something else to put on my must have list!

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  4. Me too the baskets..
    Fun outing..M.Kayser looks so nice!
    Would love a show like that.

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  5. Oh, yum. I've got to send this post to Rick. We would both be in seventh heaven at this show!

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  6. Love your new photo! We were in Paris for a few days - the 14th we walked to the bridge to the east that connects your little island with the left bank - watched all the lovers attaching their locks. And I looked for you when we walked along but there were too many sights to see. Had lovely weather while we were there while at home they had record rain. LOVE M.Kayser's breads!

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  7. Great post Carol, I'm heading to Europain 2014 tomorrow and love your summary of what was on, it will certainly help me navigate my way around! And you're right about the seeds not making it to the inside, I miss all the grainy bread I used to eat in Australia. Now I just see the seeds on the outside!
    PS Very exciting you were able to meet Eric Kayser himself (and yes where does he put all the bread he must eat..?!)
    Cheers,
    Nhan
    www.myloveforparis.blogspot.com

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    1. I'm soglad you're going Nhan!
      Your pwn photos are dynamite

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    2. I tracked down those crackers you were talking about Carol (and wrote about them too on my blog, credit and link to you of course thanks!) - just wanted to tell you they are coming to Paris, the man said in a few months they should be available! (now if only they had some dip to go with the crackers at the stand...)

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  8. We had ice cream trucks out last night,too....but they were playing "Turkey in the Straw" and serving bomb pops and the like....:-)
    There are ice cream trucks and there are ice cream trucks and ours do not make my heart beat faster like that photo of Berthillon! I think swapping inside seeds for Berthillon is a pretty good deal....

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  9. Europain looks fantastic, would love to go to it. I do love Kayser bread (& almost any other bread baked in Paris).

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  10. Marshall12:21 PM

    This is a fun "Paris Breakfast" this time. I would have loved to have been able to go to see this.

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    1. I'm in trouble if PB isn't FUN ALL THE TIME!

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  11. Ann in LA12:42 PM

    OMG!!! A dream come true bread, bread and more bread....what more could a girl ask for?

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  12. I'm here in northern Caifornia...just met someone at Whole Foods who was on his way to Europain to bake bread. He was thrilled to be invited. I'm on my way to the farmers market when he's back...must taste his bread!

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  13. Lynne C.3:08 PM

    I am a bread lover, and living near Berkley was heaven. The owner of Grace Baking was the first person to win the French bread award over there. Also Acme was over there next to a place the famous chef Alice Waters owned. I used to drive over there every Sat. Am and had a route which included waiting in their line for left overs after they hit all the gourmet dining joints. There was a French baker over there and I used to order brioche cinnamon loaves ten at a time...

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    1. This might be taking it too extremes me thinks...

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  14. Bonnie L7:32 PM

    A bread show!?! My head is spinning like Linda Blair in the Excorcist! God, I love France!

    Received my belle lettres today. Delightful!

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  15. Great photo essay. The breads look delicious, but I really love the ice cream :)
    Good to see that you're spoiling Bear....

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  16. Carolyn3:16 PM

    I assumed Eric Kayser would be much older for some reason ! Your photo of the coulis is so beautiful...color and composition ...love it!

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  17. Louise4:34 AM

    Fab post Carol....try Dr Karg crackers if you ever see them ..they look similar and have pumpkin seeds and are quite divine <3

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  18. I have Louise and they are the break-your-teeth kind even if they taste good. These are lighter...less stress on the teeth?

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  19. The grain crackers you can easily bake for yourself. I bake them once or twice a month, and they are just as delicious as Sigdal`s. :) ... Just google "Oppskrift knekkebrød" and google translate it. My favorite is http://www.tine.no/oppskrifter/bakst/brod-og-rundstykker/hjemmelaget-knekkebr%C3%B8d ... Good luck wishes from a Norwegian girl! ;)

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    1. Thank you for the link but my Norwegian isn't up to it I think...

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  20. Hi Carol! Just wondering, was there / is there a EUROPAIN 2015? Or is it every two years? I'm getting confused with my googling and thought I would go straight to the expert..!
    Cheers, Nhan

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