paris breakfasts: August 2008

Friday, August 29, 2008

Patrick Allain Fleuriste

#177B Patrick Allain Fleuriste, original watercolor

Walk down a beautiful little street - 51 rue St Louis en l'Île.

You pass a pretty little flower shop and stop and take a few pictures.

And then keep walking. And you don't give another thought to the dear little hole-in-the-wall flower shop.

until you get home and months later look it up.

Patrick Allain Fleuriste has been around for 25 years.

It's facade has the distinction of being the most photographed, drawn, and painted of any in the entire city! And it's known for it's medieval stained glass window and the 17th-century architectural details etc.

I didn't even look up or get a proper shot of the façade.

Oh well that's Paris for you. Lots of wonderful secret places you can walk right by without a clue. I will go back and I will look up this time.If you want to go look up, here's the plan they provide. The flowers are nothing to sniff about either by the way :)BONNE JOURNEE

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Sophia's Dollhouse Project

Macarons for Sophia, original watercolor,9" x 11"

Sometimes I get funny requests from PB readers, like a Mumbai CEO wants to order macarons for his bosses' private jet. I get a lot of orders for real macarons. If only I could bake and if only I had a patisserie like Sophia's dollhouse project.

voila Sophia's dollhouse project.

"I am very pleased with the way it turned out and would be delighted for you to do a post.

I am making a very, very big dollhouse and was searching for French minis for it one day on the web. I found the facade on the website of La Boite a Joujoux, the miniature shop in Passage Jouffroy.

The picture on the back wall is the ceiling that I manipulated on the computer and then glazed with stained glass medium to add the brush strokes. The chef doll is by Marcia Blackstrom.

...for quite a long time and enfin.

At 20€ I decided it was just too tiny to go with other pastries and returned it the next day with no regrets. I figured out how to make my own boxes happily.

Et voila!

BIG MERCI Sophia for sharing your dollhouse dreams with us.

Simply adorable!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Les Chocolats Foucher

Une petite visite today to an old fashioned candy shop Les Chocolats Foucher

Just across the street from La Grande Epicier on 134, rue Bac, when you set foot in this tiny intimate shop you return to the 1920s.

Still family-owned since 1819, Foucher has cleverly kept their original Arte Deco graphics on the packaging. Why do so many shops feel they must modernize?

I love chocolate maps, but I love all maps and this one is a winner

A charming example of one of Foucher's box covers...they even have post cards of all these designs.

Foucher's boîtes de chocolats "Prestige"

I was first drawn to Foucher at the Salon du Chocolat by these irresistable art deco wrappers on their tablettes de chocolat, so I was delighted to find their shop. A PB reader sent me there.

But all of their candies have an old fashioned feel to them - it's the kind of place where your grandmere would have shopped...

And don't forget les petite bouchees! Bouchée means filled chocolate in a big version. The French sometimes skip lunch and have one entier bouchée instead. And if you have a big mouth, you can eat it in one bite, vous en faites une seule bouchée.

Here's a menu with all the details.

They have tea too at Foucher and bien sur, les macarons. In fact there's a tiny tea salon at the back of the shop for poor weary L'Epicier shoppers to come and recoup, but that's another story for another day...
Bye bye Foucher. See you in October
BONNE JOURNEE!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Lots of Macarons

Afternoon Macaron Tea, original watercolor

A few days ago, when I gave the lesson on Macaron Mathematics , I got a challenging request.

c_fluffy said:Gosh, that's a lot of Pierre Herme mini macs...
Can we see all your miniature macs piled together?

Fluffy, this post is for you.

I am proud to admit I've got 66 mini macarons :)

I probably have the most mini macarons ON THE PLANET. Not that I have ever eaten 66 REAL macarons. Well not at one sitting anyway.

I was toying with the idea of creating one of these towers of power with my minis...Hmmm...should I or shouldn't I?

Now for some REAL macarons and from Pierre Herme too.

Remember how I was telling you his macarons are "FAT"?
The picture says it best.

I've never gone in much for the big individual or grand macaron (note at 3.20 a piece).

Why ever buy one, when you can get 6 different flavors/ parfums for 7.90 euros like at La Maison du Chocolat?

Course there is nothing wrong with these little pups from the Champion Supermarche either and you get 12 for 6.50.

It requires all your French politesse to divide those babies in a genteel manner, without grabbing your favorite flavor first. You always turn the plate to your guest and offer her/him the first cookie. Why I always go alone. No sharingExcept in this case...Please do take one?BONNE JOURNEE!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Fauchon Tea Tin

#174B Fauchon Tea Tin, original watercolor,9" x 11"

"Some enchanted morning,

you will meet a strange tea tin.."

Across a crowded tabletop..."

That's how I met this teatin while browsing at MeowPaw's wonderful minis on Flickr. I go hunting every morning for interesting things to paint among the mad mini collectors...