Bonjour religieuse, watercolor, 9" x 11" 
Who isn't captivated by the sheer beauty of French pastry?
But it's what's inside that really counts.
Are you persuaded by just a pretty face?
Any patissiere worth his pates aux choux is very much obsessed by what's inside. Top Parisien patissiere, Carl Marletti shows a luscious cross-section of a religieuse and shares the ingredients in quite an innovative way. Do visit.
The innards of a macaron from Patisserie des Reves' chef Pierre Conticini's cookbook, Sensations. Who knew what mysteries lurked within?
A page from a guide to Pierre Herme's L'Ecole Ferrandi. Herme mentions many times that he'd like to be an architect - but he is, isn't he?
A cross section of a piece of cake at Des Gateaux et du Pain. 
In my mad pursuit to paint French pastry I nearly fell in a faint over this FAB book, Encyclopedia of pastry dough - 100 kinds of pastry dough and petit gateau (旭屋出版MOOK) Essential reading for professionals and pastry artists. 
If only I knew a bit more Japanese besides 'Arigato...
Wouldn't it be lovely to know the French names of all these yummy ingredients. Any volunteer translators out there? 
Second best to knowing what's inside... 
Would be a proper knife to cleanly cut through the pastries to achieve a perfect cutaway cross section. A PBer mentioned Kyocera ceramic knives as the best and I'm getting one today. It's Japanese of course. Yellow Bird tells me if I had a proper knife I wouldn't make such an awful mess...c'est la vie
BONJOUR Inner Life of Pastry!
I love your illustrations, I feel like eating.
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog for some time but had never written.
if you want to visit mine:
rojocaperucita.blogspot.com
greetings and excuse my English
Fabulous to see the inner workings of these delicacies (because once you've bitten into them, the whole appearance is rather destroyed).
ReplyDeleteA bit more rewarding than cutting open the Golden Goose to find out why she lays her golden eggs.
ReplyDeleteWe have a genuine French Pastry shop in a nearby town.
Perhaps before the afternoon is over, I may have to pay a visit.
YUM!
I rarely ever buy fancy pastry for myself. You've inspired me to start. I'm walking 12 miles per week. No guilt necessary.
ReplyDeleteA kingdom for one of your French pastries, now! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think you need an electric knife, those cut through cakes and pastries like little miracle workers.
.. what a clever drawing ... nice work ..
ReplyDeleteCross sections!!! More x-secs! That Japanese book is to die for....and who knows, maybe it's better to have to supply your own translations so you can make the ingredients whatever suits!
ReplyDeletewow! this post definitely answered all my questions from the last!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great blog.
The Wanderfull Traveler
canadianculinarytravel.blogspot.com
'The INNERDS Life of Pastry'
ReplyDeleteCould it be a reality show or on the food channel?
Why not?
It would be fascinating to be in your shoes for a bit...
Love love love, we off to meet Gerard for tea tomorrow - well his pastry at least. Perhaps we might find a plastic Japanese knife on the way to help us.
ReplyDeleteX
please stop it. I can no longer resist. I'm out the door for a sweet. and it's all your fault!
ReplyDeletehappy now?
(I will be.)
Torture!!
ReplyDeleteGod, those look good :)
You're art are as tasty looking as the real thing.. which indeed looks as real art. eating beautiful things seems very french!
ReplyDeletethink the name of the pastry is "grace" page 8
ReplyDeleteleft of pastry: white chocolate, jam, strawberry & cranberry mousse
right of pastry: strawberry, genoise d'amande, (strawberry something...it is cut off).
at bottom of pastry: genoise d'amande
Arigato K & S!
ReplyDeleteI think I need a pastry culinary Japanese student to move in here...
Not such an impossibility in New York
xCarolg
In Tokyo they have so many Paris shops (Laduree, Henri Le Roux, Jean Paul Hevin, Michel Chaudun, Boissier, Dominique Saibron, Moisan, Sadaharu Aoki, Pierre Herme, Deliziefollie, Rose Bakery, Dalloyau, La Maison du Chocolat, Kayser, Gerard Mulot, Breizh Cafe, Pierre Marcolini, Christian Constant)
ReplyDeleteAngelina sells their mont blanc at some department stores & Christine Ferber sells her jam there too.
I think there are more Japanese studying in France for culinary these days.
Cheers!
K
I love this post! To see the cross-sections as illustrated here is great. And *respect* to the Japanese for employing precise methods of dissecting all of the pastries!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to stop by to tell you I really appreciate the direction your works are taking with labels of things and handwriting on them. Adding words in this way is just SO attractive! I love it! Please keep it up. (Looks like they are selling fast, too -- great!)
When I saw 'le religieuse chocolat' I thought "Oh, I know just what you mean - chocolate IS like a religion!". Then I realised what a dummkopf I was when I discovered it is an actual thing/pastry. Have you seen this thread on Word Reference ...
ReplyDeletehttp://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=396526
I love it that all these linguistic people got engaged in a debate about a pastry - it made me laugh :)
Oui, oui, let's hear it for the innards!
ReplyDeleteBut Carol, Etsy's sold out of that watercolor - you must do more. Je l'adore!
OMG, these look so delicious, I get hungry just looking at them. Those chocolate things on the top look divine...YUM! XO Claudia
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your posts! And yes, Tokyo is a fab place for patisserie ... just FYI, イチゴ is strawberry!
ReplyDeleteThank you Nori,
ReplyDeleteI know the characters for Paris
that's it :)
hi guys. i need help, m traveling to paris in a few days and i LOVE pastry. i am hoping there is a place where one can learn about french pastry or do a day's pastry lesson. i would love to do something over a long period of time but my stay is for a few days. please point me in the right direction.
ReplyDelete