Monday, June 27, 2011

Paris Pastry Meditation

Religieuse Violette, watercolor, 9" x 11"
Religieuse Dalloyau I thought I was posting on the lovely, orderly way Parisian patissiers.
Dome Delmontel Line up their creations.
Patisserie CadorLike soldiers standing to attention in perfect rows.
my studio Then I had one of those Eureka! moments. Is it possible my obsession with French pastry has everything to do with a desperate need for order and nothing to do with chocolate or whipped cream?
La Grand Epicerie These perfect disks lined up with such precision.
Rue Mouffoutard Labeled and priced, measured centimeters apart, are the exact opposite of my chaotic studio.
Moulin de la vierge I fight a losing battle with entropy daily,
Fauchon Yet the vision of glossy tartes.
Religieuse Laduree Is like a Zen meditation.
La Grand Epicerie gateaux passion Do I start an ashram in Paris and spread the joie?
Should I go to pastry school?Would you like a peek at my studio 2011 to see if there's been any improvement?

Do tell PBers.
BONJOUR PASTRY MEDIATATION!

26 comments:

  1. If you started a pastry ashram in Paris I would visit annually!

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  2. This makes perfect sense to me!

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  3. I like the cross-section. nicely done!!

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  4. Love the painting, interesting pastry colors!
    xxx

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  5. Justine6:00 PM

    PLEASE do pass some joie this way.
    Tarte au citron preferably svp.

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  6. I do love the order of the pastries too.
    I crave order!!
    Chaos is so dysfunctional.

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  7. Well, the pastries look so delicious, and the eye is bigger than the stomach, so the more that we see, the better they look. Make sense? I look at them and would like to try them all. The arrangement just encourages this thinking :)
    (What will be the visiting hours at your studio?)

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  8. Carol, I looked at your studio and I froze when I saw your brushes.
    They are stellar. and all your paint boxes. And does it always smell like butter, and lemon there?

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  9. I, too, love the order inherent in all this. Just not to the exclusion of a taste or two or three. You are the perfect person to travel to Paris and back, Carol. You have WILLPOWER.

    I have none.

    I would have the Parisians tsk, tsking over my gluttony. HA!

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  10. Yes, all of the above (your questions, not the comments)!

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  11. A messy studio means it's a used studio, and that's more important than how messy it is! Phew. I could barely get that out since I'm drooling all over the keyboard. Please stop posting pictures of pastries! It is too much to bare! At least my French Macaron cookbook should be arriving from Amazon shortly, and I will be able to dally day and night until I perfect the art of the macaron.

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  12. God, what's a woman on weight watchers to do with this page? Very tempting, m'lle! Lovely to look at, though!

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  13. Anonymous12:23 AM

    Yes, I would love to see your studio! I really enjoy all of your pastries and all of your paintings!
    Thanks for cheering me up each morning. I miss Paris, and the Patisseries so much.
    Cookie In Rural Oregon

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  14. I think pastry - as order and the coming together of ingredients and then as sweet deliciousness - is probably a very good tool for meditation!

    windeater.blogspot.com

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  15. Dear A Brush with Color-

    Just think sphere, cone, cylinder, cube
    (my next post or so...)
    Think abstractly with yr eyes not yr tum
    More easily said than done...ahem

    What about my brushes Julie?
    I have way too many - a big box full in the closet - but I use a few favorites over and over.

    Bill, I'm sorry for the disturbing pastry pictures. I too plan to tackle baking the almighty macaron since I didn't make the cut over at PIONEER WOMAN's joint...grrrrr
    Just waiting for my metri scale to arrive and a few other bits n' pieces..

    Cookie - I might have to do a bit of cleaning up the studio to make it presentable or would that be counter-productive?

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  16. At least one can see that your studio is living ... and that you ar living in it! Don't overdo the lining up! ... and to start a real ashram would be a great step! Think about it carefully! :-)

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  17. Was that a oui or a non on the Pastry ashram Peter?
    We could meditate to the newest trendiest pastry fo the day/week and then EAT IT!
    Paris has everything else except a place to worship pastry...
    OK there are too many pastry places of worship already (1400 patisseries!)

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  18. Ken B.7:06 AM

    I will like to order ( cafe table )Do get back to me with the type and price
    range on the ones that you carry or customer made so i can place an order
    with you or can get back to me with your web site so that i can make my
    selection and get back to you.
    Thank You
    Ken Brown....

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  19. Your studio is way more orderly Jeanne than mine..

    In fact I think you could get a job in a Paris patisserie easily :)

    Bon chance!

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  20. I've had the same unsettling reflections: I love the perfection of Parisian gateaux. I am not only a Sweet Freak, but also a Control Freak. So, please, for both of us, become a pastry chef!

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  21. When I was single, I prided myself on being neat and orderly. But, I tended to be messy while I worked. I used to have time to clean up everyday, but now with three kids I find that the chaos never seems to go away! I think some of us are just wired this way! You have beautiful artwork. I think I see one of your paintings hanging on my wall in the future.... : )

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  22. What a better way to restore a sense of order than with neat, orderly and delicious French pastries. Beautiful! XO Claudia

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  23. I love the colours and arrangements when all together. More like a delicious symbol for peace than a military stance.

    The Wanderfull Traveler

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  24. I opened PB yesterday at the most vulnerable time to fall victime to the alure of pastries.
    Gobble.
    Wanted all of them.
    Good thing there isn't a great pastry shop in our 'hood.
    The Russian one has some tasty things but nothing like your pictures.
    VG thing.
    xAnnie

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  25. Can never get enough. It's zero calories no matter at Paris Breakfasts, so I can look all I want!

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