Paris Summer Fruit tartes

Les Tartes de l'Eté

Today's post is strictly for your edification so don't start salivating. I was running 🏃‍♀️ by my local boulangerie (Alsacian R.Maeder) on the corner.

And I noticed a ton of fruity tartes glowing in the window. I went back for a second look.

I met Veronique Marot and Carla Carlson for tea last week (none of us had fruit tartes or any dessert by the way). They mentioned, in passing, how French summer desserts were so much better. They are just a pâte sablée base (like a shortbread cookie) piled high with fresh fruit and not much sugar. Hmm, interesting.

This seems to be the case. Could they pile any more fruit on these things? I doubt it.

This picture was shot by the young man behind the counter! 

He took pity on me,

'Give me your iPad".

I think he was thrilled to try out the new mini.

I asked for a box for my 2 small fruity pastries. No way. You have to buy more than two.That's how it goes in a boulangerie. They don't just give away their boxes and fancy ribbons like that.

My pastries made it home safe and sound but take a good look. These are a bit 'plain Jane'. The fruit is a tad uniform and ordinaire.

Unlike the architecturally constructed works of art by Frederic Cassel Head of the French team that won at Lyon. Definitely haut couture in the pastry world. The point being there is quite a difference in quality and design between a boulangerie and a top patisserie. The price tag is different too. But in both cases you're getting a lot of fruit and not a ton of icing or other sugary stuff.

Something else came to mind. How come Parisian pastries get to stay nice an cool in glass cases, but Parisians suffer the blasted heat sans cesse?

After looking at fans all week and deciding on none, late yesterday I went foraging. It was cooking out there. But Castorama, the Home-Depot of Paris was cleaned out.

"Oh we had 100 fans this weekend but they went. We hope to get more on Monday or Tuesday".

What? 100 fans only? When I returned to the apartment I noticed among the renovations rubbish next to the building what looked like a perfectly good fan. I took it upstairs.

 'Ca marche'. It works! OK so it does make a TERRIBLE racket.
Any hints how to fix a noisy fan? Does it need A-1 oil or is that steak sauce?

I spotted the Dog-of-the-day on the Metro looking relaxed on the very cool aclimatizatee #2 train. 

*Leçon learned: Don't wait for a heat wave to buy a fan. And eat fruity French tartes. It can't hurt.