Champagne & jewels of Victoire de Castellane

Lots of bouchons/corks were popping on Sunday when Les Bleus won the world cup. There are signs around Paris thanking the team, MERCI LES BLEUS! And digital signs thanking each team member by name. Yet the leadup to the big game was a bit like a dress rehearsal. There was uncertainty as to whether they would make the big win.

The week before the champagne salon, I made the rounds of some of the salon's patissiers. Sort of a sketching rehearsal. It seemed a trek out to the 17th to KL Patisserie 78, avenue de Villiers.

Well worth it. Kevin Lacote's pastries are delectable. A mini version of the raspberry-grapefruit dome showed up at the salon. They suggested I try the Kara Maca - Caramel with madademia nuts.

So good, I ate it in the metro station. Irresistable and beautifully boxed to not move an inch on the route home.

Philippe Conticini uses a specially textured paper to keep his pastries from bouger enroute to home.

I love ❤️ Conticini's chouquette creme pistache. So much I went back for another next day. It looked trés petit next to my painted 'Mt. Everest' version.

Chef Nina Metayer from Cafe Pouchkine made this meringue Pavlova filled with raspberries and red  currants. Pavlovas are IN this summer PBers.

While munching my Pavlova in their outdoor cafe at Madeleine I spotted a big poster announcing a 3-day exhibit of Dior jewelry at musee d'Art Moderne. I ran there next day.

The artistry of fine jewelry and fine patisserie is not unrelated. Precious, rare ingredients match precious gems, though one luxury is definitely more affordable. Many Paris patisseries look similar to fine jewelry stores though I'm happy to see less and less black interiors.

Only 30 visitors were allowed in at one time to the free exhibit. Many men in black (security guards) guided us through.

Just three rooms, very dark, to set off a Pandora's treasure of 222 sublime jewels designed by Victoire de Castellane.

I would have loved to sketch onsite but there was no time.

As we left each room, attendants came and cleaned the glass for the next group. A spectacular very brief exhibit. If I had not seen the sign (and taken a picture of it) I would have missed it altogether.

Quite a while back I got to stay for a week on my own at Veuve Clicquot newly refurbished manor house in the vineyards at Verzy.

At the time I didn't know I was doing a dress rehearsal to paint Champagne later on.

Every morning someone came and laid out croissants 🥐 jam and ☕️ coffee for me. And I was told to help myself to anything in the fridge. 

There was nothing else inside the fridge other than big Veuve Cliquot champagne jeroboams.

This week I've been painting the one bottle of Champagne I own over and over. It can be hard coming down from Mount Olympus ... And I've been painting up a storm of Paris cherries for the latest Paris map. Thank you for reading Parisbreakfast. If you enjoyed this post, forward to a friend. Subscribe to Paris maps or letters in your mailbox + French souvenirs at ETSY.

I wish you un Bel Été