Les Fraises are in🍓 Even on the last day of June. The Paris Fraise map 💌 went out 📮Tuesday🤸♂️🍓I know I’ve been missing in action😳but there are worse things than 2 weeks of total strawberry immersion. The strawb producteurs at Ferm du Mont de Cuy at Marché Mutualité know me well. They top up my box with extra Cléry strawberries since I’ve been showing up 2X a week. The best berries 🍓 don’t last long. Eat immediately or same day. Supermarché berries hang around longer and look nicer, but are consistently tasteless.
If you run🏃♂️ to Samaritaine right now you can catch their Summer 🍓 berry beaded jewelry collection. I caught it yesterday after a strawberry gelato at Tea Salon Cova, next door. Hope springs eternal. I bought a strawberry plant for map research at the Marché des Fleurs, after my visa rendezvous at the Prefecteur last week. Then I promptly forgot it on the bus. Either the heat or post-visa angst made me forget it. I am not a plant 🪴 person. Speaking of plants, the rarest of the rare is fraise de bois or the tiny wild strawberries you can’t find anywhere except at Paris’ top glacier Berthillon in their famous ice cream (+.50 extra for the wild ones). Their ‘piece de resistance’ is the double coupe loaded with Chantilly whipped creme, tiny berries and their fraise de bois ice cream. I’ve imagined getting this coupe many times…it’s only in their tea salon, not for take-away. Some day…🍓🍓🍓 Next up the Charlotte d’Alsace berry varietié.
To say I’ve devoted many hours of research to the confiture/ jams of Christine Ferber would be an understatement. Time spent simply browsing C.Ferber jam names could equal watching whole streaming series like The Queen. Without question, her strawberry confiture is the best on the planet. La Figaro agrees. More like strawberry soup, best eaten straight from the jar. Never to be shared or wasted on toast. Last but never least, a Paris ‘must-eat’ each Spring is the classic 🍓Fraisier. Fou de Patisserie 3 boutiques make it easy to taste many top chef’s creations. A one-stop shop for the créme de la créme of Parisian desserts. The vendeuse explains in detail the various layers of Maison Angelina’s fraisier (they recently added the ‘Maison’ title to stop confusion with the actress👏). FYI, Fou de Patisserie now has adorable antique, engraved silver spoons available if you buy a pricy (€25) jar of their jam.
C'est bien joli toutes ces fraises..A friend gave me C Ferber's jam book..Lovely letter!
ReplyDeleteNot to mention les aquarelles originales.
ReplyDeleteDelicious post! That coupe Le fraise looks out of this world. You must have one Carol!
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I adore those aquarelles but they really make me crave good strawberries.
ReplyDeleteAlways a pleasure to read what you are up to! Hope you are well!
ReplyDeleteOnce you’ve had excellent strawberries the rest are ruined for you Suki🍓
ReplyDeleteFerber’s jam book is hard to come by. I don’t know why they don’t reprint it Monique.
ReplyDeleteShe’s done many, many books. I heard the tarte book is terrific too.
Fabulous post, Carol! Chock full of strawberry deliciousness…from pastries to jewelry! I am trying to eat more like like the French…only when produce is at it’s peak, in season, directly from the producteur. No more tasteless out of season stuff from the supermarket. We got the last of this season’s local strawberries yesterday which makes me sad but I will appreciate them that much more when they appear next May. Now…bring on the raspberries, blackberries, plums, peaches, then apples!
ReplyDeleteHow do I love strawberries…let me count the ways! Thank goodness I have jam and gelato in the freezer to soften the blow of learning our local is officially out of strawberries for the season.
ReplyDeleteYour producteur at Mutualité has the most perfect berries. NO ONE has strawberries nearly as good as les Françaises.
ReplyDeleteYou MUST eat one of those double coupes at Berthillon, if only for research, so you can share the experience with all of us.
ReplyDeleteBravo on this one, Carol…so delightful! Love your Fraises in Paris Map! AND this post!
ReplyDeleteJ’adore ce dernier Parisbreakfast sur les fraises. C’était un peu “la madeleine de Proust” car mes grands parents avait une propriété à Longjumeau avec un parc et un immense jardin. Au bout de ce jardin : des fraises des bois à profusion et chaque année nous allions les cueillir.
ReplyDeleteYour strawberry letter is so creative and so versatile. I just love it
ReplyDeleteOh what a fabulous post!!! I’m over here at Chateau Orquevaux at my artist in residence program right now. Another member of my cohort and I were raving about you- we are BOTH big fans of yours!!!! (We’re both watercolorists, too)! 😃 We both look forward to every single post of yours!!! 🙌🥰🍾🎉
DeleteOh my that coupe le fraise! Won’t you have one so that we can live vicariously through you? Pretty please?
ReplyDeleteNancy
Total strawberry immersion sounds/looks and I imagine tastes wonderful Carol! Enjoy!
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