Last Minute Paris Shopping

 

Yesterday I went looking for gluten-free pain d’épice (on assignment)

I think it doesn’t exist

Jean-Paul Hevin Chocolate Bar(re)

I was looking through old watercolors for the Holiday Bazaar at The British School. I found this one painted in 2006 when I stayed on rue Vavin for 3 weeks. Jean-Paul Hevin's chocolate shop was down the street. It became a daily source for still life subject matter.

The chocolat framboise is still on the menu I'm happy to say.

Too many patisseries change their selection too often and old favorites disappear forever but not at Hevin.

Last night was the opening of J-P Hevin's 4th shop, CHOCOLATE BAR(RE) in the upper Marais at 42 rue de Bretagne 75003, with one door opening right into the Marché des Enfants Rouge! It's 25 meters in size which makes me think I could make my 21 meter studio into a watercolor shop perhaps..?

Looking through a glass darkly chocolate. These are Hevin's classic cigars of rolled cookie and chocolate ganache. Expect a witty take on many traditional sweets like his dusty (chocolate) potatoes (pomme de terre) seen above.

Wit aside, the quality of his chocolates are the best in Paris.

All this after eating Thanksgiving dinner too. My host was disappointed I didn't eat more. Shhhh...I was saving myself.

Chocolate lollipops cleverly boxed.

Bouché - an extra large chocolate that can substitute for eating lunch.

And of course beautiful macarons in many shades of chocolate. Last night's were made with Peruvian chocolate I think...

I took Solli along for more research.

We both loved the chocolat chaud served in specially designed corrugated cups. So chic!

Hot chocolate made on-the-spot

By patissiere Fabian, a 3-year veteran of JPH, who is also a fan of ParisBreakfasts!

I've bought these tubes for the witty packaging but in no time  the delicious contents were gone, gone, gone.

Hevin's signature colors are terrific. In a town with too many BROWN boxes of chocolates, Hevin adds an electric blue, almost Yves Klein blue, to brighten things up. Super chic.

His range of buche de Noel are enticing. This is what we would call a 'Baked Alaska' enrobed in meringue. Miam miam

This buche with the stamps (timbre) has my name on it. I've mailed out half the December Sketch Letters. Hooray!

Here a very happy Monsieur Hevin goofing around with a milk chocolate mustache. 

If you LOVE CHOCOLATE in any form Jean-Paul Hevin is a Must visit in Paris. And so chic. Don't forget to get one of his classy shopping bags by the way.

Relais Desserts - Les Buches de Noel 2014

Yesterday was the grand degustation of the 2014 Christmas büche de Noël cakes - a tasting of the 26 winners of the Relais Desserts competition of Pastry chefs worldwide.

It was held at the newly opened Peninsula Hotel on 19, Avenue Kléber 75008

Very grand setting indeed.

There were lots of traditional logs (büche) looking almost trompe l'eoil(fool the eye). A log by Spanish chef Miguel Moreno composed of praline mousseline, vanilla and coulis of apricot.

Do not put these very lifelike intensely chocolatey cakes in your fireplace svp! This luscious log is by Parisian Laurent Duchene.

'Burying the hatchet' as we know it is not a French custom. Quite the opposite. The French adore their hatchets at Xmas time, preferably in gold leaf and edible. This stunner is by Laurent Le Daniel - Rennes. The faux wood rings is a winner no? Inside milk chocolate and creme de pamplemousse!? Plus crunchy noisettes(hazelnuts).

I loved the Autumnal look of this büche by Marc Ducobu of Waterloo. A büche is classically a roulade or rolled genoise cake with flavored fillings. This one has forest fruits with a touch of violette and creme de marron confit.

A very lush and elaborate affair by chef Lionel Raux of Bayonne. Speculoos crust, vanilla cream, hazelnuts and a heart of caramel sauce. We decided we must taste this one.

How it works. The cakes on display are left untouched. You tell the waiter your choices and he goes into the kitchen for cut tastes. Some clever chefs made individual versions of their cakes like Raux did here. 

Unfortunately I forgot my special Kyocera pastry knife. What was I thinking? A girl should never leave home without her pastry knife! Enfin a mess cutaway view. Yes that is a cream puff or choux sitting on top filled with more hazelnut cream. I brought Lindsey Tramuta of Lost in Cheeseland to the tasting. She picked this one out. 

.Our second plate of tastes.

Here's the witty giant size version of the little bear made of ice cream on the plate. Created by Relais Desserts President Frederic Cassel of Fontainebleau. Inside: vanilla ice cream, hazelnut crumble, caramelized pecans and salted caramel. YUM

Back in the kitchen Cassel's top pastry chef Norbert takes me into the Aladdin's cave where the cakes are chilling. I would have happily stayed there to study the cakes further...

Now that I've studied the guide booklet they gave us I could use a second visit to sample some cakes I overlooked.

Better yet maybe at next year's event I can help out in the kitchen collecting crumbs?

The inside cutaways look very different from the outside büche de Noël. They are constructed like architecture, layer by layer. Flavor on top of flavor. Contrasting texture upon texture.

Another plate of samples (not ours).

Parisian Chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin created a Christmas ball-shaped dessert not the traditional log. You lift off the dark chocolate dome to find a giant macaron filled with dark chocolate ganache flavored with red wine. There's a slice on the plate above.

I fell for this Yuzu and apple combination by Joël Baud of Besançon - very light and delicate. I'm partial to fruity desserts admittedly. 

Another beauty. Love the color and playfulness of the design. By Lyonnaise chef Sebastian Bouillet. Inside pain d'epice, dark chocolate and apricots Bergeron. I'm drooling as I type...

Granny Smith apple, plus vanilla and almond by Alban Guilmet of Caen. I've only shown you 9 of the 26 buches. And to think I only tasted 6 or 7. This is tragic. I need a second go-round surely no?

Of course the chefs were tasting too along with press and bloggers.

Here's Lindsey chatting with Pierre Hermé who won an award for his gorgeous Fetish Ispahan book this year.

Do download the Free Relais Desserts app. There could be a member pastry chef around the corner you didn't know about. This will give you the scoop.

The Relais publishes a handsome quarterly journal in French, English and Spanish and it's free in members pastry shops. This issue was focused on what else? On the delights of French regional candies. That's why you should get the latest Paris Sketch Letter sent to you to keep on top of all things French.

The annual tasting ends with an awards ceremony. Pastry chef of Restaurant Lassere Claire Heiztler won as best chef this year. Take a look at last year's buche de Noel event here. Only in Paris do you get to eat Christmas cake TWO times a year. Isn't La Rentrée a wonderful thing! A triumphant day all around.
Bravo French pastry chefs!

What I ate at Relais Desserts Noel 2013

Yesterday was the grand tasting of Christmas buche de Noel for 2013 by the Relais Desserts at Hotel Le Royal Monceau.

24 top pastry chefs of France offered a sneak preview of what's to come in December!
 

President of the Relais Desserts, Frederic Cassel, Fontainebleau was of course onboard to greet and meet.
 

His buche de Noel 'Etienne le Renne' is full of hazelnut and pistachio ice cream...miam
 

Arnaud Larher's 'Buche Louise' is a cheese cake inside with passion fruit and a strawberry coating.
 

'Del Lago' by Jean-Philippe Darcis of Bruxelles is...crunchy hazelnuts, cocoa from Del Lago plus, plus.
 

I loved the concept of Joel Baud's 'Blanche Neige' (Snow White) with a squiggle of blood in the snow unless I'm mistaken - mousse of white chocolate, red currents, coulis of framboise.
 

Jean-Paul Hevin can be depended upon to surprise - a chocolate cage encasing dark chocolate and passion fruit - 'Best of Passion'

I loved the crazy textures of this buche though the chef preferred I shoot it from the side...

Another mad creation, this one by Dalloyau's Yann Brys called 'Blanc et Merveilles' with meringue and bergamot, milk chocolate of Madagascar and macaron crunch on the sides.

So pretty, Laurent Duchene's 'Forest Noir' looks appropriately like a sled and full of gelee de griottes plus cremeux chocolat noir.

Silhouettes! My favorite graphic, line Richard Seve's buche. Inside - chocolat gianduja and baba au rhum with yellow raisins.
 

This Mondrian looking buche is called 'Puits Rouge' by Jeff Oberweis of Luxemburg and full of red fruits.

Well it's impossible to show every Relais Desserts buche much as I'd like to...

But not to be missed Pierre Herme's witty take off on the original classic chocolate log was intensely chocolatey with mousse, ganache and biscuit macaron all chocolate all the way.

The gentleman behind the red buche is Herme's photographer, Laurent Fau, creator of all those lush photos in his books, newsletter and little brochures that come inside the macaron boxes. Don't forget that all the Relais Desserts pastry chefs generously participate in the annual charity event, Jour du Macaron, created by Pierre Herme.
 

You might well wonder how we got to taste all these delightful creations? I've been starving myself for weeks (unsuccessfully) in preparation for this event ticking off the days on the calendar.
 

The waiters took our orders and then returned with plates to taste.
 

Clever Frederic Cassel served his delish hazelnut ice cream in a little glass bowl, while the others were served up in slices. It would have been nice to have little flags identifying each but that's perhaps too much to ask...

My date, candy man, Georges Marques of Le Bonbon au Palais. Naturally we shared bites of this and that.
 

As did everyone else including these fashion editors.
 

Awards were handed out to the best pastry book of the year, the best chef (Christophe Michelek). Then we downed pink Champagne and savory snacks.

Last but not least exquisite mini Paris-Brests filled with pistachio cream and Ispahan creamy 'puffs' all designed from Hotel Royale Monceau. You can imagine I'm in major recovery today but well prepared for the coming Christmas season.

Big Merci to Relais Desserts!