Paul Boulangerie

Petit Dejeuner, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

Melissa asked me, would I please visit the chain a boulangerie/patisserie this trip. Since it was right across the street from my hotel on rue de Seine, I had petit dejeuner there.

*Note the petit dejeuner is called "Le Parisien"

I do have a problem with the French insisting on calling Danish pastries, "Viennoiseries" I took this up with Merisi from Vienna, but I forget her response

Paul Boulangerie has set up this demo tray in the entry so you know what your getting.I think in fact I went all out and got "Le Continental" = The Works.
When C. emailed me in Paris requesting I bring her back boxes of French chocolate,
my immediate response was,
NON! NINE, NIENTE, NADA, DE JEITO NENHUM (Portuguese for NO WAY!)
My bags are filled with what Marcel Proust calls Remembrances of Things Past..True, I do bring back empty chocolate boxes, but that's for still life usage.Do Paris cafes have my picture up? WANTED DEAD or ALIVE for stealing sugar cubes etc.
Paul Petit Dejeuner, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

M. says many cafes no longer put their name brand on glasses etc, like Cafe de Flore, so they won't find a new home. The spoon is from Italy by the way...The dining area.

I love the use of old graphics and typography on their outdoor signs..

Cador Patisserie

Petit Dejeuner at Cador Patisserie, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

Meanwhile, back in Paris...
At a lovely small tea salon, Maison Cador Patisserie adjacent to the Louvre. I used to stay at Hotel de la Place du Louvre, and sometimes have petit dejeuner there.

 Cador sits on the corner of rue de Louvre & 2, rue Amiral de Coligny. The interior is in the style of Louis XVI, decorated with allegorical reliefs of love, Venus and cupid 💘 

Their croissants 🥐 are perfection!Cador's pastries are classic and perfect.

Their star gateaux:

Le Concord - dark chocolate with meringue

Le Petit Cador - chocolate ganache in an orange-flavored bisquit. MIAM!

An update on Cador: I'm sad to report on my last visit,

I stopped by and noticed Cador was closed.

Total rennovation was taking place.

COJEAN bought the space and opened a healthy fastfood restaurant 😱

Éclair Researches

What is an éclair anyway?

It looks much like a straightened-out glazed, cream-filled donut flattened a bit on top.

Wikipedia says otherwise - a delicate pastry made with choux paste and filled with crème pâtissière (pastry cream or custard) and then topped with (often but not always) chocolate icing.

My curiosity was piqued by Sadaharu Aoki's Matcha-green éclairs. I'm 'chicken' when it comes to dark green unrelated to pistachio. Fauchon's iconic symbol must be the éclair!

They are celebrating their 120th year in the food business. Their colors are black and white along with hot pink and deep fushia.

These superb éclairs au café at the Patisserie Cador are more traditional. They reside in the perfect Louis XVI-style salon de thé just across from the Louvre at 2, rue de l'Admiral Coligny. A French éclair and you can eat in the appropriate setting!

Fauchon's Éclair Aquatique! I love going to the pool and French piscines are the best anywhere, and these remind me of Paris piscines.

Gérard Mulot can be depended upon for classic French pastries. 76, rue de Seine in the 6th is open at 6:30 AM and on Mondays when most Paris patisseries are fermé (closed). You can not go wrong here.

Green is the hot color in Paris this trip and especially in the patisseries. I love the way the pistachio nut (or the coffee bean) is planted neatly on top at Jean-Pierre Carton on 6, Rue de Buci, so there's no question what's inside.

éclair is the Fr. word for lightening. It's believed the pastry got its name because of the sheen when coated with confectioner's glaze. Antonin Carême (1784-1833), had much to do with developing French pastry and recipes. The "Paris Pastry Marathon", if such a thing existed, would beat out New York in a heartbeat. There seems to be a running battle who can come up with the most creative pastries in Paris. It would be fun to be a bystander at this marathon.

BONJOUR Paris ECLAIRS!