Prix de Diane Longines at Chantilly

 I went back to the bouquiniste yesterday & found 

EIGHT MORE Horse 🐎 pins ! 🤸‍♂️

To pin on my boater hat for PRIX DE DIANE at Chantilly today. 

Vanilla Diorama, Paris Vanille map

 

This past week has been a daily contest of immersion in news of Ukraine vs. the world of French vanille (pronounce that Van-knee). 

Vanilla is queen in Paris. It’s available in teas, marshmallows, ice cream, pastries, creamy desserts, cosmetics and perfumes. There’s a wonderful back story to the new 2021 Dior perfume, Vanilla Diorama. 

Evidently designer Christian Dior had a secret favorite dessert created for him by the chef at Maxim’s. But no one knows what it looked like or it’s ingredients. 

Long-time Dior perfumer François Demachy, chose top Michelin pastry chef Julian Dugourd to imagine and create this sublime, velvety dessert using Vanilla from Norohy, white Valrhona chocolate, and orange marmelade. Et voila. 

I found this top grade vanilla bean on BHV’s 4th gourmet floor today. (€18 for 3 beans) Their site will tell you A to Z about vanilla in English and more. 

Along with vanilla orchids lasting just one morning per season, the process of picking the green beans, sun-drying, sweating (at night) can take 6 to 8 months. Very labor intensive. 

My ‘lunch’ after a dip in the pool 🏊 

Aux Deux Caneles sells only Canelés. 

Vanilla is the top note in these crunchy little bronzed pastries. 

Such a cute little shop in the Marais with a mini cafe.

Saturday I paid a visit to Paris’ secret shop for rare blends of spices and condiments. 

Have you been to Épices Roellinger on rue Sainte-Anne? Their collection of vanilla beans on offer covers every source possible. 

They have a treasure chest full of spices and a model pirate 🏴‍☠️ ship. 

I don’t think I ever ate or even liked flan until I moved to Paris.

Or other rich, creamy foods for that matter. Boy did that change living surrounded by la créme de la créme all the time. I was excited to find last year’s best flan in Ile de France was close to my house. 

Boulangerie Paris & Co is very proud of their winning 🏆 flan. But the individual portion was too big for one person and too pricey(5.90€). Prices rise when you win🏅 top prizes. Their eclair vanille was very nice. 

So many adventures when chasing after vanille in Paris.

The choices for vanilla yogurt are endless. This is a much loved product by the French. The best yogurt for me was La Fermiere They infuse their milk with whole vanilla beans. La Fermiere doesn’t mess around. No vanillin for them/‘arôme natural de vanille’. *Look for tiny black dots of vanilla bean. It pays to read the label.

The Paris vanilla map 🗺 will go to la poste 📮 on Monday. It is waiting for you in my Etsy shop. 

 ❤️ I saw today Hotel de Ville has Ukraine’s flags flying ❤️

                      🇺🇦🌻❤️🇺🇦🌻❤️🌻🇺🇦❤️🌻🇺🇦❤️

Journées des Plantes de Chantilly 2018

Last Saturday Jane came with me to see château de CHANTILLY for the first time (my 5th visit but there are always new discoveries).

It was JOURNÉES DES PLANTES weekend to boot. Have you been to Chantilly? A 20 minute train ride out of Paris on the Picardie line at Gare de Nord & so worth it!

Hundreds of top floral garden specialists show up to tempt you 🌸

My mother would have been enthralled with these garden 🪴 fetes. I used to touch her gardenia petals no matter how many times warned. My dad used to pay me a penny for every beetle 🪲 I collected off the rose bushes. Maybe I have a green pinkie after all.

My favorite citrus supplier was back from last year, OSCAR TINTORI of Pescia, Italy.

Gorgeous huge clay pots.

Whimsical clay pot 'plates' and 'cups' set à table on a mossy 'tablecloth'

Jane was eager to see Chantilly's fabulous collection of art, biggest next to the Louvre in France.

They used to let you enter via the grand stairway, but now they send you outside to climb up the original chateau entrance, in fact a better experience.

Very grand.

I always discover artworks I'd previously missed like all the Ingres paintings in the red room.

In the past I always turned left and missed the 90 Clouet portrait room.

Renaissance artists, François and Jean Clouet painted all the kings and queens of Europe, including Francois the 1st, Mary Queen of Scots and Catherine de Medici. The portraits are painted on wood with egg tempera, delicate and refined. There's a slew of 300 Clouet drawings hiding somewhere in the castle, yet to be discovered.

The view out the gallery windows of the Le Notre gardens is stunning. We would have loved to sketch on the balcony but not this time..

A captivating view back in the 1600s of Chantilly.

We happily parked ourselves outside to paint.

And eat our picnic lunch.

We were not alone. Many families were picnicing along the banks.

Bring your own eats. Food lines can be long and the wait daunting.

We were lucky 🍀 to have perfectly sunny weather and we had Chantilly mostly to ourselves till the royal wedding watchers arrived later on in droves. Ice cream may be a no-no but its impossible to resist fresh Chantilly whipped cream at its namesake, oui? TAKE A LOOK on Etsy for more Chantilly watercolors. 

Monet's Giverny gardens await tomorrow. 

Xxx Cheers PBers 🍦 

Maison de la Chantilly, Ines de la Fressange,

Tuesday was whipped cream tasting day at MAISON DE LA CHANTILLY

Gorgeous little mouthfuls of just the right amount of Chantilly whipped cream gathered from special French cows (FYI they do not reside at Chateau Chantilly but rather mid-France. Each one was personally interviewed and selected).

Their soft caramels made with Chantilly cream are 2-die-for I kid you not.

The Chef was on hand to fill your little cookie cone.

Not just any whipped cream can call it self 'crème Chantilly' by the way. There are rules just like Champagne. It is strictly regulated and requires a minimum of 30% fat. Who knew?

They have real Fontainebleaux and Pavlovas (I had to taste one). My first.

On Maison de la Chantilly's website they offer strawberry soup. I'm going back!

Strawberries make you think of shortcake. Red, white and blue July 4th coming up this Saturday.

The best, newest place to get your 4th outfit is Ines de la Fressange's shop on 24, rue de Grenelle 75007

Once an old bronze fixtures factory, the black- painted display cases are original and stunning

As is all the merchandise.

This is her concept store with something for everyone and their maison.

It's hard not to love her casual taste and superb eye.

Fressange's ebullient spirit is ever present.

I loved ❤️ everything in her store.

Especially the bits and pieces on her inspo board. Ines as a petite fille?

Fun, fun, fun! A don't miss shop with prices in all ranges.

Who knew there would be a Fourth of July Street Food festival in Paris?

I fell for cerises/fraises 🍓earrings in a shop window on rue Saint Louis en L'Ile. Cerises 🍒 are cute too.

This weekend I'll be painting strawberries at Chateau du Petit Thouars Independence day celebration.
Any PBers who show up will get the latest July Cherry 🍒 Sketch Letter  free. Y'all come.

🍒

I’m Carol Gillott, an artist living in Paris. Every month I send out beautifully illustrated letters that capture the true Parisian experience. 

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Thanks for reading PB 🍓

☕️ If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a KO-FI here  ☕️  ❤️ Thank you so much! 🤸🏾‍♀️🎉🥂