Les Fees Patissieres

Some weeks in Paris are full of lovely culinary surprises...OK most weeks. Here's an amuse-buche aquarelle of today's sweeties.

Une petite bouchee perhaps?

These little darlings are called "bouchee"

This one has THREE kinds of vanilla; Madagascar, Tahiti and Indian. Perfection for those of us trying to get a grip on French vanilla.

Did I say they are made by, Les Fees Patissieres

21, rue Rambuteau 75004 Open every day 11 - 8 pm

Two girls, Deborah Levy et Sarah Harb became obsessed with creating the perfect little bite(bouchee). You're gazing at a mini version of a religieuse in café and chocolat.

A mini Paris Brest (praline et pomme vert) on the left and a mini Fraisier on the right with a touch of pistache.

Tarte au Citron is an incontournable/a must-have in any patisserie. This one has a divine touch of Yuzu

I asked owner-creator Sarah how do you eat these gems? Are they like a 1-bite sushi? Not at all. They entail a 3-steps. She  demonstrates.

Ecstasy!

This Nutella-noisette bouchee requires you to eat the bobble on top first (looking much like all the bobble knit hats everyone is wearing in Paris right now).

Get ready. Set. Go!

The décor of this tiny shop is decidedly girly. I was smitten.

Top pastry chef Eddie Benghanem of the Trianon Palace at Versailles has made these girls dreams come true, They had the concept and he did the creating in the cuisine so they are perfect.  There are 12 designs in all for the winter collection.

Le Bonhomme de Neige is Benghanem's Holiday buche de Noel filled with vanilla mousse, poire, noisette biscuit and milk chocolate.

Lovely caramels for another mini bite in an array of flavors.

I got a mange-passion caramel I planned to save but forget about that happening.

More minis - these perfect tiny pain d'epice bites definitely made by fairy pastry chefs - very hard to stop eating these.

There is also guimave in the much-loved kid's candy flavor  fraise Tagada

With a matching bouchee to boot...

Les Fees Patissieres is on a street (rue Rambuteau in the Marais) loaded with tres delish pastry shops. Everyone was peering in with envy watching us tasting bite after bite. Do drop in.

Paris Pastry Meditation

Religieuse Violette, watercolor, 9" x 11"
I thought I was posting on the lovely, orderly way Parisian patissiers.
Line up their creations.

Like soldiers standing to attention in perfect rows.
Then I had one of those Eureka! moments. Is it possible my obsession with French pastry has everything to do with a desperate need for order and nothing to do with chocolate or whipped cream?

These perfect disks lined up with such precision.

Labeled and priced, measured centimeters apart, are the exact opposite of my chaotic studio.

I fight a losing battle with entropy daily,

Yet the vision of glossy tartes.

Is like a Zen meditation.

Do I start an ashram in Paris and spread the joie?

Should I go to pastry school?Would you like a peek at my studio 2011 to see if there's been any improvement?

Do tell PBers.
BONJOUR PASTRY MEDIATATION!

Patisseries Religieuse

After much research, I wanted to share with you my observation: the French are obsessed with puffy, airy things...
Firstly patisserie Religieuse- made of puff or pate chou pastry - really 2 cream puffs, one sitting on top of the other and filled with flavored pastry cream. The Religieuse got it's name from it's violet-colored icing matching the cardinal's robes.
There's a long tradition of "puffy" cuisine in France. Here a soup en croute..hidden under pâte feuilletée. Plus profiteroles, croquembouches, eclairs, beignets, eclairs, gougères
Height seems to be a desirable thing in France..
Not to be left out of the picture, French painters love to paint these puffy creations, like Manet's "La Brioche."
Manet was inspired by Chardin's "Brioche" in the Louvre
As well as what appreared on his dinner table...
And where would we be without airy, bubbly, fizzy French Champagne???
Another example of the French propensity for puffery - Marie Antoinette had a very puffy hairdo...
The master of puffy dresses = Christian Lacroix, French of course.
Here's an exam on French pastry !
You'll find out if French patisserie is
Your cup of tea/votre tasse de thé
and if you have CHEF potential!

Bonjour Pouffismo !

Bouchon Bakery

I'm late visiting chef Thomas Keller's BOUCHON BAKERY

at 10 Columbus Circle, near 59th Street, third floor.

For some odd reason I thought they might have Pierre Herme Ispahan knockoffs for me to paint. But that is Bouley Bakery!

They do have MACARONS!
But only in a "medium" size?!

Why? I like the little/petit ones best - that way you don't feel such a pig eating them

These giant-looking chocolate "bouchon" are just the right size!
Only 2" tall and full of molten chocolate...YUM

Remember le bouchon is the word for a Champagne cork and that's how these are shaped.

Very pretty "Cherry chocolate cremoux (?)"
Are there cherries inside as well as on top? Qui sait?

This 1/2 globe is a popular French pastry shape with Herme and others.

My room mate is rescuing me by having this loaf-cake for breakfast!

What I actually ate, after all the browsing...
A plain old ham and cheese sandwich.
But all the bread is made in-house and the baguette is nice and chewy.

Quite Frenchie in my opinion - the bread was buttered as well as mustared like the French do it.

There are informal cafe tables nearby to munch your sandwich..

And for your hound. Foie gras–enriched doggie biscuits to keep his mind off your Chocolat bouchon!