Mindful Painting Class with Tansy Hargan, The Raisin Exercise

 Yesterday, May 1st, I took a morning color class with TANSY HARGAN.

We were focusing on mindful painting. Hmm, my blobby sample…

Where M I?

OK U got it. Mignon non? At Monoprix with matching glasses, cups, plates et pas cher...
I love the reflection in Christian Constant's ice cream ardoise
The REAL thing is nice too on rue de Rennes near Monoprix..

I'm sitting in MIYOU - Guy Martin's quickie lunch place on the deuxiem etage 2nd floor in Le Bon Marche

And eating a designer layered salade of quinoa bien sur with shrimp + pomegranate seeds = miam :)

No ones going to mind if I bring out my tarte au citron meringuee of the day, since I bought it next door at La Grand Epicerie, right? Louise says it's No.#4 (3.60 euros) on the best meringue list. I'm working my way through the list this trip. Fortunately I've already eaten Patisserie des Reves last trip so I am a little ahead.

3 down with 9 more tartes to go in 10 days.

wish me luck :)

Rick Tulka, famous Brooklynite-expat cafe artiste waits for me at his fav cafe Le Select. Out comes the chocolate mac Louise says is the best in Paris (I meant to get the mini size but was trop blase when La Grand Epicerie vendeuse burbled something and I just nodded back oui) - quelle idiot moi. Next time I'll note the bag is awfully big for two little macarons. Rick asks me to stop embarrassing him and hide the mac...ahem

We both doodle in unison - great fun.

Afterwards a stroll down my old haunt, rue Vavin.

An 'Older French Girl (OFG) leche-vitrine/licks the windows browsing.

Perfectly severe yet charmante clothes pour la bebe...

Pink scooters line up outside an ecole...

Giant pink meringues, formerly my dessert of choice before macarons came along - I love the way they crackle when you bit into them and then telltale crumble down your front. Chomp, chomp.

Pink ballerines - icon of Paris.

Only in Paris - DIY Whoopie pies in pink/rose

A final green tea Matcha domo dessert from Sadaharu Aiko just before bed instead of something pink. That green tea kept me up till 2:30 AM :(
Still...what's not to love about being in Paris?

Bonjour PBers!

Sadaharu Aoki Macha

Sadaharu Aoki Macha, original watercolor

About a week ago I got a package from KAT in Japan full of Macha green tea goodies - like 2 green square chocolates I could kill for and these little faux green tea cones that are sort of chocolatey and cookies and...and... THANK YOU KAT in Japan. Kat has great recipes on her site - Please visit.

All that Macha tea made me think of Paris pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki and his green tea goodies like this opera cake.

Here's a green Mille-feuille à la the vert

Eclair Machas lined up like soldiers.

Macha rollades full of a sweet red bean paste.

I spotted these extraterrestrials called the Duomo (after the Florence Duomo?) at Sadaharu Aoki's boutique at Lafayette Gourmet.
My resistance broke down.

A peek inside - a mousse-like outer-igloo with red bean filling inside.  AND don't forget the Matcha macaron stuck onto the side...heaven on earth. I'm having palpitations just describing it to you.

Inside Sadaharu Aoki's shop on 35 rue de Vaugirard, Paris 6è the walls are Mâtcha as well as green tea jam.

Here is the divine Sadaharu Aoki himself, offering me a macaron at the Salon du Chocolat in October - 

a day never to be forgot!

And here, his fabulous box of macarons! 12 to a box. All flavors are labeled on the lid. So kind. 

BONNE JOURNEE

Sadaharu Aoki Macarons

Sadaharu Aoki Macarons, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

Can we ever have too many Paris macarons? Never.
Does anyone do packaging as well as the Japanese? True Paris"owns" the pastry box industry. But for all-around inventivness the Japanese have been doing it way longer. These informative boxes are from Paris pastry chef Sadaharu Aoki. Regarde. 12 different flavors and all named on top of the box. Who could resist? I was first tempted by these extra-terrestial creations. In fact I bought the strawberry thing on the far left. I walked 5 feet away and heard a plop inside the box. The strawberry had fallen over! I returned it a tout à suite for a box of 12 macarons.

 Fauchon makes 'pastry' china. You canhave your macarons and eat them too.

Whilst sitting on a cushion from Pierre Frey fabrics. A look inside the box.

This painting looks so civilized. Like I took one bite and then painted the mac. Of course I bought the box of macs with no intention of eating them. Strictly for painting still lifes. But I had to test them out. And after one bite. Well, they were exceptionally small. You could hardly see them they were so small. The truth is I wolfed them down over 2 days. They are very small. My connoissureship went straight out the window.

Sadaharu Aoki Citron Macaron, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

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!

Sadaharu Aoki

Sado Tea Cup, Watercolor, 5" x 7"

Recently I leaned down to pick up a piece of paper off the floor. My floor is a lot like my closet , full of unexpected oddments.

I found a crumpled receipt from Sadaharu Aoki on 35, rue Vaugirard, dated 05/16/2006. The day before my birthday, so I stopped in to celebrate early.

Choosing what to eat in any Parisian pâtisserie is never easy. I regret I didn't pig out. It's much easier when your taking things away, pretending you're buying for others even when you mange sur place.

You tell yourself, "How many times am I in Paris"? And "I would never do this at home" blablabla. No one is fooled.

Certainly not the vendeuse, who is only too happy to let you pig out all you want.

You see Japanese tetsubin tea pots all over Paris, but no where more appropriately than at Sadaharu Aoki.When you sit down in a place like Sadaharu you want to be reserved and bien-élevé. I wish I’d tasted all the lovely things La Tartine Gourmande tasted. At last my thé verte and chocolate Opera cake arrived! This teapot is not so easy to paint BTW... that's why I covered up the unhappy results with more Opera cake above. I'll be off to Paris in about 19 days, 7 minutes, 16 seconds and I promise to bring back more dessert pictures and less decor.