Le Beurre d'Amande

We are back in la cuisine PBers, mais forget les macarons!
The adventure continues using up those pounds of Honeyville Almond flour...
As a daily eater of peanutbutter I asked myself why not?
Easy peasy too!
2 heaping cups almond blanched and toasted meal
1/2 tsp sea salt
about 1 tbsp olive oil or less
Regarde!
In just 3-5 minutes. And here's a nice video to help you DIY :)
Et voila!
This stuff does not taste bad at all and is rather pricey when storebought.
My new beurre d'amande will only sit next to le Grey Poupon in the fridge - rather snobby IMHO...

On to the next (almond meal) thing...

SESAME CRACKERS! These are from Elana's Pantry. I will need a proper rolling pin next time if there is a next time..ahem

Cutting up the 2" crackers before baking - ooops I said the 'B' word :(

BEAR likes the crackers which is a hole in one...sort of. Could one put the almond butter on the almond-sesame crackers? One could but should one? I'll be pondering that question this weekend...

Just by chance, ready for a little R&R last night, I turned on TV et voila - there was BIG BROTHER. And they were dipping contestants into a giant bowl of melted butter whist attached to a giant mix-master gizmo! The story of my life currently :O

Mon dieu PBers, should I head out to the nearest pastry shop?

Do Tell!!

BONJOUR LE WEEKEND!

Financiers

The other day Rosanne asked me,
"What is a financier? I bought a 'financier' thinking it was a madeleine since it was oval shaped. Pas de tout. 
Normalement a true financier is shaped like a mini gold brick.
All of about 3" long, full of luscious browned butter(beurre noissete). Plus almond powder and baked in rectangular pans.

I don't know why they had to change the design?

The little tea cakes were first made in a pastry shop near the Place de Bourse 75002 - i.e. the Wall Street of Paris.

I've never seen pans this shape, yet the recipe is in their book.

The financier can come in many flavors. Mariage Freres serves a mean Matcha cake (on the left) at tea time.

 Pierre Herme only makes big rectangular cakes. He says,

“Les cakes me replongent toujours dans des souvenirs d’enfance. D’apparence parfois simple, ils se révèlent à la découpe, moelleux, denses et souvent truffés de surprises savoureuses et croquantes.”

'Cake always takes me backto childhood memories. The appearence is simple, they reveal themselves in the cutting,soft , dense, often filled wiht surprises savory and crusty-crunchy'.

You can watch one of many financier demos at L'Atelier des Chefs.

The best possible info on the best financier in Paris is at Le Figaro naturalement and their list of Paris' 10 best. A la prochaine/next time I'll taste test and give you the lowdown PBers.

Yesterday I went looking for other financiers to taste but Bouchon has none and Financier Pastries was sold out except for a minis pack and I don't trust myself to eat just one.

I might as well just buy a pound of butter and start munching.

BONJOUR FINANCIERS!

NY Fancy Food Show

I went back yesterday to the FANCY FOOD SHOW for a last gasp look at the prize winners and to search for some healthy solutions to counterbalance all the sweets here at PB. Hmmm I did find these American Indian-made products...
This was a surprising winner-cat food! I've never seen that before at the FFS?!
Ruby in Paris, original art, 9" x 12"

But it struck a chord since I've been busy painting Ruby this week...
There was a preponderance of BACON at the show - is that this year's trend? I think so, though the NYTimes found other items..
This is a special bacon cooker that drains off all the fat conveniently...
From WOWBACON.com!!!
Bacon-flavored chocolate from Vosges Haut Chocolat...

And they had a pancake batter with bacon already in it + chocolate bits...Hmmm

Have you ever had rashers of British bacon with your tomato and egg in London? Unbeatable. There should be mushrooms on that crowded plate as well - do not mention the C word pls.

Another show prize winner - Sticky Buns. I'm sure I got my terrible sweet tooth from those early Sunday morning runs with my dad to pick up sticky buns...

How did you get your sweet tooth?

Do tell all!

Here's a favorite product from the show. I love peanut butter. If only I could figure out how to bring it with me to Paris? And Sunland makes theirs only with Valencia peanuts! This stuff is yummy.

Eeep I see they gave me the "crunchy" version. Did you know that most women prefer smooth? I am raising my hand wildly.

Another favorite I discovered at last year's show and I'm hooked - Mary's Gone Crackers - yep they're organic and gluten-free, but they happen to taste REALLY GOOD, especially with peanut butter on them=Heaven!!!

After all that tasting who doesn't need a massage with a hunk of heated HymalaSalt?

Course one could, as an alternative, dive into this heaping vat of prize winning caramel sauce...non non non!

If you want to try your skills at making macarons you will need almond flour. I'm flirting with the idea. Urge me on PBers. Be warned. My pastry skills are all in the eating.

Saving the best for last and purely for it's pictorial merits bien sur.Tomorrow back to Paris I promise....
BONJOUR MERCREDI!

My Macaron Boxes

Macaron boxes...what IS it about them..?
Is the attraction what's inside..?
Yummy macarons?
Surely those little French cookies are out of this world...
But there's something about the boxes that's so enthralling...
I wish I could put my finger on it. They have a decidedly Rococo feel to them. Certainly the soft pale colors are very feminine. M. was saying the ribbony cartouche design was used on old wine labels. It was used on everything in 18th century French design. Does it make us feel a bit like the extravagant Marie-Antoinette - gobbling cookies and not thinking about the consequences...
"Let them eat cake!"
Even if she didn't really say this, the thought lingers...
New notebooks and fans to help us feel more like Marie-Antoinette...
Why, oh why didn't I get this pretty pale green umbrella?
Because I saw it my first day in Paris and you never get anything the first day. You tell yourself you'll think about it and come back.HA!
I did break down and buy a green notebook...
My box collection back in my room in the Marais...

The little round coffret with the almond dragees is a new acquisition...

All the boxes came home with me. These are getting to be well-traveled boxes. Are you nuts about these boxes?