Europain 2014

Sunday I headed out to convention center Villepinte Nord to visit Europain 2014.

It's a huge bread/boulangerie show I've been meaning to visit for ages. It did not disappoint. These are famous Eric Kayser's breads. People are crazy for his baguette Monge.

And here is Eric Kayser! He certainly doesn't look like he eats a lot of bread...just another skinny French person who can get away with eating whatever they want and not pay the piper. Grumble, Crumble.
 

Hall 4 and 5 were filled with aromas of baking bread...enough to make you swoon right on the spot.
 

You're not just inhaling. There's tons of endless samples.
 

Crispy undecorated eclair shells filled with lemon cream...the shells were the crunchiest I've tasted. Simply Yum.
 

A multitude of bread baking machinery demonstrating their skills.
 

And all the charming accoutrements like wrappers, metal boxes, bags.
 

These are not fruit juice samples, but coulis, those decorative dribbles on your dessert plate - thick and intense.

 

Most Paris boulangeries serve ice cream. Isn't Paris WONDERFUL.
 

Doodly-doodly-do
 

Spring has arrived early this year. The ice cream trucks were out last night.
 

There is a lot a bread at Europain..
 

And bread demonstrators.
 

Sugar sculpture demonstrators too. These guys are artistes.
 

A huge array of display baskets
 

Quite elegant bread racks.
 

A lot like the 17th century balconies on Ile Saint Louis.
 

Interesting display of the variety of grains. I love grainy bread, but the French prefer their grains on the outside as a decorative element. Few grains get to make it inside.
 

But I found wonderful grain crackers at Europain! They're from Norway!! SIGDAL Bakeri. Please Galeries Lafayette, Grand Epicerie and Naturalia Listen up.

Remember a few years ago I had a mad love affair with the French cracker. I was ready to move to Paris for a cracker. It's true. I even attempted to make them myself and you know me and baking don't get along. Well I fell out of love with ze French cracker, even my own home-grown version. They are just too darn hard. Break-your-teeth hard. But these Norwegian crackers are not hard or too thick. They are rather delicate. Perfect at Apero time. Perfect for all-time snacking in fact. I want to find this cracker in France. Do I have to move to Norway to have a ready supply? This would not be good for Paris Breakfasts and I would miss the Seine...If anyone out there knows someone at Galeries Lafayette...? There are plenty of grains too btw...Bear loves them too.
 

Les Bonne Boulangeries

Chausson au pomme may be one of my 25 TOP viennoiseries/pastires to munch on in Paris...

I had my 1st chausson from Du Pain et des Idees yesterday (eaten dans le rue ahem).

Normalment a chausson is full of apple compote so you feel slightly less guilty eating it. But Du Pains has a whole slice of apple baked inside with the skin left on! Quelle surprise & trés delish. This is a chausson au pomme not to be missed.

Trish Deseine is a big fan of DPEDI and includes them in her top 5 cake stops in Paris.

She also raves about the antique interior decor.

And I'm nuts for their FAB vintage tin collection in the windows

Yum

David Lebovitz' Paris Pastry lists DPEDI in his best Paris TOP 25. Plus you don't need internet to access most of his info. I found out wandering on rue Yves Toudic last Sunday hoping to buy a croissant etc. I also found out Du Pain is closed on Saturdays and Sundays Thanks to David's app.

I hit on boulangerie Aux Peches Normands also on rue Yves Toudic yesterday.

They have a tiny cafe in the back for your petit Dejeuner.

Along with the usual suspects they have many Normande specialties

These criss-cross apple tartes were all over Rouen when I visited in September.

Both of these delightful boulangerie are on either end of rue Yves Toudic. Clever Agnes B. has two old fashioned bakers posted outside their shop as a clue to keep walking. You’ll be rewarded 🥐

I was pleased to see David lists Au 140 on my home turf in his Top 25.

I go here all the time. There is ALWAYS a line.

They have won best baguette and best croissant. No wonder.

They always have the latest seasonal fruit in a tarte planted in the window. This is why the Paris boulangerie must not be missed. Patisseries are for elaborate gateaux. But for your basic seasonal fruit tarte head to any boulangerie SVP.

My chausson au pomme was terrific but now I'm mad for the baked apple slice at Du Pain. By the way Trish Deseine likes Au 140. Almost all boulangeries have illustrations of bakers and croissants on their bags which I find endearing and highly collectable even when butter stained...

Boulangerie Traditionnelle

I know you've heard of pain de tradition (artisanal baguettes) and there's even saucisson de tradition. In France the word 'tradition' has special cachet, meaning done the old way, made by hand as opposed to industrially-made and is highly prized and sought after.

I'm making up the term (I think) 'patisserie de tradition' so you can recognize the ingredients of an old-fashioned patisserie/boulangerie tout de suite. For one thing they often have brightly colored awnings. No patisserie is more traditional than Maison Stohrer (depuis 1730) on rue Montorgueil. You can't go wrong in here.

Any patisserie de tradition worth its salt will have paintings on glass for sure.

Lots of gold scrolls and decorative motifs.

Plus the essential wheat sower (often an attractive femme) and a windmill or two.

Highly decorative street signs are de rigueur.

And often figurative and silhouetted.

Hand writing on the windows more than likely announcing a prize won for the best baguette or croissant is to be taken note of svp.

Inside look for painting on the walls. There will be starlings, cupids and all kinds of glorious oldie-worldie elements.

Look for FAB decorative tile work.

Old photographs of workers always make my heart go pitter-patter in patisserie traditionnelles.

Natch they will have Macarons. Like who doesn't these days in Paris?

But for sure they will still have the old-fashioned big-as-your-head meringues that were my 1st Parisian love before the macaron came along to steal my heart.

Don't worry. There will be plenty of gorge pastries to gobble up along with the classic madeleines, financiers, chouquettes.

More hand printing on the porte etiquettes. Those charming sign posts in every patisserie in France.

And the little printed paper bags...some of the best of Paris trash out there...sigh

Little French girls haven't changed much thank goodness.

Do not be surprised to hear at the cash register,

"J'pas la monnaie" (I don't have change) when you offer a 10 euro note. Come loaded with change when visiting a patisserie traditionnelle.

C'est comme ca!