Caroline Mignot - L’atelier de Beurre

Yesterday I went to butter class 

L’atelier de beurre s’il vous plaît with Caroline Mignot. I got lucky 🍀 and won 🏆 a place.  Caroline is a delightful instructor. She is an expert at sharing the complexity of French flavors. She is, after all from Nantes, a vrai Nantais.

La Fete de la Coquille

Vendredi 1Mars C.B.S. caramel au beurre sale

I went to the annual Breton la Fete de a Coquille in Montmartre in January and was instantly immersed in a bath of caramel au beurre sale much to my delight and horror.

How to resist so much temptation?

Olivier Magny in his book STUFF PARISIANS LIKE has nailed this conflict as he has many other mysterious Parisian ways. This book remains a source of answers in a mysterious town. I'll quote him liberally here:

Sweet in Paris is guilty. Gently. Guilty. Sugar It carries all the afflictions of decadence. It is coating and fattening, sensual and tempting, enjoyable and slippery. Anything sweet in Paris should therefore be consumed in great moderation. (Will I ever acclimate?)

Just enough for the threatening shadow of decadence not to ruin the tender moment of sweet collapse. In that unspoken tug-of-war between good and bad, the Parisian found an ally in caramel au beurre sale.

Le caramel au beurre is as sweet as it gets. Devilishly so. But in all that sweetness and perversion comes a salvatory adjective, a redeeming flavor: le sale/salt.



Taunting and irreverent. Obedient nd rebellious. Le salé/salt makes caramel acceptable.

This is the best koign amann of my life by the way from the fair in Montmartre. Merci deux I only bought one.

I returned to the Agricultural Salon last night to visit the Bretonne section. Le caramel au beurre salé was once a Bretonne oddity.

The uncanny account for the local tradition of salting butter. Salt is one powerful little thing.

The Bretonnes were out in full force last night with plenty of salt on offer.

Caramel au beurre sale can take many, many forms.

At the chocolate salon Henri Le Roux was serving up tiny tarts to die for.

And his classic caramel au beurre sale (C.B.S. for short for the French) caramels.

Olivier Magny's STUFF PARISIANS LIKE has remained on Paris bookshop counters since it came out a few years ago. Evidently Parisians need to bone up on their peculiar habits not just me. It's a terrific reference. His final words on C.B.S:.

...Salt miraculously washes sugar away, brushes off decadence. The Parisian is freed.

USEFUL TIP: When it comes to caramel au beurre, Henri Le Roux is the man.

Pain de Sucre & Kings of Pastry!

Tonight 'Kings of Pastry' will be playing on PBS. To get in the right frame of mind immerse in the amazing tartes of Patisserie Pain de Sucre. Last trip I only peered in the window. I didn't go inside. Admittedly I was munching on a tarte citron from Cupcakes Berko across the street.

An act of betrayal and regret I relive daily since.

Pastry chefs Didier Mathray and Nathalie create shapes, flavors, colors and textures unique among Paris' patisseries.

I can't wait to go back and taste these.

Or at least taste the mini versions - 'tentation'/temptation, the perfect name for this tarte framboise.

"Castanea'- Sablé à la farine de chataigne, pulpe de pomme légèrement caramélisée,praliné croustillant, crémeux au marron, biscuit tendre à la châtaigne, mousse à la pulpe de châtaigne, glacage à la noisette.

Pure poetry no?

What looks like a mini version of the Castanea is really a nounours - chocolate-covered marshmallow on a stick.

I have tasted many of Pain de Sucre's caramel macarons.

Do have the right snacks while you watch Tonight's Kings of Pastry.

Bonjour KINGS & Pain de Sucre!

Bleu dans l'Ile..

Over tea with M. at Le Saut du Loup, the conversation turned to the penny candy M. ate as a kid. "CARUMBAR" were a favorite of hers, or so it seemed to me.
 

While waiting to visit Barbara Bleu, I spotted this cobalt blue bonbon shop, BLEU DANS L'ILE. The vitrine said,

'DELICES ET SUCRERIES DES REGIONS DE FRANCE... ET D'AILLEURS'. Translated, delights and sugary sweets of regional France and elsewhere.
 

I asked the owner if she had CARUMBA caramels?

She corrected me, You mean CARAMBAR caramels?

Oui, bien sur! a sort of caramel Tootsie Roll.
 

This shop was packed with all kinds of other caramels.

Vanille, Fleur de Sel, Beurre Sel, Chocolat, Cafe, even in pop form. Oh my.

Blurry picture? Your knees would be shaking too with all this caramel.MAJOR Miam! Years ago I used to attend Lotte Berke Excercise class on 67th street. The entire hour class I fantasized about buying Dalloyau caramels at Bloomingdales and I did too.
 
Regarde/look! Caramel mice. I buy a pack of CARAMBAR and entrust them to Barbara to give to M. She immediately starts munching. Hmph. I have a feeling M. never saw a single Carambar. Please visit the CARAMBAR site for giggles. Or buy CARAMBAR on Amazon! No kidding!