Chocolate Show NY 2011!

You can eat way more chocolate at this years Chocolate Show this weekend (Thursday - Sunday 10 - 6pm Metropolitan Pavillion 125 West 18th Street)
Swedish chocolatier, Fika Choklad NYC is there again...
Plenty of strawberries to dip...
Loads of books on chocolate and pastry...

Learn how to dip a pretzel in chocolate at Cotton Tree Lodge - or go there for a week (in Belize) and make your own chocolate, bean-to-bar.

Deck yourself out in chocolate head to toe...

Get a 6-year-old to show you how to take pictures with your iPod Touch...

Bernachon, Lyon is at the NY show for the first time. You can't even find their bars in Paris except at L'Etoile d'Or. I bought a 'Jour et nuit' bar - a combo of milk on one side and dark on the other...

I bought a Bernachon hazelnut bar too...ahem

Intensely rich chocolate cakes from Portugese Choco Bolo

I rarely eat meat but I sinned and tasted chocolate enrobed bacon from Co.Co.Sala in D.C. - the bacon's saltiness combines perfectly with creamy dark chocolate - delicious!

Fair trade chocolate from Ghana made by Divine. They were at the London chocolate show too.

French chocolatier Pralus was at the show again.

Goodby Nutella. Hello creme de noisette.

Christophe Roussel has boxes and boxes of Paris macarons..

Macarons from Mad MacNYC

And Francois Payard...

Chocolate show specials from Payard

Lots of special xmas gift possibilities at this years chocolate show including exotic teas and spices...

These same charm bracelets at the Paris Salon you make yourself are here.

My haul from yesterday :O

Bonjour Chocolate Show NY 2011!

R U in Paris?

You could imagine looking at this photo, that you're in Paris...
This one too...

Mais non PBers, you're looking at a video in Barney's window honoring Vogue editor, Carine Roitfeld on Madison Ave...
Is this waiter (oogling a passing Parisienne) in a Paris resto?

Mais non encore! This is Rue 57, a New York Parisienne brasserie that serves sushi as well as croissants...hmmm

Is this a French petit gosse/little kid clutching his 'doudou'?

Like this kid on rue de Rivoli..? Non way.

New York has been invaded by the fashion types for FASHION WEEK - you can spot them by their big hair, big shoes and big cameras. Oh and they'll be eating the requisite hot dog.

More BIG shoes entering Bergdorfs...

Whoops - No way R U in Paris PBers.

Did you read Elaine Sciolino (of La Seduction) and her weekend story on the French and their addiction to short skirts?

'And I know no French woman in Paris who wears jogging shoes and carries her dress shoes en route to work.'

Only in New York do gigantic dogs roam the streets...

Does this look like Paris?

It surely tasted like Paris - pistache macaron with framboise + pistache ice cream sandwiched inside ($5) YUM/ MIAM!!

Merci M. Francoise Payard. You hit the nail sur la tete.

BONNE JOURNEE PBers!

I must book my ticket TODAY!

L'Amour Fou

L'Amour Fou de Petits Fours, watercolor

 

Still crazy for petits fours, I thought I'd try the competition. Mais quelle disastre! Staff grabbed the box, ran in the kitchen and tried to patch them together.

Where are the little protective caissettes plissées that go under each petit four bien sur?

Mon dieu! I was mad. Growling like these not-to-be-missed animal sculptures of Ai Weiwei  near The Plaza Hotel.

C'est la vie. I returned to Financier Pastries for a 2nd set of petits fours. A pastry artist must have something to paint.

As a consolation prize I got a passion fruit macaron = instant happiness. When life gives you lemons eat macarons.

With all this mad, crazy love for petits fours seeing L'Amour Fou/crazy love was a natural.

L'Amour Fou is a French documentary about the relationship of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge, their amazing art collection and Berge's decision to auction it off in 2009 in a 3-day extravaganza. Read more in Elaine Sciolino's story here.

The film offers a detailed inside look at their lives together and the relentless luxury of their lifestyle.

Yesterday Yellow Bird dragged me down for more pastry luxuries. Who does he think he is - YSL?

BONJOUR L'AMOUR FOU de PETITS FOURS!

B comme Boite de Macaron

Stack des boites,watercolor, 5.5" x 7.5"

The other day I walked by a window full of boxes at Payard Patisserie.

YUM! Time to paint boxes again...

Cookie Boxes,watercolor,5.5" x 7.5"

These wonderful pastel geometric shapes hold the best surprises in the world don't they?

 

Well next to diamonds... my collection at l'heure bleu.

And over at Pierre Herme - chocolate boxes!

Pierre Herme's macaron "petal" boxes stacked and waiting.

Meanwhile back in New York, Mitzy of Yummy in The Tummy has designated me one of her very select macaron tasters!

Mitzy got to study with Pierre Herme in Chicago for one week.
This is a very tough assignment, this tasting don't you agree? I may call on you for help. Are you available?
BONNE JOURNEE!