Candy School - Le Bonbon au Palais

I always learn something new when I visit candy store, La Bonbon au Palais at 19, rue Monge 75005 Metro Cardinal Lemoine, bus 47.
 

There's a good reason the shop is full of desks and grade school paraphrenalia.
 

So sharpen your pencils PBers
 

And get out your ardoises/mini blackboards to take some notes.
 

1st leçon is how to put marshmallows/guimauve into a glass jar. Very important lesson
 

I love to browse this shop. Memories of childhood excursions to candy shops in my neighborhood come back. I'm sure they said "Oh here's the browser again."
 

 This customer already knows the merchandise well. He's just patiently waiting for his snack.
 

On to class work. When I noticed the geological samples they reminded me of shards of rock-like candies I saw at Salon de l'Agriculture last March.
 

I was fascinated by their transparency and strong scent. Some are from pine trees/sapin and there was licorice/reglisse.  I filled my pockets with samples. They sat on my desk for ages till temptation beckoned.
 

Georges was happy to explain. These special candies are from the Hautes-Vosges.
 

They are not flavored but made from essential oils..from resins of the region including eucalyptus, honey, poppies, pine and licorice.
 

They serve a medicinal purpose. Each flavor is useful for a different ailment of the nose, throat, lungs and circulation.
 

You can get them crushed into smaller pieces as a tisane. Georges proceeded to demonstrate the various coughs, and other throaty maladies these can cure. He explained with the tisane, you must let it brew for 10 minutes. Then do an inhalation over the cup for 15 minute. This was demonstrated as well. Hard not to giggle but the lesson was learned. Georges, as usual popped a few stony nuggets into my pocket for future use along with a tea bag or two. By the way these little candy rocks have a refreshing taste and the maker has a bonbon museum I wouldn't mind visiting if I get to the Haut- Vosges. Otherwise you can find these at Le Bonbon au Palais in Paris.
 

Another important lesson to learn when you move if you have a guardienne in your building you Must bring her a candy gift. It's an essential, preferably chocolates and caramels - the reason for my visit.
 

Georges is the master of gift wrapping. First comes the crepe paper in the color of your choice.
 

Then the candies are popped into the bag.
 

An added plus a fan-shape of another color!
 

Enfin/at last the ribbon and a lolly-pop/sucette. My new guardienne was thrilled and so was I. La Bonbon is loads of fun to visit. Georges won't let you leave without a lesson or two and many tastes. Only in Paris.
 

Le Bonbon au Palais - Guimauve 101

Trying to match the delicate pale colors of French guimauve (or what we call marshmallows) is not nearly as easy as eating them.
 

As someone with a long history of roasting marshmallows while my parents were out of the house, I assumed I'd some background knowledge of guimauve. This proved not to be the case at all.
 

Let the leçon begin students.
 

The only appropriate schoolroom is at  Le Bonbon au Palais at 19, rue Monge 75005 Metro;Cardinal Lemoine.
 

No other site in Paris offers the variety of guimauve. I checked. And you can buy just one piece if you're unsure about making a commitment just like when you were a kid at your local candy store.
 

Professor Georges is in deep contemplation preparing the lesson.
 

The traditional Chamalow found in most shops are from Arnaud Soubeyran in Montelimar. You can find them in the US too. On the right, Guimauve fantasie (meaning faux or fake) from Montpelier. Both are made (horrors - industriale) by machine in a kind of taffy-like fashion. They have about 10% egg white in them and tend to be seche or dry and elastic. I rather like them since they remind me of the chewy Campfire marshmallows of my childhood though none came in framboise or citron flavors.
 

Georges handles each guimauve rope like it was a precious strand of pearls. I would like a drawer of these.
 

These pillowy big squares have no animal gelatin in them so are perfect for vegetarians. And they have no whites of egg either or blanc d'oeuf (which sounds like 'blond-Ouf' to me when Georges says it).

These even bigger squares are made with a new special artisanale technique from Pascal Jeanblanc, Toulouse. They are beaten to a fair thee well (by hand of course...) till a huge bubble thing forms. So they are much more airy in texture (nothing like my crisped, blackened marshmallows but the flavors are intense and not overwhelmingly sugary with flavors like banane, coco, framboise, poire, citron, chocolat, vanilla, rose, cerise, fleur d'oranger.
 

And as mentioned you can buy just one and try it.

These are cutup versions of the strips
 

I felt I should check out a few other candy shops in town.
 

I always love La Mere du Famille. This branch is on rue Montorgeuil.
 

They just have the strip version tied up in knots. They have many other traditional regional French candies as well...
 

Patisserie Ble Sucre is back from summer hols and open. Hooray! when I spotted squares of guimauve I asked where they were from. The chef was standing by and announced, all their candies are made on site a la maison. Ooopla. These were of the airy, fluffy variety by the way. I got a pack of fleur d'orange (5 euros).
 

Here is my haul or rather this was my haul. Most of it has disappeared...hmmm.
 

Georges happily gift-wrapping someone's candies. This year's Salon du Chocolat (end of October) will have an annex with all the French confisieurs separate and Georges is in charge. I attempted to roast one of the small elastic guimauve but it tasted like Franprix matches. Ugh. Much better to go with the real thing unroasted.
 

A Day of Indulgences




Saturday January 5, 2013 - a day of indulgences.
So far this trip has been one long indulgence and battle with temptation. It's that time of year and being in Paris isn't helping one bit. Every which way you turn is temptation.



Hell and paradise at the same time.
I was beginning to feel quite overhelmed by it all. Then I came across a quote from George Saunders' book of essays, The Braindead Megaphone and I was saved (I hope).

“The mind is a machine that is constantly asking:
What would I prefer?

Close your eyes, refuse to move, and watch what your mind does.What it does is become discontent with That Which Is.

A desire arises, you satisfy that desire, and another arises in its place.

This wanting and rewanting is an endless cycle for which, turns out, there is already a name: samsara.

Samsara is at the heart of the vast human carnival: greed, neurosis, mad ambition, adultery, crimes of passion, the hacking to death of a terrified man on a hillside in the name of A More Pure And Thus Perfect Nation--

And all of this takes place because we believe we will be made happy once our desires have been satisfied.

I know this. But still I'm full of desire...
from "Buddha Boy”

― George Saunders, The Braindead Megaphone

It's either develope resistance or make do with plaster macarons

Does one get to wear the crown if one resists temptation?
I'll start practicing tomorrow since Raids-Patisseries invited me to tea today at Le Meurice. What's a girl to do?




Go of course and try not to feel too tortured ahem