La Galette du Coeur...La Galette des chefs 2017

I've been missing in action of late felled by a nasty cold I caught staying up past my bedtime (8:00 pm) on New Year's Eve. Plus ODing on the l'Epiphanie galette des Rois. How else to figure out how to paint the thing? I went for the 3rd year in a row with Solli to the annual charity galette fete at Saint Germain de Pres last Saturday sniffling and sneezing.

Some things are worth getting out of bed for.

I was not alone in my excitement. Red Riding hood showed up too.

There is the inspection of the galettes of course. Pierre. Herme does a lemon galette.

Karamel did of course caramel.

Très elegant from. Hotel Raphael.

Square shaped with hazelnuts instead of the almonds - very appealing.

I settled for a plain jane classic almond franipane galette and dolled it up with a coating of passion fruit/apricot confiture plus toasted almonds. A quick reheat in the oven = divine.

I did the same to Picard's DIY individual small galettes. Look at this year's feves (hidden favors). Sweet little porceleine animals.

Somehow tasting one or two galettes is not enough. Isn't it fortunate that you can find them all through January at some boulangeries and patisseries.

I was longing to try Gerard Mulot's stunning pistache/noisette. Very nice.

You will not believe some of the concoctions Paris pastry chefs come up with. Framboise-pistache. Tonka beans. Even savory galettes. I almost bought a spinach cake. Here Christolphe Adams creates an eclair/galette. His mini eclair feves were awfully appealing (25€).

I loved the scrawled lettering, 'l'Epiphanie' in his newspaper and drew it on quite a few galette watercolors.

Maybe I got a little carried away.

What I learned from all this painting and tasting is...stick with the classic glalette au amande. You can never go wrong being a purist. No matter how many creative hoops Parisian pastry chefs jump through to outdo each other, in the end you'll know a good galette from a so-so galette with no distraction from exotic flavors or odd shapes. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

Thank you for reading and supporting Parisbreakfast by buying Paris letters and watercolors. HAPPY NEW YEAR again!

Galette des Chefs, Sebastien Gaudard

 

Thank you for all the kind words of concern. It's been a tough week. This morning I heard a quote from one of the lost artists , Jean Cabut, "My dad said, when I was 15, if one could earn a living by drawing everyone would do it". I need to draw and I'm grateful for all the support so I can stay in Paris and draw even "in the worst of times".

Yesterday Solli and I went to the annual charity event held at Saint Germain by the chefs of l'Escoffier. Top Paris chefs donate galette des rois cakes:le Moulin de la Vierge, Potel et Chabot, Hélène Darroze, la Grande Epicerie, Saint Clair le Traiteur, Pierre Hermé, la Maison Kayser, le George V, Michel Rostang, les Bistronome, Poilâne, le Plaza Athénée, Thierry Burlot, Bakery, William Ledeuil, la pâtisserie Jean Millet, la Closerie des Lilas et Clerardin, Fauchon.

Caterers Potel et Chabot make a huge and wonderfully almondy galette every ear so all can taste a slice for 2 euros.

Elegant family-sized galettes were going like hot cakes. I saw people carrying 2-3 bags of different name pastry chefs, all funds going to, L'Association des POIC.

The galette chefs show up for a group picture plus oysters and champagne. A lovely break in a tough week.

This week Le Figaro did their tasting to choose the best Parisian galette and I've been trying to taste as many on the list as possible. I suggested to Solli we head over to Sebastien Gaudard's new tea salon to try the winner.

1, rue des Pyramides 75001 near rue de Rivoli and lesTuileries.

It's an exquisite boutique.

So pretty.

Naturally we thought we'd try a few other pastries...

Not easy.

The tea salon doesn't open till noon. No café would have us so the Tuileries gardens became our picnic spot.

The pigeons did very well indeed. There's a lot of crust/pate feuilletee on a galette, especially an individual galette which you need to eat with your hands. You take one bite and your entire front is covered with big chunks of crust.

The crows were sad not to share in the feast.

Solli went on her way and I thought I'd just check out Angelina's galette since they made the tail-end of Le Figaro's list.

It's nice when the almond paste is not just sitting on the bottom in a thin layer but threaded throughout. These are a mouthful. I mostly took one bite of the almond paste and could not eat the rest. The pastry is the same as on a mille feuille (thousand leaves). Just too, too much.

Still I'm so enticed by these glossy disks. They are hard to resist. I keep thinking the next one will be the one. I end up with crumbs, crumbs, crumbs all over myself.

I could easily end up looking like Jeff Koons "Galette" lady if this doesn't stop. Fortunately there is the distraction of the little feves or favors that go inside the galette. At Angelina you can buy them separately (24 euros) and completely skip the cake. Who knew there is a museum for fabophiles in Blain. Maybe a very good idea at this point...

Meert Paris

First of all, THANK YOU darling PBers for all the lovely messages and warm welcome to my new home in Paris! I'm looking forward to sharing many new adventures on the island with you.
 

Frederic, the manager of the new Meert shop (since 1761) in the 6th (3, rue Jacques Callot off rue Mazarine) somehow found Parisbreakfast and decided I must come visit on Friday. It's a mere 15 minute walk away.
 

This shop is bigger than the Marais store and absolutely dreamy.
 

Come inside.
 

All 19th century fixtures are modeled after the famous first Meert shop in the Northern town of  Lille. I have to go there.
 

Remember we were talking about candy as medicine? In the Middle Ages Medieval knights brought back all manner of spices and herbs from the East. Many went straight into the coffers of pharmacists of the day, to be made into elixirs and pills(dragees). Frequently they were stored in these big glass jars still used in most French candy stores.
 

Or ceramic jars like these. Pharmacists were truly the first candy makers of their day. Just consider. They had ginger, cinnamon, vanilla (brought back by Cortez from Mexico), licorice, almonds, citrus, lavender, anise, sugar and finally chocolate just to name a few ingredients to work (play) with. These were luxury items savored only by the rich. Luckily things have changed.
 

Here's some favorite medicine, guimauve/marshmallows, I fell instantly in love with at Meert.
 

Their framboise guimauve is some of the best I've tasted in France. Now I get it! Goodbye Campfire marshmallows. I'v moved on.
 

Meert is of famous for their Flemish waffle cookies filled with a cream made of butter, brown cassonade sugar and Madagascar vanilla. Seasonally, the flavors can change to marron/chestnut and rum or pistachio and Morello cherries etc.

President de Gaulle was a huge fan of these waffles/gaufres. He grew up in Lille but remained attached. De Gaulle's driver was sent from the Elysees Palace to fetch a dozen cookies weekly. He did the 'waffle run' I guess.
 

This shop is so darn pretty. Even if sugar never passes your lips you have to visit. And they do have lovely gift items like cards and books.
 

Gorgeous chocolates too.
 

And caramels.
 

Marron glace.
 

Only on Saturdays does Meert receive a delivery from Lille of special pastries from their tea salon like le Cramique (6,50 a brioche plain, sweet or with raisins) and perfect with Meert's devine jams.

I couldn't resist getting le moelleux a l'orange and le moelleux aux fruits rouges (2.80 each). Anything red fruits I'm a sucker for.Yes, I came back Saturday morning.
 

An homage to Meert's owners is set up in the shop.
 

Look at adorable feves/favors that hide inside Meert's galette du roi (Lindsey has a picture here). More instant love. They're taken straight from an old 19th century ad on the cover of their new beautiful double bookset. Yum. Don't miss Meert Saint-Germain next visit please. More pictures to drool over here.