V comme Verte

Pale, pale green is unique I thought.

 Then I looked in Amandine Guisez Gallienne's beautiful book, COLORFUL WORLD. Delicious pale green exists on the walls in Mexico, Finland, Mali, Rajasthan, on the Burmese border and elsewhere. I'd like to visit all these green, but I'm quite content to go back & have some more macs. Colors are always effected by what's adjacent to them.

 A mixed color can look perfect when wet. Then it dries "down", much lighter and all wrong. Greens can be especially tricky to mix. It's not so easy to match a color exactly and takes a lot of experimenting.

 Punch a hole in the color you want to match. Then hold it over the painted swatch. When you no longer can distinguish between the cut hole and the paint swatch you've got a match.

 First time on rue Bonaparte I was just browsing. Next to Galeries Lafayette for a look but it seemed small and crowded. And 2 times I sat downstairs and had afternoon tea on Rue Royal.

 I ordered a plate of 4 macarons -Citron, Caramel, Framboise, Chocolat. And a chocolate Religieuse mainly to photograph & then paint. I took only one bite - it's enormous!

 The waiter offered to box the rest and I refused. Idiot! I didn't want to walk out with a doggie bag so I missed out having a green box for my own.

Mint green, moss green, Matcha and celadon green, terre vert, Granny Smith Apple green? Where did they come up with this shade of pale green?

From the underside of a rose leaf? 

Today's post is a repost from 2006.
I'm surrounded by cats and dogs in the studio.

La Croix Verte

Have you also wondered why ALL pharmacies in Paris are green/verte? Have you found taking pictures of them addictive?

Sadaharu Aoki Macha

Sadaharu Aoki Macha, original watercolor

About a week ago I got a package from KAT in Japan full of Macha green tea goodies - like 2 green square chocolates I could kill for and these little faux green tea cones that are sort of chocolatey and cookies and...and... THANK YOU KAT in Japan. Kat has great recipes on her site - Please visit.

All that Macha tea made me think of Paris pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki and his green tea goodies like this opera cake.

Here's a green Mille-feuille à la the vert

Eclair Machas lined up like soldiers.

Macha rollades full of a sweet red bean paste.

I spotted these extraterrestrials called the Duomo (after the Florence Duomo?) at Sadaharu Aoki's boutique at Lafayette Gourmet.
My resistance broke down.

A peek inside - a mousse-like outer-igloo with red bean filling inside.  AND don't forget the Matcha macaron stuck onto the side...heaven on earth. I'm having palpitations just describing it to you.

Inside Sadaharu Aoki's shop on 35 rue de Vaugirard, Paris 6è the walls are Mâtcha as well as green tea jam.

Here is the divine Sadaharu Aoki himself, offering me a macaron at the Salon du Chocolat in October - 

a day never to be forgot!

And here, his fabulous box of macarons! 12 to a box. All flavors are labeled on the lid. So kind. 

BONNE JOURNEE

Paris Green again

Dalloyau has always loved Poisonous Paris green,
It makes their boxes look so clean,
Even if, a bit like a pea green string bean.

Dalloyau is pronounced doll-why-oh.
This green landing pad is their gateau,
One wonders when it will glow?

Cacao et Chocolat
Is not afraid to stray
Into poisonous Paris green territory.
Their Aztec chocolates tell the story.

It could well be
This Matcha tea
Is responsible for this green obsession.

Certainly Japanese
Don't think twice
Making Matcha green tea into confection.

Though it is unstable.
They simply insist upon
Putting it on their table.

Merci, Anonymouse...

FYI, None of the above foods or objects contains poisonous Paris Green. On Paris Green: was Cezanne's favorite. The pigment was used heavily by other artists, Van Gogh and Monet. Cezanne developed severe diabetes, a symptom of chronic arsenic poisoning. Monet's blindness and Van Gogh's neurological disorders could be related to their use of Emerald Green + lead pigments, mercury-based Vermilion, and solvents such as turpentine.

Paris can't resist poisonous green.

Green Boxes...

A Stack of Boxes, 9" x 11 1/2"

Why are we so in love with those green boxes..? I have yet to figure it out...
What does it remind you of?

So many sizes and shapes.

Pink Macaron, 9" x 11 1/2"

The memory of what's inside those lovely boxes lingers on too. The memory of sitting in that beautiful salon, forgetting all the cares of the outside world for just a half hour... Priceless!