The Best Baguette in Paris

In today's PB post:

1. How to paint une baguette traditional

2A. How to speak French

2B. How to find the best baguette in Paris

3. Why the French don't get fat.

1. To paint une baguette place it right on your paper and trace around it lightly with your pencil. Start laying in your light warm colors with lots of water - yellow ochre, burnt Sienna etc. Darker cooler colors go on top.

2. Moving right along - How to speak French.

I Googled "French news out loud" and found Frenglish News = perfection.

Not only will you be able to read in French and English bits of the latest news but you can hear it and play it over and over.

Just what I was looking for.

2B. On to finding the best baguette traditional in Paris.

Thanks to Frenglish I charged off to Au Paradis du Gourmand in the 14th today. They are closed on Sundays

156, rue Raymond Losserand

Metro Plaisence Ligne 13 (take exit 5)

Isn't it funny how one thing leads to the next?

I'm not the world's biggest baguette eater but my curiosity got the better of me. What's all the fuss about?

On The Paris by Mouth tour Meg Zimbeck explained in detail what makes a great baguette.

Think: aroma, interior holes, outer appearance, and CRUNCH. The French are very big on crunch and crispiness. Who knew? Crustillante is the word to remember. You can use it for just about anything and get away with murder IMHO.

There were 203 contestents in the 2013 competition. Every baguette must fit the strict requirements of size, weight etc. By the way Meg Zimbeck was appointed to be on the jury which though quite large is a big honor. Or do they draw names out of a hat? I forget. Still Meg is the right person to be up there. Her tastebuds are the TOP!

Back to Au Paradis du Gourmand's baguette. Tunisian-born chef Ridha Khadher came to France at age 6 and started apprenticing at 14. The difference between his baguette? His takes 24 hours to make not the usual 5 hours. To me this was most flavorful and crunchiest baguette ever.

I thought I should do a some comparison tasting and stopped in 'bleu ciel' Boulanger Jocteur.

You can watch the baker making the bread as you pay.

On to Monoprix. I don't know if their MOF Chef Frederic Lalos makes the baguettes but I hope not. This was not an enticing loaf.

I nearly got knocked over by this guy running off with 5-6 baguettes from my local Alsacian boulangerie Maeder.

Again nothing to write home about. Honestly I would say take a trip to the 14th and try this fabulous bread. Everything else is dross. Well almost. I should taste more baguettes, being new at the game. As the winner of this year's competition, Au Paradis du Gourmand will be supplying President Hollande for a year and everyone else in the Elysees Palais with their daily bread. I'll be going back for more. The sandwiches and tartes looked divine too but I was trying to stay focused. I must say I now have flour over everything I own including my iPad.

3. As to why the French don't get fat.

If you start off from day 1 hanging out in pastry shops and boulangeries in your pousette, you won't behave as we do = uncontrolled raving-famished for French pastries. It will be old hat to you. Ho hum. You'll build up immunity. Well that's what I think. I could be wrong.

My Marché Grenelle

 I bet everyone who lives in Paris thinks their marché is the best. 

I'm absolutely certain I live near the best marché hands down. Marche Grenelle Blvd Grenelle 75015

The reason I moved to Paris is simple. I wanted to have radis/French radishes and carrot rapée everyday.
 

Even though radis are grown in the Ile de France, the same Province Paris is in, the price fluctuates every week up and down like the stock market. They're available all through the winter too which I never expected. Usually you can eat them without washing.
 

Apricots are just starting to show up in the marché. Note in the corner 'ESP' . That's for Espana. People prefer their fruit and veg from France. It's the law - the origin must be stated for an item.
 

Cerise are new this week coming in from ESP and Grece so far. I tasted one and it was perfect IMHO. Still I'll wait a bit for the prices to fall.
 

There are lots of specialists in the marche coming in from the hinterlands. This chap is promoting his cooked-on-the-spot Aligot, a dish traditionally from the Aveyron. It's made of mashed potatoes, melted cheese, cream, butter and loads of garlic. Have you tried it?
 

This woman's specialty is escargot/snails and other seafood farci like scallops and moules.
 

The apple lady hails from the Loire vallee. She grows everything on her farm and produces endless variations on a theme - apple cake, jellies, juice, pate de fruit, you name it all apple-based.

I planned to come back and get some apples to paint but of course there was a big line. Next time.
 

Every single marche I buy une cuisse de poulet cuite from this woman hot off the rotisserier. Just hold up your thumb if you can't pronounce that mouthful when buying one thigh.
 

And I always get tabouleh from these Libanaise purveyors, who kindly throw in what we call a pita and they call pain. I'm addicted.
 

What to wear to the marche? It's still chilly here in the 40s-50s, so woolly scarf, coat and carry a pup under your arm. If you haven't got a pup to carry at the very least have a pup on your shopping bag. It's de rigueur in the marche.

Bonne Sunday!

Ciel Bleu

From Danny Gregory's An Illustrated Journey
Ciel bleu/blue skies, swallows, putti...that's what you'll find when you look up in some old-fashioned boulangers in Paris. I went out to hunt a few down today but there are many more to discover.

First stop in the 7th arrondissement at le Boulanger des Invalides Jocteur, 14 Avenue Villars, 75007 Metro - Saint Francois-Xavier

This place is buzzing. The environment could not be more delightful. But the pastries are as beautiful as the decor.

I got a sable praline cookie perfectly matching the peppy pink walls but tasting heavenly.

Next hop onto the #80 bus up to Montmartre to Boulanger Lional Cailles. The sign is tiny. You could so easily miss it but not the facade.

And the interior is one of the best with butterflies, be-ribboned croissants, floral tiles in cornflower blue.

The prices are old fashioned too which is awfully nice.

And very pretty.

The hunt continues in the 10th at the highly regarded Les Ideas et des Pain 14, rue Yves Tudic 75010 Metro: Jacques Bonsergent

The pretty sky ceil is in heavy competition with the perfect pastries and breads, neck and neck. One doesn't know which way to look.

The twirly pistache - chocolate swirls are much loved, But I just got a savory walnut pavé with chèvre and tomatoes seché inside.

The perfect place to complete your hunt for boulangerie blue skies is the 18th century-styled Hotel Caron de Beaumarchaise in the Marais.

Isn't this heavenly?

Speaking of roofs over one's head, I must begin hunting for my next roof for September 1. I need to find another small studio anywhere in Paris. If you've heard of any available studios coming up do let me know dear PBers,

Bonne Soiree PBers!

Chanel Again

So I went back with my carte d'identite/passport to find out what the Chanel exhibit was really about as requested.
 

I discovered more exhibits upstairs I'd missed first go round.
 

And more historical information from the audio tape which includes photos too. More about Chanel's romantic entanglements/liaisons.

Plus a reminder that Chanel was first set up as a hatmaker.
 

Even her hats were revolutionary. Utterly simple compared to what went before. Apollinaire wrote poems about her hats.
 

Chanel's hats were the cherry on top.
 

The finishing touch. We've lost so much elegance haven't we.
 

Catherine di Medici was a heroine to Chanel. She owned this little portrait and followed closely the severity of di Medici's black and white style.
 

You always see more the second time around don't you?
 

What was it like to walk in her shoes..?
 

Or work in her atelier?
 

Upstairs there's a gazillion reference books to browse on big comfy sofas. And a room to watch all the Chanel N5 videos - a delight.
If you work at the exhibit you get to wear Vans black and white sneakers which are very in again... What would Chanel think?