Jam Trouble - Les Confiture Letter

It's that time of the month again when I go through torture creating the newest Paris Letter.

Inspiration for October's letter came last Spring when Coco Jobard showed off her wonderful old Alsatian jam(confiture) dish towel. Jars of luscious fruity jam spell Fall to me. I'm crazy for the hand-written labels, the fluted glass jars. Jam on toast or a croissant plus tea and a good book is the best no?

But researching jam for 3+ weeks is maybe not the best kind of immersion for the easily tempted.

These jam hats (chapeau pot de confiture) made me swoon. You can find a wonderful variety of hats on Littlemarket.com.

Some of the best hats are worn on the best jam made in France by Alsatian Christine Ferber. She hand-ladles her heavenly jams into each pot to maintain quality. I dream of visiting her shop in Niedermorschwihr if I ever figure out how to pronounce it. These jams are in the new Galerie Lafayette's Food department, moved across the street from the main store.

Three glorious floors of food boutiques and mini restaurants and everything is clearly marked out. Le Grand Epicerie feels like a maze since they redid it. I forever get lost and can't find what I want.

Do come prepared and wear battle gear to browse the huge jam department at Galeries.

If you plan to make jam yourself you'll need a different kind of armor.

Head over to Librairie Gourmands on 92, rue Montmartre 75002 for the best selection of cookbooks in Paris, two floors of them. some are in English. All of them gorgeous.

Their windows right now are full of jam cookbooks. I bought this one though I'll never lift a wooden spoon or stir strawberries in a copper pot. Look for 'cuit au chaudron' (cooked in a caldron) on the labels. Traditional copper pots are great conductors of heat. You want to cook your fruit quickly and evenly.

They have adorable boxed preserves sets with all the essential  accoutrement for jam-making. So tempting.

Researching jam requires a visit to La Chambres au Confitures. There's a new branch in the Marais.

Inside it's wall-to-wall jam divided into seasonal flavors. You can sample every jam in the place and I almost did before deciding on fig. See my sampling spoons below.

If you're like me, you have 'impulse control issues'. Then its best to stick to collecting miniature jam jars. Once jam enters my house it's 'Gone Girl' in the blink of the eye.

Painting jam, on the other hand, is a perfectly safe endeavor for the jam-addicted. It is advisable to work from photographs not the real thing.

Frenchy script on jam jar labels (etiquettes) always intrigues me. My first banner for Parisbreakfast was a jam label. If you're mad for these little paper stickers the best source is BHV, second floor craft department.

I used mini jam jars to sketch from, to minimize the damage of wolfing down big jars of apricot jam in one fell swoop. Size matters.

Parisbreakfast readers often ask for old watercolor still lives so I made this Paris letter more washy.

Finally, after too much jam research, the October letter is done and on it's way to you.

You can see ALL of the October letter uncovered on Etsy. If you've been resisting subscribing here's an enticement. A jar of pear jam (an original watercolor 4" x 6") sent as a bonus if you subscribe to the Paris Sketch Letters. This is the perfect time of year for jam don't you think.

City Pharma, Les Deux Magots

Some clever travelers know Paris is a Mecca for makeup and City-Pharma is their bargain land Holy Grail. At  26, rue du Four 75004

I met up with two clever ducks Cheryl and Debbie last Tuesday because they'd ordered the 6-pack of Paris Letters and wanted to pick them up while in Paris (so no shipping and instant gratification). 

Melun Fete son Brie

In the US I was never a Brie cheese fan.

But eating Brie where it's made is a delicious shock to the taste buds.

The 1rst Saturday of October, Melun, just 20 minutes east of Paris, celebrates it's Brie. The festival takes over the town. Melun's shield design dates from the 15th century.

Last year I left empty handed. Not this time. The first Brie seller I came across, conveniently placed in front of a local fromager, immediately got my €€.

Soon as I turned a corner the whole fete going on.

Tent after tent offering Brie tastings, local honeys, rose 🌹 nectars, Champagne 🍾 Plus a lunch menu at restaurant 'Maryland'  - every course soup-to-nuts embellished with Brie. 

No less then the head of the brotherhood (le Confrerie des Chevaliers du Brie de Melun) was cutting 🔪 slices himself, wearing a Brie-like wheel of a hat.

Back in the cheese shop, less auspicious hands cut up my quarter slice.

Bries from all the surrounding towns, Coulommiers, Meaux are on offer with subtle aromas of cream, butter, hazelnuts and made from raw cow's milk.

Cows 🐄 always participate at the fete. Glasses of fresh milk 🥛 are handed out on the spot.

Cows 🐄 are everywhere in Melun. Hard to miss.

Rose syrups from nearby Provins.

I was tempted by the ready-cooked chestnuts, but 2 1/2 pounds is a lot of chestnuts for one person unless I have a chestnut 🌰 party.

I loved ❤️ the Champagne 🍾 jeroboams including a set of glass flutes 🥂

The Normans sacked Melun in 845. There's plenty of history here.

A different view of the Seine from a different bridge. Melun is in district Seine-et-Marne.

Back in Paris I ran out to catch my first 'Nuits Blanches' at yet to open musée Picasso.

When I got home my Brie was left out on the counter. Runny, almost soupy. Perfection on a slice of baguette 🥖 

There is nothing like eating French food bought at it's site of origin. Nothing compares.

Check out my Fromage 🧀 Map of Paris. 

         🥖 🧀🥖 🧀 🥖 In my Etsy shop.🧀 🥖 🧀 🥖 

What 2 wear 2 Chanel Spring 2015 - Grand Palais

10:30 September 30, Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel Spring 2015 show at Grand Palais

What to wear to the show? Something Chanelesque of course.

Assuming you have the precious invitation in your hand. Better have the famous quilty bag along.

The guards are checking names on their iPads. No slipping through this event.

Pink-checked Chanel including Chanel lunch basket.

Generally you'll do fine in Chanel black and white. These slipons look comfy 

US Vogue Grace Coddington in her standard black pajamas. This has to make life simple during Paris Fashion Week.

Black any length works.

Black, white with a touch of red.

Perfect in geometric black and white but no ticket to ride. Still an homage to Chanel/Karl.

Lots of Paris art students show up to watch the show outside the show.

Black and white plus yellow getting interviewed.

NYTimes Bill Cunningham in his blue workman's jacket stalks the invitées happy to pose for him.

FYI Western fringe is IN. Some guests show up wearing garments from the show.

Perfection to a T, Bat_Gio AKA fashion editor Giovanna Battaglia

Arrives a little too late. When they close the doors at Karl's show thats it. 

Here's the 'It' bag everybody who's nobody is carrying at Fashion Week. Lots of free fashion magazines are handed out so you need something.

I head over to Le Japon Rive Gauche at Bon Marche to get me a dotty bag(11€).

The store is red dots and special Japanese designer popup shops.

There's even a place to chill between shows and go all Zen designed by Tadao Ando. The exposition is on till 18 October and ties in with the huge Hokusai exhibit just opened today at Grand Palais. Paris has gone Japanese for the duration through 18 January.

The perfect black and white Bento boxes (17€). Just add a gold chain and this could do fine at the Chanel show if you have a ticket. And look at these Chanel-esque kiddies shoes from Atsuko Matano(35€). If you have  tiny feet plus a white T and black skirt/pants you could really make a statement with these two don't you think? Now the trick is how to get a ticket to the show!?