Des Petits Chiens Blancs...

I saw a lot of little white dogs / des petits chiens blancs in Paris last trip...

Here's a Westie on the Metro.

This white doggie was sitting in PAUL SMITH's shop window...
Another mannequine dog, not exactly white, but I saw these window dogs all over Paris.
The French are completemente fou /mad for their hounds..
My sister told of her visit to the French national monument, Mont Blanc.
A French tourist was holding up her doggie to enjoy the view as well! :)
And chanteuse Marie Laforêt, wrote an homage,
La Valse des petits chiens blancs
Un petit chien blanc
Et son Nicolas
Couraient joyeux vers les champs blablabla...
Another white doggie waiting patiently and on guard outside a rue Vavin Boulangerie...
I'm showing you this doggie purse / notebook and pencil case again just because...

Another return to an irresistable white doggie...
This is Vodka, the inhouse doggie at the hair salon M. sent me to, to get damage control on my bad haircut. More on Vodka tomorrow...

I know you expect to see French desserts first thing in the morning while still in your pajamas, so here's a creamy white tart from Gerard Mulot.

History of Hot Chocolate...

Chocolat Chaud at Angelina, watercolor, 9" x 11 1/2"

This is my own personal history of hot chocolate...

I got addicted to drinking French hot chocolate on the low-end you might say. At Jean-Pierre's house in Biarritz, I tasted his kid's hot chocolate - NESQUIK. Embarrassing but true. Nesquik is "a milk flavoring mix" developed in the U.S. in 1948. I don't even see the word CHOCOLATE in the description! The adults drank coffee of course. On another visit I took to the kids' POULAIN GRAND AROME - the cheerful orange and blue boxes you see here. This is a common French supermarket brand - la poudre magique du petit-déjeuner/ the magic powder of breakfast...Hmmm

It's only in the past 3 years I've branched out to the finer French chocolat chauds, when I discovered better quality percentage chocolate bars. My tastebuds yearned for a more complex morning drink than supermarket kid's stuff.
Last trip my focus was on the Parisian hot chocolate research project - visiting as many of Paris' best hot chocolate cafes rather than buying new brands to test out at home. The multitude of brands in France is downright astonishing! I tried MONBANA and it's excellent. They had a sweet little boutique in the 6th arr. Marché St-Germain on rue Lobineau - here you can drink a cup or buy a box.
These adorable boxes are from Chocolat Chapon. I didn't get to their shop this trip or even taste these. But I will next time I SWEAR!
Most of these shots were "stolen" at Le Bon Marche - another chance to get arrested.
I did buy this hot chocolate to drink in my hotel room. I used hot water from the tap + a chunk of chocolate bar. What's a girl gonna do at 5 AM in the morning?
More hot chocolate boxes I regret not buying...from Maxim's

Here's my daily home brew - a melange/mixup of whatever's in the closet.Plus the all-important chunk of the best dark chocolate bar I can find. The backbone on my morning drink is 2 heaping teaspoons of Les Confitures a l'Ancienne. You can find it on Amazon. MarieBelle is new to me and made in New York. When it's mixed with the other brands it tastes less sugary, the way I like it. I did pick up Pierre Herme's Chocolat Chaud Nature and Angelina's hot chocolate the very last minute in Paris.

Heat up 1 cup water for 2.2 minutes in the microwave.

Pour slowly into the cup of melange + 1 square of dark chocolate.

You'll have a thick slurry to start.

Stir constantly.

It never tastes exactly the same, but it's always intensely chocolatey and sugar is a minor undertone. I nearly forgot to mention I always add 1+ heaping teaspoon of the best plain cacao, in this case from Michel Cluizel.

If you want this concoction to have extra kick,

make it the night before and heat up the next morning.

Variety is the spice of...

CitronTarte Squared

Fauchon Carre Citron, watercolor, 7 5/8" x 10 1/2"

Reading Clotilde's cookbook last night, I was reminded again how much childhood experiences influence our food tastes. I was the "finicky eater" in my family.

I can't remember all the things I would not eat, but cake and crust was a big one and no birthday cake - mine or anyone else's.

My Mother cleverly devised an annual menu that included lobster and Lemon Meringue pie. And no cake! Today is my birthday, but I celebrated in advance by visiting Fauchon my first day in Paris.I had to try out their "squared" version of Tarte au Citron. They call it, Carre Citron or lemon square.

The individual portion is not unlike a Lemon Meringue pie

with it's tiny white rectangle of meringue sitting on top.

If this isn't crazy creative I don't know what is and a good example of pastry geometrie! Naturally I had to try out the lemon eclair while I was there...Plus chocolat chaud / hot chocolate as part of my Parisian research project. Only Fauchon could come up with a "gold" plastic spoon...Here the Fauchon vendeuse/salesperson has spotted my camera and is looking daggers at me. The upstairs tea salon is being renovated, so there's a temporary cafe setup for us researchers to test out desserts. All gone and very delicious, which tells you zip.
True Fauchon's Carre Citron did not beat out the all-time winner of THE TARTE SU CITRON CONTEST, Pierre Herme.
But it was unctuous and VERY tart, the way the best lemony desserts should be.
After reading Clotilde's recipe for tarte crust (p. 182) I feel guilty that I left the crust even if it was cake. Next time...

Thank You Chocolate & Zucchini !

An Orchid for Clotilde, watercolor, 5" x 7"
Yesterday I got to meet Clotilde Dusoulier and I was not wearing my pajamas.

Clotilde was signing her brand new cookbook, Chocolate and Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen at Dean & Deluca in Soho. 

Photograph by Clotilde Dusoulier © I found the perfect picture that captured all the intimacy of a Paris cafe breakfast- I followed the photograph back to it's owner and discovered my first blog, Chocolate and Zucchini in October 2005.I found a new friend and a window into everyday Parisien life (while still in my P-Js).Most of my photos of Clotilde are blurry :(
It's one thing to steal a shot of a macaron cart in Galeries Lafayette, but it felt invasive taking pictures of someone I'd only met in my pajamas...I did take this shot of another C&Z fan. Clotilde is every bit as refreshing, natural and charming as you would imagine from reading her blog. And her cookbook is every bit as engaging and addictive.
It's full of the same sweet, funny stories. Clotilde took all her own food photographs making her book much more personal. It's the perfect size for reading in bed too. We all got to taste the real Chocolate and Zucchini cake! The recipe is on page 166...
Thank you Clotilde for sharing your life with us, your wit, your special point of view. How many other readers were so inspired by you to start their own blogs?
Many I'll bet. Here's the funny thing...
Most mornings now, while still in my PJs, still over hot chocolate, I'm busy painting and writing Paris stories to tell you, dear readers. Some of you even think I live in Paris (I wish!) Funny thing is that sometimes I get emails from you telling me how you read Paris Breakfasts over coffee while still in your pajamas...So thank you Clotilde Dusoulier!~And have a GREAT BOOK TOUR :)

Green Paris Boxes...

Macaron box, watercolor, 7 5/8" x 10 1/2"

basil and lime flavors...
Pink and Green boxes, watercolor, 7 5/8" x 10 1/2"

Macarons.

Green Paris cookie cart.

Blanc et Bleu Etude..

I'm back painting white objects again...
I have a project to paint a pile of white coffee cups.
Black cups too..but I'm saving those for last :(

This is a VERY early watercolor class study of painting white-on-white objects.
I think I was better at it than :(
The idea of painting white-on-white objects just using blue came to me when I found more Paris yogHurt photos.
For some unknown reason the French package all their plain yogHurts in blue and white...
I bought the wrong one (this is fromage blanc) thinking it must be yogHurt
because of the blue and white containers :(
Not that it didn't still taste terrific.
My adventures in home-made yoghurt-making have come to a complete standstill by the way, until I can find a proper candy thermometer SOMEWHERE so I won't make soup next time:(I guess I should try the candy supply store on 21st street.

While searching I also found this blue and white Parisien doggie from the Marais :) More white cups and Paris dogs to come!

La Pâtisserie Viennoise

This post is for M. who tempts us with Demel's chocolate & Sacher Torte.

La Pâtisserie Viennoise is tucked away on a little side street, on a corner, easy to miss. I pass it often on the way to the copy shop.

Aquarelle.com

With a name like Aquarelle how could I resist? This shop was around the corner on 7-9, rue de Buci Paris, 75006. I think I spent as much time or more in Parisien floral shops as patisseries.

Aquarelle.com is a French chain and they deliver the most sumptuous bouquets to your door (if you live in France). CLICK on this one and you can surely smell the flowers.

The combinations and colors are endless.

How to choose which ones to show you?

I love the way they come wrapped inside a transparent cellophane "vase" You choose the vase at home.

I didn't buy any of these to paint..I just admired.

But I did sign on to get their 2-3 times weekly emails of fresh flowers.

What a nice Mother's Day gift to yourself even if you don't live in France.