U comme Un Macaron

 Here's a presie you can give yourself this holiday.

From me to you.

 Course you'll need to be in Paris ahem...

 If you are right now you can sashay into any patisserie no matter how couture or grandiose and ask for just ONE macaron.

 It's true.

Here's living proof.
I went to many patisseries to test this out.

 What knocks me out is all these patisseries have special mini sized bags to hold that ONE macaron. Is that not amazing or what? Could this happen in New York? Not on your life.

 Frowns and serious looking down the nose is all you will get. But sweet little ONE macaron bags plus pretty booklets listing flavors with pictures? Not happening. Ya gotta buy a box of them..

 Extra points go to witty top dog patissiere, Pierre Herme, who knows you may crush your ONE macaron in transit. Broken macarons beautifully shot on the cover of his flavor chart/ livret explicatif. Pretty terrific no?

 With your ONE macaron you get a little bag + a signature napkin + a booklet. What's not to love? The French adore their peche mignon/quilty pleasures. Why not make an afternoon snack as delightful as possible?

 Here's an ancient cousin of the macaron Parisian - the old fashioned meringue cookie - just sugar + egg whites.

No resistance to such a pretty pink bag from Fossier. Besides it had the word 'macaron' on it...

 So there it is PBers. No need to feel intimidated waltzing into any darn fancy-shmancy pastry shop in Paris. It's perfectly OK to buy just one macaron. That's my gift to you this holiday season.

Who knew?

Or perhaps you'd rather DYI and make as many macarons as you like? Jill Colonna has a 2nd edition out of her FAB Mad About Macarons. It includes a troubleshooting section, a glossary of UK-US terms, and another new section with US ingredient stockists. By the way it may not say it's the 2nd edition on Amazon but it is.
Jill says so.

Have a wonderful weekend and Holiday PBers!

xxcg

If I Lived in Paris...

 If I lived in Paris I couldn't get a Nathan's Hot Dogs.

 I could get a big bucket of moutarde for a song. But what to put it on?

 No funky little food carts in Paris for a quickie

 You have to go some place like this - Moulin de la Vierge

 And buy something like a palmier for quick bite

 Big-ass smiles are a big non-non in Paris as if you didn't know...

 Only serious-faced multiple drum majorettes beat out Vuitton's tune in Galeries Lafayette vitrine for Christmas

 No pink cap erasers to speak of to fit my beloved Papermate yellow pencils (the French must be for Canada). I wish Staples would open in Paris...

 Pantone Pink Barbie seen at CDG - probably a universal item..

 I wouldn't find any NYC yellow cabs if I lived in Paris...



Do you think La Poste would give me a lift occasionally?

 No chorus lineup of poodles in Paris like in Bergdorf's windows...

 Just Paris dogs, who look you up and down and check out your shoes, bag and scarf.

 Speaking of darling dogs, Biff has made it into the Financial Times' HOW TO SPEND IT (many thanks to author Karen Wheeler). There's a story about Parisbreakfast too btw.

 Lizzie and Charlotte are in Paris now and not minding doing without Nathan's Hot Dogs or pink erasers.

Course French Bear wouldn't mind if I lived in Paris.

Hmmmm I wonder...

Frederick Wiseman - Crazy Horse

 Crazy Horse, the indie film by Frederick Wiseman will be opening in New York at the Film Forum Jan 18 but I watched the dvd yesterday and was captivated.

Elegant perfect patterns make you forget you're looking at naked bodies in one of the most popular caberet clubs in Paris.

The girls performed in Galeries Lafayette's windows last Christmas for the opening topless and no one blinked an eyelash.

The scenes in Crazy Horse of rehearsals, backstage dressing (down?) are fascinating. They work a grueling schedule (2 shows a night and 3 on Saturdays, 7 days a week) created by the renowned French choreographer Phillippe Decoufle.

For multiples in New York you have to go to Radio City to see the Rockettes kick up a fuss.

Or 42nd street for a brief exhibit from the LION KING. Theatre is dependent on multiples for dramatic effect.

Saturday was the annual Santacon and the city was full of multi-Santas. Tina of Living Coulour shows that London is doing the same thing! Who knew?

Desserts always show off best in repeated patterns - these at Eat-ily on East 23rd street.

I got spotted in the subway by a ladybug collector. I didn't know I was a walking ladybug? Scarf c/o rue Vavin shop (10 euros).

Multiples of kids tooling around on new iPad minis. How I wish I was in their savvy shoes.

Back in Paris in the Crazy Horse movie, Paris scenes full of multiples. Is that what captivates me?

Every table gets Champagne at Crazy Horse. What nice pattern they makes. Will you be toasting with Champers this holiday?

It may be raining cats and dogs but this lone shopper looked very dapper in his yellow sou'wester on 23rd street.

If CRAZY HORSE comes to your neighborhood don't miss it!

Boissier Bleu

 This morning I've been trying to capture Boissier bleu in watercolor.

 The blue reminds me of the Eiffel Tower seen through the window as the bus raced by.

 Boissier has a pale bleu too. I know. Boissier gave me this pretty tin with the golden tree on it. (bois = tree..wood)

 A similar bleu waits at the end of the escalator at Metro Ecole Militaire - L'heure bleue.

 Marron/chestnut flavored tea in these inimitable bleu tins - how to capture it?

 A similar blue lights up Galeries Lafayette for Christmas

 Touches of Boissier bleu at their stand at Salon du Chocolat

 Hmmm...not unlike these blue yogurt cups, but blue is everywhere in France...

 Lavender pretty round boxes full of rose + framboise confiteur. I got one. It lasted 1 day only.

 Chocolate petals with a signature Boissier sticker...

I got a mini size box of these petals. They went in maybe 1 hour. Ooops, I forgot to notice how the bleu petals tasted unfortunately...