October Boulangerie Paris Letter

Your October letters went out a tad late this week PBers. Please forgive.

Boulangeries are like warm, glowing ovens early in the morning on Paris streets.

If you arrive when they open the chef himself may serve you and he won't make a fuss if you don't have the right change.

Fall colors make me think of viennoiserie..croissants, chausson au pomme, pain au chocolat, chouquettes.  Nice companions for warming cups of chocolate when the weather gets chilly. And it is chilly now in Paris.

Do you know Au Petit Versailles du Marais? At 27 rue François Miron 75004

Petit Versailles is one of those older charmng boulangeries that have kept their 'ballroom' decor. Glass chandeliers, elaborately painted ceilings, relief work on the pillars.

Quite the grand setting for your morning coffee break.

The classic croissant au beurre is a descendent of the Austrio-Turkish wars and shaped like the Turkish crescent, making the croissant not even French!

Yesterday's leftover croissants become today's delicious croissant amandes. Crispy on the outside, sprinkled with slivered almonds, powdered sugar and in the middle lush almond paste.

Why did I think a palmier was OK to eat for breakfast? It is not.

Chef Marthe set me straight. Palmiers are for teatime in France.

Still I was awfully tempted when I read about Le Figaro's best ever palmiier. (We called them Elephant ears where I come from. It does seem visually more appropriate.

Madeleines too are for tea time. Never for breakfast. Besides they are not made from the same flaky pate viennoise like the others.

Lenotre Bastille's window has a sign that nails it, informing you which may be eaten for breakfast and which for tea time. Ah ha!

FYI They have the best pain au chocolat (2€) in town according to Le Figaro.

I set out to paint the best of each breakfast viennoiserie in Paris for October's Sketch letter. Only later did my copy shop pals tell me I'd misspelled viennoiserie in the art. Too many SSs. French!

If you decide to subscribe to the Paris maps or the sketch letters or renew your subscription a calorie-free croissant original watercolor awaits. Me,  I shall be running off my 'Michelin woman' figure from eating too many viennoiseries.  That's life in Paris PBers.

Marche des Pays, Aveyron with Chef Marthe

Over the weekend I was invited by Chef Marthe and friends to visit

The annual event in Bercy Village, 12eme

Le Marche des Pays de l'Aveyron a region in Midi-Pyrenees near Tarn et Garonne.

"Tasting is obligatory" is the rule of the day with the Aveyronnais. FYI many of Paris' cafes owners are from the Aveyron department including the hugely successful les Freres Costes.

The brioche-based cakes are wonderfully light and filled with prune preserves from Agen.

These hearty brioche cakes are called 'fouace' or fougace.

Another specialty,'Gateau a la Broche' is endlessly turned on a spit, each turn adding more batter

So the end result is a christmas tree-shape of multiple layers of crust. Delicious!

The hams are deeply flavorful.

Lunch on offer is a hot bowl of Aligot (made from mashed potatoes, Tomme cheese, garlic) plus local sausages.

Aligot being stirred and dished out. Not an easy job since Its tremendously sticky and  stringy. Not easy to eat either but intensely garlicky.

I was admiring the walnut oil.

But Chef Marthe cautioned buy only a tiny bottle. It can go off fast. We bought fresh walnuts instead.

From south Aveyron, comes the 'king of cheeses' Roquefort made from non-pasteurized/lait cru sheep milk

From these sheep come wonderfully toasty socks. I will have to visit Aveyron and get them. Je regret beaucoup.

Marthe told me of the fabulous, tender beef from Aubrac bulls, a must-buy from Maison Conquet. Its so tender you don't need a knife to cut it.

This enormous Saint Bernard showed up, hoping in vain someone would throw him a giant bone or side of boeuf.

Interesting to note some of the sharpest knives in France come from Laguiole in Aveyron. I came home laden with Roquefort, prune cake, entrecote steak and walnuts. Aveyron producteurs come back to Paris for the Noel season at Salon Saveurs and Salon l'Agriculture. 

Please come back mohair goat sock lady 

Et mille merci Chef Marthe!

Chanel Spring 2016

On Tuesday I joined the gawpers outside Grand Palais for CHANEL 2016 Spring collection.

Franchement, I think it's far more fun to gawp at the FAB fashion parade of attendees, running the paparazzi gauntlet outside than to go in, grab a seat probably way in the back, wait and wait easily 45 minutes for the show to begin. Then crane your neck, hoping to see the show whizzing by in 10-15 minutes tops. You're head is spinning but you must pile out, feeling a bit crushed you weren't been invited to the elite soiree back stage. Of course if Chanel or any other fashion house should wish to send me an invite I will be there !!!

By the way Kaki green is the HOT color for Fall PBers. Long skirts too.

As always many Chanel addicts are over-dressed to the nines. This gal makes it works.

These two? Way OTT (over-the-top and trying too hard) IMHO, although def amusing and fashion is frivolous after all.

Front row A-listers like pajama-clad Vogue Grace Coddington and Colette owner Sarah Lerfel don't have to bother decking themselves out in multiple CCs.

Do you know hot, hot New Yorker, Leandra Medine blog Man Repeller? (on far right) and maybe wearing a Chanel choker. I'm addicted. The tone is witty, irreverent observations of the fashion world, hugely followed and she's a mere 26. MR has won every prize in the book. 'In 2012, Medine was featured in Forbes's "Top 30 Under 30" as one of the year's "most influential trendsetters," while The Man Repeller was recognized in TIME's "25 Best Blogs of 2012", and received "Best Overall Blog" at the 2012 Bloglovin' Awards. In 2013, Medine was featured in Fast Company Magazine's "100 Most Creative People" issue.
Check out Leandra's take on all the copycat looks at the shows. She nails it.

Front row editor Giovanna Battaglia was wearing unmatched earrings (see above sketch) and her signature flower power prints.

Did I say Chanel 2016's theme was airport and Chanel Airlines. Security was très tight getting in and all the invites were faux airline tickets. Witty.

Inside a giant airport scene perfect for Grand Palais' enormous airy space.

A-Mazing hair! Pretty amazing zebra-striped coat. Is that a dead frog/zebra around her neck? And is it Chanel? Qui sait. As long as you're wearing black and white something or other you're IN.

More fabulous hair.

Love the gauzy black tutu skirt with Chanel tweedy black and white jacket.

The Asian attendees do Chanel right. Meticulous perfection every time. One woman was wearing Chanel pink sweater set with ropes and ropes of pearls over denim overalls. More pictures on FLICKR.

Simply gorgeous..oui?

Great hair and daring décolletage. Not sure if off-the-shoulder look is her creation or Karl's?

Attendees after the show with their goodie bags. Sometimes it's just a Signature bottle water, but me thinks not at Chanel.

I was aghast seeing how this woman tied her precious Chanel jacket casually round her waist till I got a look at the show shots. Copycat!

The Happy pants I would guess are Not Chanel. Her bag is though. Black and white suit on the right is hot hot hot.

Japan Vogue editor Anna Della Russo was wearing it so you know. Bet her undies have CCs on em. Note Chanel signature dish bag.

Where are the men you ask? This dreamboat is divine Brit violinist Charles Siem, the pro photographer nearby let me know. miam miam

Super top top architect/ designer Peter Marino in his usual garb - black leather with tatoos. Marino earned a degree in architecture from Cornell University, and apprenticed in New York City under I. M. Pei, George Nelson and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Andy Warhol was his mentor and early patron.

Top sound designer for Lagerfeld, Dior, Celine, Michel Gaubert. Chanel is always the coup de grace (the finishing blow) of Paris Fashion Week. Now back to drawing sketch letters and Paris Maps! I'm en retard. But if you'd like some of the lovely Chanel perfume touches shown at the top, do (re-)subscribe s'il vous plait.

So how come I do not have these super red lunettes?