Happy Paris Valentines Day Letter!

February Valentine letters went out in la poste today. Hooray!

I celebrated at La Maison du Chocolat.

A nice surprise for Bear. Non? Doodly doodly do

I could have gone for these La Duchesse red minis but I can paint the heart-shaped box next year.

Heart-shaped bouquets at La Vie en Rose

Diptyque has a new limited edition perfume for you for Saint-Valentine.

They said it was litchie and...something or other. Pomplemousse?

Very fresh, citrusy and leger (light).

You'll be dancing on air...in your Paris Repettos.

Did you wear something red today?

Do French girls really wear this wild lingerie?

Marie Tournelle's vitrine was full of Valentine cards.

Everything is coming up roses. This February is the 3rd anniversaire of my letters from Paris. Everyone gets a little gift for supporting my Paris letters and watercolors on ETSY. A mini half-size chocolate map comes with the new Valentine letter. Thank you PBers!!

Happy Valentines Day. Bisous bisous from Bear too

Mamy Therese Madeleinerie

I know. I've been MIA again, and I am still immersed in coquillage (scallops) but this time the famous baked little cakes of Monsieur Proust.

Last Thursday I was invited to an early morning tasting at madeleinerie, Mamy Therese, brand new to Paris from Nancy located on 19 rue Saint-Antoine, 75004.

An adorable shop just a hop and a skip from Hotel du Sully by the way.

I've lost count of all the flavors but many use Nancienne products like mirabelle and bergamot

Look, even the spatula has scallop edges! With all the madeleines i've downed this week I'll soon grow a few scalloped edges myself...

These little cakes have nothing to do with church at Place Madeleine in case you were wondering. They are named after the cook who first made them. At. Mamy Therese their creater is chef Benoit Molin.

You may have heard of the French expression, "la madeleine de Proust". It refers to any food that brings back childhood memories. In fact in an early draft of "Rembrances of Things Past" it was a bit of toast with a smear of honey. Fortunately an editor, in the third draft suggested the madeleine instead. Aren't we lucky. What a delicious little morsel.

These golden orange tablier are handsome.

We get a detailed dissertation on madeleine structure and composition. Much tasting is included.

Mamy Therese's colors match nicely with Champagne Veuve Clicquot

Not just madeleines either. I spied these gorgeous croque monsieurs  lurking on a tray.

They gifted us tasters with a dozen box of different flavored madeleines. I had every intention of handing them directly over to my landlord. Ha. The best laid plans of mice etc.

Naturally immediately after I headed over to La Grand Epicerie. I remembered they had madeleines shaped exactly like scallop shells.

I thought I could pop them in the shells and paint them but it was not to be. They did taste quite nice though.

Time for another DIY paint a madeleine session this week PBers.

Simply trace around your madeleine with a pencil. 

Then throw in some watercolor washes using Yellow Ochre, Burnt Siena, Burnt Umber plus a blue for shadow. I like to paint the shadow first. Et voila! 

I made tons of these this week as bonus watercolors if you subscribe.

If you'd like to receive some PARIS MAIL take a look in Etsy. I'm adding past individual Paris letters and maps everyday. Plus lots of fun photos if you'd just like a vicarious stroll around Paris. 

Simply scroll. Cheers.

Hotel de Sully, January Paris letter

If one is going to eat scallops for 5 days straight (after my haul at the Fete de St.-Jacques on Sunday) one is going to paint them. The watercolors are up on Etsy.

Here's an easy trick to painting beautiful scallop shells. A shell is required. Simply trace around the edge with a pencil and voila! You've got the basic shape down on your paper. Then color in.

The scallop shell adorns 17th and 18th centure architecture like mad. And rightly so. Its the perfect filler for a triangular shape like here.

Or on top of a portrait and gold-leafed = perfection and elegance.

Last Sunday I did the 90-minute tour (10€ in French only) of the apartment of la Duchesse Charlotte, Hotel de Sully. 62, rue Saint-Antoine, 75004 in the Marais. If you've gotten out at metro St.Paul you've passed Hotel de Sully and forgot to notice. Next time do enter the courtyard and walk through to Place de Vosges.

First we got an introductory historical background in the conference room.

My French not being up to snuff...I drew out the window...just like in grade school :)

On to la Duchesse Charlotte's boudoir.

I was dying to give her mattress a good squeeze...

Too many mornings I tear out to the post office with barely a glance in the mirror. Now if I had this dressing table...

La Duchesse was a mad collector of Chinoiserie.

Naturally I found lurking behind the Chinese vases the perfect golden scallop to paint. I was longing to move them a bit for a better view, but thought better of it.

Look out the windows in the apartment - a divine view of the gardens. Place des Vosges is just beyond.

Downstairs in the Hotel de Sully bookshop I bought a nice English guide to catch up on all I'd missed.

The January Shakespeare and Co. Paris painted letter went this Monday!

Ta Da. Do consider subscribing to Paris breakfast letters and maps. 

Paris Bookshop Map, La Fete de la Coquille Saint-Jacques en Montmartre

Bear 🐻 insisted we get oysters & scallops on Sunday at the annual Brittany Fete de la Coquille Saint-Jacques in Montmartre.

First stop, a half dozen freshly-opened Breton oysters (8€).

Note they are served with a little knife. Use this to loosen the oyster from the shell with a scrape or two at the muscle on the left side...the white roundish bit. Then free the rest of the oyster going round the edge lightly. Tilt and swallow. That's it. No squeeze of lemon or sauce required. Not if you want to get the full briny flavor of Brittany. 

Never use a fork 🍴 to cut up the oyster. SVP! Please.

There was lobster bisque. Brittany is a great source of France's seafood and I've yet to go.

Bretons were whooping it up. The band was playing. People were singing.

Plenty of Champagne and Sancerre flowing. Its not just for birthdays and anniversaries PBers.

This year I bought a pound box of scallops. 25 for 25€ So worth it.

I'm mad for scallops and I've always wanted to paint them. Testing 1-2-3. First do a really good pencil drawing.

Then get loose and go to town. Draw loosely with a brush the shadow shape, in this case I used a plastic Aqua-waterbrush.

Build outwards, adding the different layers and textures.

I added in the orange coral surrounding the scallop for color.

This is the first time I finally cooked them right. Having 25 on hand makes you fearless. 

1. Get a frying pan really, really hot on high heat with a chunk of butter and a bit of olive oil. It should zizzle when you throw in a drop of water 💧 

2. Get scallops out of the fridge at least 20 minutes to reach température. Salt and pepper. 

3. Toss into the hot pan. They should brown quickly in a matter of minutes. 

4. Throw in some capers & a good squeeze of lemon 🍋 into your now browned butter. 

5. Serve with a green veg like spinach, brocoli or a green salad 🥗 

Do not let the scallops wait for the veg. Voila. Easy peasy.

This month's PARIS BOOKSHOP MAP, went out 📬 on Saturday. The French are bookaholics. No question. 

There are endless specialty bookstores and book events. Salon du livre is a huge don't miss at Porte de Versailles in March. Its for the public, not a trade show only.

Have you been to the bookstore in Hotel de Sully? A well-kept secret.

Tucked away in an archway at 62 rue Saint-Antoine, 75004 just across from Metro staion St. Paul.

Also known as the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, they publish beautiful books on France and Paris of course.

A goldmine of stunning books. They have monthly tours (in French) to various monuments (10-19€). I'm going Sunday to see the appartments of the Duchesse de Hotel de Sully. Full report to come.

Shakespeare and Company generously donated loads of bookmarks to put in the map envelopes and i made some too.

Do you love coquille saint Jacques? You can get one of these watercolors + a 33-page scallop recipe book when you subscribe to Paris letters and maps. 

UNE BELLE ANNÉE!  Woof.