Sucré, New Orleans

This month I finally got to take my first trip to The Fiancé's hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana. Along with meeting family and friends, and marveling at the historic and unique architecture, I couldn't wait to try out all of the famous local foods. In addition to the obligatory gumbos, crawfish, poboys, beignets and King Cakes (yes, I may have sampled all of these and more, don't judge), when researching a bakery to visit, Sucré came up again and again.
 
While I wouldn't call it a "traditional" New Orleans bakery, the treats at Sucré have an overwhelming French influence, which IS traditional New Orleans :) Along with delicate patisserie desserts, gelato, and cupcake, Sucré also specializes in artisan truffles, chocolate bars and--of course--macarons.

In addition to the traditional almond, vanilla, pistachio and chocolate flavors, Sucré also features seasonal and New Orleans-flavored favorites I'd never seen before such as carrot cake, white chocolate lavender, bananas foster and pecan pie.

With plenty of tables and an assortment of teas, coffees and drinking chocolates, Sucré is the perfect stop after an afternoon of shopping on Magazine Street, or for a little taste of Paris in the bustle of The Big Easy. Can't make it down south anytime soon? Sucré delivers!

Wish I'd been able to try the S'mores tart--comes heated in its own miniature skillet!

More truffles than you know what to do with. Luckily there's a handy flavor guide

If you go
Sucré
3025 Magazine St
New Orleans, LA 70115
@SucreNewOrleans
https://www.facebook.com/shopsucre

Tweet

La Pâtisserie des Rêves, Paris

I'm not really sure why I never visited La Pâtisserie des Rêves before on a trip to Paris, other than it's possible that I was so intimidated by its sheer amazingness that I felt more comfortable sticking to my usual canelés and pain au chocolat until I was truly ready to experience its awesomeness.

La Pâtisserie des Rêves, in fact, means "Pastry Shop of Dreams." Seriously. Creating inspired versions of classic French pastries, this shop is like no other you'll find in Paris. In addition to gorgeous craftsmanship, the shop itself is like something out of The Jetsons. The tiny shop is almost more like a showroom, with flashy colors, pastries raised by futuristic dumbwaiters, uber-modern takes on the classic sweets, and the most sophisticated packaging system I've ever seen to make sure your treats get home in one piece.

Somehow we managed to limit ourselves to 5 pastries (and one bag of marshmallows...) but I could have tried one of everything. Next time you can bet I'll be back for a Moka and a Paris-Brest (calm down, it's just a pastry).

Thinking this doesn't look like any St. Honoré you've seen before? You'd be right.

Fruitier du Saison. I thought the topping was marshmallow or meringue, but it turned out to be an impossibly thin shell of white chocolate!

Parisian marshmallows!! The inspiration for one of my 2012 baking resolutions

Opened by Philippe Conticini in 2009, the shop has received nothing but awards and rave reviews and definitely deserves to be on your bakery rotation if you happen to find yourself in the City of Light. The rue du Bac location I visited is carry-out only, but rumor has it the rue de Longchamp shop has a tea salon as well, presumably where everyone can see you (just something to keep in mind if you plan to devour 5+ pastries...)

If you go (and you MUST)
93 rue du Bac
Paris, 75007
Metro- rue du Bac (line 12)

111 rue de Longchamp
Paris, 75016
Metro- rue de la Pompe (line 9)

Tweet

Sugar Plum Cake Shop, Paris

After what seemed like many months of excruciating waiting, last month I finally set sail for the latest trip to my favorite city in the entire world--Paris.  Along with plotting out the perfect stops for sightseeing, as you can imagine I spent at least as much time picking out which bakeries to hit on this week-long trip.

On past trips to the City of Lights, I've tried to seek out Parisian cupcakeries to see how the continental counterparts compare. Unfortunately, I've found them to be exclusively dense, dry, and hard. Not necessarily a surprise, since cupcakes are an American import and not exactly the forte of Parisian pastry chefs.

Not to fear, however, because on this trip I was able to wallow in what Paris does do best: macarons, tarts, pain au chocolat, St. Honorés, Opéras, canelés, and the list goes on, and on, and on, and...

If you have had your fill of Parisian pastry however and are looking for a little taste of home, Sugar Plum Cake Shop is a must see for American style drip coffee, drinks that actually come with ice in them, free wifi, and huge slabs of moist and flavorful layer cake.

After a long, hot day of walking through the streets of Paris (tough life, I know) The homemade lemonade and sweet tea on offer that day were a welcome sight.

Of course I couldn't help myself and had to try a red velvet cupcake. Also on offer were cookies and cream, peanut butter chocolate and pistachio, and if you're in town for awhile you can also place orders for all your favorite brownies, cookies, pies and cheesecake.

The international Red Velvet

If you go:
Sugar Plum Cake Shop
68 rue du Cardinal Lemoine
Paris 75005
Tuesday-Sunday 12pm-7pm
Metro: Cardinal Lemoine (Line 10), Place Monge (Line 7)

Tweet

Pistacia Vera

Even though I try to keep up with bakery developments in my home town, luckily my parents are always on the lookout for new sweet spots to try out for whenever I come to visit. This was the case on my last trip home--even though my visit was a surprise, my mom didn't miss a beat and dropped several hints that there was a place in Columbus' German Village called Pistacia Vera that she thought I might like.

I know what you're thinking--German Village?? For those who haven't had the pleasure of visiting Columbus, Ohio, German Village sparks the same reaction in many Columbusites that Georgetown invokes in some here in D.C. "It's out of the way!" "It's crowded!" "It's so hard to park!"All valid points. But Pistacia Vera is more than worth the trip to this quaint cobblestoned neighborhood.

Billing itself as a "dessert boutique," Pistacia Vera might as well call it like it is--a patisserie. I was amazed walking into the adorable shop, with a case full of pastries that could have come straight from Paris.

In addition to the traditional galettes, financiers, palmiers and (my all time favorite) cannelés there are, of course...macarons! Can you tell I just can't get enough of these things? :) Pistacia Vera whips up traditional flavors like pistacio, coconut and nutella as well as amazingly delicious, unique flavors like Black raspberry Rose, Cassis Chocolate Bergamot, and Yuzu Bergamot.

In addition to phenomenal pastries, Pistacia Vera also offers a small brunch menu from 7am-2pm daily--be sure to get there early to snag one of the few tables in the light-filled dining room. If Columbus isn't on your radar any time soon, never fear--Pistacia Vera has an online boutique! Their macarons, nougat, toffee, cookies and coffee are all available to order.

If you go:
Pistacia Vera
541 South Third Street
Columbus, OH 43215
(they have a parking lot across the street!!)

Tweet

Mastering Macarons

It's funny how sometimes the things that should be easiest in life are always the hardest. Take the humble macaron; although often having only three measly ingredients, these persnickety cookies have been confounding chefs for centuries. Simply one too many mixes of the batter, or uncooperative humidity in your kitchen and your cute, round cookies will turn into dry, flat wafers.

The first time a friend and I made macarons they came out perfectly.  I mean perfect. I was buoyed by our success and didn't see what all the fuss was about. I was cocky. So, a couple of months later when I planned to make macarons for a cherry blossom-themed dinner party, I didn't think twice. Big mistake. The curse of the macaron reared it's ugly head and, while still delicious, mine came out flat and chewy.

So before attempting my next batch of macarons, I decided it was time to get some help from the professionals. Enrolling in a "Mastering Macarons" class at my local Sur La Table, our class spent an instructive three hours with chef Monya Maynard learning the secrets of "macaronnage" and "macaronner." Which is French for, "how you mix the dry stuff" and "how you mix the wet stuff." What was most helpful about this class was actually getting to SEE what the macarons should look like at each stage. Often, I think we are too preoccupied with the recipe, and don't see what's really happening (Deep, I know).

For example, standard wisdom calls for mixing the macaron batter exactly 25 times. No more, no less. Clearly this is unrealistic, and Chef Maynard showed us exactly what the batter should look like (drizzle a little bit off the back of a spoon and it should disappear into the rest of the batter within 10 seconds) regardless of how many times you stirred it to get to that point.

Similarly, most recipes will tell you to allow the macaron cookies to rest 30 minutes before baking. But, as we learned in class, this amount of time will vary based on the temperature and humidity in your kitchen. Essentially, the top of the cookie needs to dry in order to form the telltale macaron "foot", which could take up to an hour. Because of the conditions in our kitchen classroom, we even had trouble getting our chocolate macarons to set. Instead of setting our macarons by the clock, we learned to look for a matte finish to tell that they were no longer sticky.

In addition to all of these helpful tips, we also got a copy of what I consider to be macaron gold...Behold: The Template. By slipping a copy of this sheet under parchment paper, you get perfectly sized macarons every time!! While you could make one of these on your own with a pencil, some quarters, and a hell of a lot of patience, I'll let you in on a little secret...you can get your very own template here from honeyandsoy. You're welcome.

When it comes down to the simple things in life, I guess you just need to know what to look for. And a good template.

Tweet

PAUL Bakery USA

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that an embarrassingly large portion of my time is devoted to seeking out bakeries and pastry shops in the States rivaling those I enjoyed every day when I lived in Paris.  Ok, just kidding, I'm not actually ashamed at all :) When you live in a city where it's practically impossible to walk down the street without tripping over gateaux and baguettes, let alone making it to your Métro stop and having any memory of how that Berthillon ice cream cone ended up in your hand...You tend to take for granted that impeccable desserts and baked goods are everywhere to be had.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I heard that a Paul location was opening up right here in Washington, DC.  Not a bakery in the French style, but an actual, honest-to-goodness French chain with over 120 years of history.  Unfortunately, as is the story of my life, Paul opened while I was traveling overseas, so I would have to wait several more patisserie-free months before indulging in tartes and macarons.  Luckily, I finally got a chance to sample Paul's offerings this summer during one of the free Navy band concerts offered at the Navy Memorial.  Paul's location adjacent to the memorial makes it a perfect stop for a pre or post-concert snack, and I took advantage of their concert picnic special--a baguette sandwich, pastry and drink for $11.95.  Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until next summer for this awesome deal--C'est la vie.

That's right. Macarons as big as your hand. *drool*

As soon as I stepped through the glass doors of Paul's, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.  Brass bistro finishings, cafe tables and simple, classically French presentation brought back memories as I ordered my usual sandwich--jambon camembert, obviously.  And--what you really want to hear about--the pastries didn't disappoint either.  Enormous macarons, individual tartes, and crisp, flaky Napoleons abound.  Other than the excellent baguette for my sandwich, I didn't get to sample any other breads, but you can be sure I will be back for a boule or two.

Perfect vanilla napoleon (aka mille-feuille)

If you're looking for a taste of Parisian baking in DC, it doesn't get any better than Paul's.  And even though I was a little late to the Paul party, you're just in time to catch the opening of their newest location in Georgetown--after a soft opening this week, Paul Georgetown should be slinging sweets in no time.

If you go
PAUL Penn Quarter
801 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC
Metro Blue/Yellow: Archives-Navy Memorial

PAUL Georgetown
1078 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Washington, DC

Tweet

Cherry-Almond Crème Brûlée

After the rousing success of last month's inaugural Mardi Gras-themed supper club, it was recently my turn to host our rotating dinner just in time to coincide with DC's annual Cherry Blossom Festival, and we welcomed April with a cherry and Japanese-themed dinner inspired by DC's ubiquitous spring flower.

In addition to providing the main course of prosciutto-wrapped pork loin with cherry glaze, I obviously couldn't help but jump in with some cherry blossom-inspired desserts as well.  I decided on cherry-almond crème brûlée and--inspired by the cherry blossom festival menu at my fave DC restaurant Adour--cherry macarons.  Big mistake.

Because macarons are the cookie with possibly the most finicky reputation on the planet, I don't know what made me think I could crank some out like it was no big thing. "Oh, cherry macarons? The cookie to which you could devote an entire career of culinary study? No prob!" Suffice it to say that my macarons played along until the moment of no return, when they decided, at the last minute, to come out flat and crinkly.  While any number of things could have gone wrong (under beating the eggs, over beating the batter) I'm convinced that it's the cruel sting of baking karma.  As you may remember, Parisian Spring and I recently attempted our first batch of macarons and they came out PERFECTLY.  Like, omg-these-look-just-like-a-picture perfect.  So, because the baking gods blessed me the first time around, I know they're somewhere laughing with schadenfreude at my total macaron fail.

 

Macaron batter pretending to cooperate

 

 

 

But on to the crème brûlée.

Fortunately, the crème brûlée came out excellently despite a little recipe mishmash and I was really pleased with the natural cherry flavor that comes from the addition of the cherry juice.  I think you could choose to leave the whole cherries in or out for this dish, depending on your preference.  Alternately I thought about puréeing the cherries first, so let me know if you try out that technique and how you like it.  Obviously the best part of crème brûlée is frightening your friends by wielding a kitchen torch after a few glasses of wine but, if you don't have one, you can always just pop your ramekins under the broiler of a few seconds to achieve the perfect sugar crust.

In honor of the Japanese gift of cherry blossoms, there was much hibachi to be had

I think Sandra Lee would be proud of my tablescape

Cherry-Almond Crème Brûlée
1 can sweet dark cherries, drained with syrup reserved
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
5 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons sugar, for brulée topping

1.  Preheat oven to 325°F. Place six ramekins in a large roasting pan and arrange 5 cherries in the bottom of each.

2.  In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, 3/4 cup reserved cherry syrup, 1/2 cup sugar and almond extract. Stir until sugar dissolves, then bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

3.  In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks until well blended. Gradually add hot cream mixture and whisk to combine.

4.  Divide custard among ramekins. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it’s halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully transfer pan to oven.

5.  Bake 35 minutes or until almost set (the center of each custard should wiggle when gently shaken). Using a large slotted spoon or tongs, carefully lift custards out of the water. Cool 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

6.  When ready to serve, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of  sugar over each custard, turning and tapping the ramekin to evenly coat. Using a small kitchen torch, carefully move the flame across each until the sugar melts and browns, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes and up to 2 hours, then serve.

Tweet

Madeleines

To hump or not to hump, that is the question.  I'm talking about the hump in your madeleines, of course.

Like the macaron, the madeleine is another iconic French sweet and, also like the macaron, everyone and their maman claims to have the most correct recipe and method for turning out a perfect little dessert.  Madeleines are essentially individual butter cakes baked in a distinctive shell-shaped mold and, as cakes tend to do, these little guys like to rise--hence the hump debate.  Some contend that a madeleine is not really a madeleine at all if it does not rise such that a distinctive hump forms on the non-scalloped side of the cake.  Others maintain that the hump is unsophisticated, and that REAL French would never eat a humped madeleine.

Me?  I like the hump.  I think it makes them distinctive, and also makes them seem a bit larger, so you're probably less likely to gobble down 5 at a time. Hopefully.  I wasn't so lucky. Anyways, I tried to find a madeleine recipe from a pastry class I took in Paris awhile back but it seems to be lost, so I can't tell you where that chef stood with regards to the hump.  But I did find an excellent recipe from David Leibovitz (French enough to count :) ) and you can read more of his take on the hump here.  Essentially, he claims that it boils down to the use of baking powder, so feel free to omit it in this recipe if you'd like. 

In the immortal words of Fergie, "My hump, my hump, my hump."

You will need a madeleine pan for this recipe.  The tart pan and madeleine pan I brought back from Paris with me are definitely some of my prized possessions.  Although I'm sure it's possible to order all of these things online straight from La Belle France these days, I just felt special knowing my purchases from E. Dehillerin were wrapped up nicely in brown paper and tucked into my suitcase for the trip back to the States.  Amazon offers several and I would absolutely recommend a non-stick variety so you don't end up flinging madeleines across the kitchen as you try to unmold them like some people. Not me.  That would never happen to me.

A couple of notes: If you do use baking powder, you may only want to fill your molds 1/2-full or less rather than the recommended 3/4 unless you want mondo madeleines.  If I made these again I would probably add honey or vanilla to balance the lemon flavor--let me know how it goes if you try this! I prefer my madeleines au naturel, but David's recipe adds a lemon glaze which I've included below in case you want to give it a whirl.

Lemon-Glazed Madeleines
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar
rounded 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup (175g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
zest of one small lemon
9 tablespoons (120g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature, plus additional melted butter for preparing the molds

Glaze
3/4 cup (150g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons water

1. Brush the indentations of a madeleine mold with melted butter. Dust with flour, tap off any excess, and place in the fridge or freezer.

2. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, whip the eggs, granulated sugar, and salt for 5 minutes until frothy and thickened.

3. Spoon the flour and baking powder, if using, into a sifter or mesh strainer and use a spatula to fold in the flour as you sift it over the batter. (Rest the bowl on a damp towel to help steady it for you.)

4. Add the lemon zest to the cooled butter, then dribble the butter into the batter, a few spoonfuls at a time, while simultaneously folding to incorporate the butter. Fold just until all the butter is incorporated.

5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Batter can be chilled for up to 12 hours.)

6. To bake the madeleines, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

7. Plop enough batter in the center of each indentation with enough batter which you think will fill it by 3/4′s (you’ll have to eyeball it, but it’s not brain-surgery so don’t worry if you’re not exact.) Do not spread it.

8. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the cakes just feel set. While the cakes are baking, make a glaze in a small mixing bowl by stirring together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and water until smooth.

9. Remove from the oven and tilt the madeleines out onto a cooling rack. The moment they’re cool enough to handle, dip each cake in the glaze, turning them over to make sure both sides are coated and scrape off any excess with a dull knife. After dipping, rest each one back on the cooking rack, scalloped side up, until the cakes are cool and the glaze has firmed up.

Storage: Glazed madeleines are best left uncovered, or not tightly-wrapped; they’re best eaten the day they’re made. They can be kept in a container for up to three days after baking, if necessary. I don’t recommend freezing them since the glaze will melt.

Tweet

Making Magnificent Macarons

Whenever I tell people about The Baking Blog, I almost always get the same response; "I'll cook, but I don't bake.  It's so hard!"  I completely understand because I usually have the same reaction to cooking (all that chopping!), but there are definitely lots of baked goods that I find plenty intimidating. Croquembouche, I'm looking at you. Until recently, macarons had also been one of those "off limits" projects that I had always promised myself I'd get around to baking one day, but their finicky reputation preceded them, and I just presumed that I was doomed to fail.

If you're not familiar with macarons, you're probably asking yourself, "What's so difficult about those coconut cookies my grandma always makes?"  Those would be macaroons.  Not macarons. The extra "O" makes all the difference. Macarons are the iconic cookie of France, a miniature sandwich cookie made from almond flour and confectioners sugar, and able to be flavored or colored in myriad ways.  More than likely though, you're familiar with macarons because, like cupcakes, they've become one of the newest "it" desserts.  Yes, they've even been sold by Starbucks.

When Parisian Spring (obviously an expert on all things France) suggested that we finally bite the bullet and try out a recipe she had, I knew it was time.  Believe it or not...these cookies were so easy!! The cookies themselves have only 3 ingredients, and the most difficult part was piping the rounds onto the cookie sheets because the batter is very viscous, so you have to work quickly.  Other than that, simply let the cookies set for 15 minutes before baking and voilá!

So, while I might not be attempting a bûche de noël and it's accompanying meringue mushrooms any time soon, it's good to know that, for some foodie challenges at least, all of the hurdles are just in our minds.



Macarons
1 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/4 cups almond flour
3 egg whites, room temperature
food coloring and extract as desired

1. Preheat oven to 315 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the confectioners sugar and almond flour and sift together into a bowl.
2. With an electric or stand mixer beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat).
3. Add the flour mixture to the egg whites in quarters, folding together with a spoon or spatula. Stir only until just combined, but not beat.
4. Add color or flavor as desired.
5. Spoon or pour the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip (plug tip with your finger if necessary) and pipe quarter-sized rounds onto prepared sheets.
6.  Allow the cookies to set for at least 15 minutes then bake for 12-15 minutes.  makes approximately 30 sandwiches.

Filling
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
food coloring and extract as desired

1. Beat the cream nearly until the consistency of butter, then stir in sugar.  Add in flavor or coloring as desired. 
2.  Once macarons have cooled, spread a small amount of filling between two halves and sandwich together.

Tweet

King For A Day

For some reason, growing up I always assumed that the Twelve Days of Christmas fell during the twelve days preceding Christmas. Oops, I guess I just didn't listen to the lyrics of the song very well. Maybe it was just wishful thinking to get all those geese a-laying and golden rings before Santa even came. However, the Twelve Days of Christmas are actually a medieval tradition marking the time right after Christmas and ending on Epiphany--today!--January 6th. In Christianity, Epiphany itself marks the beginning of the celebration period lasting through February and culminating at Mardi Gras--although most of us are probably satisfied with all the stress, celebration and gift-giving that goes into the holiday season, let alone all this celebrating afterwards.

For me, I just look at it as an excuse to extend all the great food-eating of November and December into the new year. Because Epiphany is the celebration of the storied Three Kings, last year I made my own version of Mardi Gras' famed King Cake. This year, I'm super excited to make my first Galette des Rois--the version eaten on this day all over France.

While you're probably used to the American-style King Cakes that are made with yeast dough, iced, and doused in color sugar, the French Galette des Rois is the epitome of the classy French dessert--light and flaky puff pastry, a simple and luscious frangipane filling and a light dusting of powdered sugar is all it takes for this elegant celebration cake.

While the cake is in honor of the three kings, it also gives you the chance to be royalty for a day. When you make the cake, be sure to hide a dried bean in the filling--whomever gets the piece with the bean becomes the king or queen!
Galette des Rois
1/4 cup almond paste
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 pkg puff pastry, thawed
1 dry kidney bean
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbs powdered sugar, for dusting

1. Mix the almond paste into a food processor or blender with about half of the sugar until well blended. Add the butter and remaining sugar using and blend until smooth, then blend in 1 egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, flour and salt. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a baking sheet or line with parchment paper, and set aside.
3. Roll out one sheet of the puff pastry into an 11 inch square. Keep the pastry cool, do not knead or stretch. Use a large pie plate, cake pan or frying pan to trace an 11 inch circle onto the dough using the tip of a small knife. Place the circle of pastry onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the second sheet of pastry. Refrigerate both sheets.
4. Mound the almond filling onto the center of the pastry that is on the baking sheet. Leave about 1 1/2 inch margin at the edges. Press the bean down into the filling. Place the second sheet of pastry on top, and press down the edges to seal. Beat the remaining egg with a fork, and lightly brush onto the top of the galette. Prick several small slits in the top to vent steam while baking.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Do not open the oven until the time is up, or the pastry will not fully puff. Remove from the oven, and dust with powdered sugar. Return to the oven, and cook for an additional 12 to 15 minutes, or until the top is a deep golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
6. Lay a golden paper crown gently on top of the cake. This will be used to crown the person who finds the bean. Serve warm or cold. Make sure to tell everyone about the bean .

Tweet

Le Cupcake

I have a complex about fitting in when I travel. Fortunately, not to the point that you'll find me sporting these pants currently fashionable in Europe for some ungodly reason. But I have been known to get horribly, horribly lost before I will sink to pulling out a map and labeling myself as a tourist. On my recent trip to NYC I even made a big deal of slinking surreptitiously behind the statue of Atlas under the guise of art admiration only for the chance to peek at my map where no one could see. This may stem from from my experience living in Washington, DC and having seen groups of tourists that will stop in the middle of the sidewalk or actual road during rush hour just to snap a photo, interrupt locals mid-conversation to ask directions to the nearest McDonald's, and even hold the doors of a Metro train to keep it from leaving just so that Grandma and Tater Tot can make it down the escalator. When I travel, I'm there to experience the city, not to inhibit its inhabitants from going about their daily lives.

That being said, when I'm in a place for any length of time, I do begin to long for the comforts of home just like anyone else. Whether it's ordering Cokes at the local cafe, reading The Economist in the park or catching the non-dubbed English version of a movie from back home, it's these little perks that can make travel a little less lonely. So, not surprisingly, on my recent trip abroad I set out to see just how global the cupcake phenomenon has become. And, believe it or not Parisians, the cupcake has landed. With help from the global cupcakery listing at Cupcakes Take The Cake, I selected two shops in Paris that I just had to try.

The first was Berko in the Marais, amazingly only a couple of blocks from where I was staying (fate!) In addition to cupcakes, Berko also offers a few other pastries as well as salads, I guess in case you want to round off your meal with a little something healthy instead of just straight sugar :) You can eat sur place but there are only a couple of stools at the counter, so you may be better off to take your cakes to go in their cute little box and find a sunny spot in the park. I mean, hey, you're in Paris after all. I tried to choose flavor combos that I hadn't had in the U.S. and went with a lemon meringue and a white chocolate raspberry. The lemon meringue had a layer of lemon curd inside and was topped with a crunchy layer of toasted meringue (almost too crunchy, it was a little hard to eat). The second cupcake was a white cake filled with fresh raspberries and topped with white chocolate ganache--it was delish. Unfortunately, both of the cakes were much drier than the American style of cake, but the tasty fillings more than made up for it. If you're not in the mood for cupcakes, Berko also offers several flavors of cheesecake that will make you feel right at home. At Berko a cupcake will run about €2.80.

The second shop I visited was Cupcakes & Co in the 11th arrondissement. Although Cupcakes & Co claims to be open everyday except Mondays at 10:00am, I made the mistake of showing up on a Sunday when they didn't open until 11:30 because, well, it's France on a Sunday and who was I to think they'd open on time? Sheesh. Anyways, the shopkeeper was incredibly nice and even entertained my questions in pathetic French after politely asking me to repeat myself several times. I chose a caramel cupcake that came with a dollop of salted caramel on top as well as a cupcake that needs no translation, Red Velvet. Unfortunately, the caramel cake suffered from the same dryness as Berko's cakes but the buttercream was delicious. The Red Velvet cake was softer and the flavor of the cream cheese frosting was spot-on, though I wish it hadn't been served cold. The cupcakes here were a little pricier, at €3.40.
One difference I noticed right away with the French cupcakeries is that they don't have placards denoting the flavor choices. Some will have a menu on the wall but you may be out of luck when it comes to flavor descriptions if your French vocabulary doesn't include words like "peanut butter" or "chocolate with lavender ganache." Fortunately, "cupcake," "carrot cake," and "red velvet" are the same in any language.

If you go
Berko
23 Rue Rambuteau
Paris, 75004
Metro: Rambuteau
Tues-Sun 11:30-8pm (7:30pm on Sundays)

Cupcakes & Co
25 Rue de la Forge Royale
Paris, 75011
Metro: Faidherbe-Chaligny
Tues-Sun 10am-7pm

Tweet

Notorious

Does food actually taste better when it's famous? On my trip to Paris last week, it was clear that everyone wants to be recognized as a superlative in this world capital of cuisine; The Best Ice Cream in Paris, the Oldest Bakery in Paris, The Most Exotic Chocolate in Paris, The Most Flamboyant Cocktail Hour in Paris...you get the idea. But simply because a particular food, restaurant, or chef is cemented in popular imagination as "The Best," does that necessarily make it so? Times are tough, the dollar is worth about a handful of marbles and pocket lint, and unfortunately some of those Parisian Bests have price tags to match their reputations. Nothing is more disappointing than traveling around the world and shelling out for a special treat only to be disappointed when that Best Of isn't really so great after all. With this in mind, I set off to sample one of the supposed best and oldest bakeries in Paris: Poilâne.

While it might be somewhat of an American fantasy that Parisians spend their days crisscrossing the city to seek out the best market gems Paris has to offer, more often than not people stick to their local neighborhood shops for staples like bread, cheese and veggies. Thus, having to navigate two metro lines to reach Poilâne's Boulevard de Grenelle location and schlep my loaf back across town, I was really hoping this boulangerie would live up to the hype. Opened in 1932 by Norman baker Pierre Poilâne, the bakery is so famous in fact, not only is it recommended by Martha Stewart and Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa fame, but you can actually order some of their loaves online for worldwide delivery to the tune of €8-€40, plus shipping, depending on the loaf. Even artist Salvador Dalí, having meet then proprietor Lionel Poilâne in 1969, began to order objects and sculptures made of bread, culminating in an entire room made of bread in 1971.

The Pain Siegle wheat boule I selected was dense but soft and slightly sweet, stayed fresh for the rest of my trip, and cost €3.80 (which converts to about 95 marbles and 3 handfuls of lint). Ultimately, while I wasn't disappointed with my Poilâne loaf, it's clear that at this shop you're paying for the experience. The nice shop ladies are dressed in cotton shifts and aprons reminiscent of a long-ago Paris, the loaves are flour dusted and decorative, and if you come by for your daily baguette or croissant you'll be out of luck; Poilâne doesn't sell either of these. Additionally, because of Poilâne's fame, you're just as likely to find loaves sold at some supermarkets or served at local cafes. While I'm glad that I got to visit this historic Parisian institution of baking, I also passed a no-name bakery on the same street that had a line out the door both on the way to and from Poilâne, thus confirming my belief in getting out to explore the nooks and crannies of a neighborhood when you travel. Just goes to show that sometimes the "bests" may actually be places you've never heard of at all.

If you go

Poilâne

8 rue du Cherche-Midi

Paris 75006

Metro: St. Sulpice

Mon-Sat 7:15am-8:15pm

Poilâne

49 Blvd de Grenelle

Paris 75015

Metro: La Motte-Piquet Grenelle

Tues-Sun 7:15am-8:15pm

Tweet

Vive La France!

As you may know today, July 14th, is the French national holiday. Typically referred to by Anglophones as "Bastille Day," in France the celebration is usually known as Fête Nationale or le quatorze juillet ("14 July"). Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison by the French people in 1789. Although the Bastille held only seven prisoners at the time of the rebellion, the symbolic fall of the power of Louis XVI was followed by the end of feudalism, the Declaration of the Rights of Man, the rolling of a few heads and, well, you know the rest. Bastille Day is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate for several reasons: I love France; I'm a firm believer that we could seriously use some more excuses to party between the 4th of July and Labor Day; and you can never have enough crêpes or champagne. This year I celebrated with just those two tasty treats. While I would have loved to entertain my friends with some homemade crêpes, I know by now that this is one speciality best left to the professionals. While I had intended to grace this blog with a picture of my gorgeous crêpe aux bananes et chocolat paired with a crisp glass of champagne à la vanille unfortunately, before I even realized, this was all that was left. It was that good. Bonne fête à tous!

Tweet