Fou de Patisserie

It seems like Fou de Patisserie is the hot spot nowadays if you're a voyager in Paris in search of a sweet treat.  The concept is simple: gather one or two of the best pastries from Paris' top patisseries and sell them in one store at one price point.  One stop pastry shop.  

Head over to the shop on the famed Rue de Montorgeuil and if you're lucky enough to snag a table out front, do so for the people watching on this pedestrian street.  If not, the nearest park isn't far.  And if you can stand the wait, walk over to the Seine before you take a bite.  

The good people at Fou de Patisserie will patiently wait while you make a decision and box up your pastries of choice rather masterfully.  The offerings change fairly frequently, so it's worth ducking in every now and again if you get the chance.  

The storefront is small, but just the right size for 3 or 4 patrons to browse.  They even have a selection of gourmet ice creams in the freezer case outside the door.  

This strawberry beauty from Un Dimanche a Paris consists of a crunchy cookie base, strawberry pate de fruit and a light cream.  It's finished with fraises de bois and was a delightful combination.  To the right you see Karamel's lemon tart.  It's a deep shell filled with lemon curd, caramel and hazelnuts.  Refreshing and rich all at once.  And check out that pillowy meringue.

On a beautiful day in Paris with visitors from Washington, D.C., I got to try these four lovely compositions.  A raspberry and vanilla pastry from Angelina, Cyril Lignac's gray beauty, L'Equinoxe, a "club sandwich" strawberry cake from Hugo&Victor, and Un Dimanche a Paris' milk chocolate, hazelnut, and caramel bar.

A long case shows off the pastries while pristine refrigerators keep the ones meant for eating fresh.  

The Phil'gout.  Get it?

Lime Tart

Pistachio Blueberry Choux

 Many thanks to Fou de Patisserie for your existence and helping regular people discover the most wonderful and delicious parts of Paris.

If you've ever visited, I'd love to hear about what you tried in the comments!

Foud de Patisserie

45 Rue Montorgeuil
75002

Metro: Chatelet/Sentier

The website is mostly dedicated to their publication:
http://www.foudepatisserie.com/

Life in Paris

The perks of living in Paris are many, so I'm sure that halfway through writing this post I will become annoyed at my inability to express my love for this place.  But I'll do my best, dear readers.

Food

It's a given that I'm truly here for the food.  As I sit down to write this post, I'm munching on chocolate and thinking about my next meal.

Cooking starts with the ingredients and Parisians care about their ingredients.  Fresh markets abound and they always seem to be busy.  In addition to markets, the French place importance on specialization.  Sure, you can go to a Carrefour and find everything you need to make a nice dinner, but you can also go to the boucherie for your meat, the fromagerie for your cheese, the boulangerie for your bread, and the épicerie for your produce. The people want to know where their food is coming from and I respect that.

A month or so ago, a man in a truck knocked on our door pedaling crops from a farm in France. My host mom bought loads of carrots, potatoes, shallots, onions, and Asian pears.

If you ever come live in France, do not underestimate the importance of bread.  If you don't bring a baguette home to eat with dinner, you're doing it wrong.  I often find myself on the RER feeling downright Parisian with a tradi sticking out of my bag.

When you buy a loaf of delicious bread, you may as well indulge in a little butter, too.  For butter addicts, the dairy section of a French grocery store is a happy place.  Perhaps for the average butter consumer it could be overwhelming.  I've made it one of my missions to try as many types of butter while here as possible.  You can choose from organic, salted, unsalted, soft, and much more.  It's truly an art here.  Some brands mold or shape their butter into beautiful forms.

Culture

Yarn in France is cheaper than in the US.  For a knitter, this is clearly good news.  Since my arrival I've ordered wool from a popular european provider and purchased some local yarn at a yarn and fabric exposition.  There is a knitted blanket in my future.

  

Art is everywhere.  There are famous establishments like Musee D'Orsay or the Louvre, but also local spots and festivals where anyone can roam around and enjoy someone else's creativity.  It's impossible to be bored in this city.

More soon, readers.  What would you like to hear about?

Galette des Rois (King's Cake)

January is the month of Galette des Rois in France.  To celebrate Epiphany, families share an almond cake baked in puff pastry.  Baked into the confection is a fève -or small token of some kind- and the person whose slice contains this fève is crowned "king" with a golden paper crown.  

My host family had one for dessert on Saturday and guess who got the fève...

C'est moi!

For the entire month of January, Galette des Rois can be found in every shop.  Puff pastry encases the classic frangipane filling.  My host mom made ours with a layer of pastry cream as well.  No complaints.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Coconut

Some days it's just best to keep desserts simple.  Today I'm sharing an easy recipe for cookies with just one extra ingredient.  You don't need any fancy equipment; a bowl and a wooden spoon will get the job done.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Coconut

-1/2 c butter, softened

-1 c brown sugar, packed

-1/2 c granulated sugar

-2 eggs

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1/2 tsp baking soda

-1 tsp salt

-1 1/4 c flour, spooned and leveled

-1 c oats

-2/3 c coconut flakes, unsweetened

-1 c chocolate chips

1. Mix together the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated and fluffy.

2. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until combined.

3. Mix in dry ingredients until almost incorporated, then add the oats, coconut and chocolate chips and stir until fully mixed.

4. Chill dough until firm.  Scoop onto a cookie sheet and bake in a 350F oven until golden, 10 minutes.

What's your favorite cookie add-in?

Pumpkin Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Buttercream

My sister and her husband asked me to make a cake for their son's 2nd birthday.  Of course, I'm happy to oblige.  It's always fun to make birthday desserts for them because they know what they like in terms of flavors, but give me some room for artistic license.  

In this case, they were thinking about a pumpkin cake.  We came up with the idea for a pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting and here is the result. 

I adapted this awesome recipe for the cake.

I figure one tier for every year of life.  I may have to discontinue this when he turns five.

Cake making can be therapeutic; it's nice to have a project with lots of steps that all come together for one show-piece of a product.

First things first, I whipped up a double batch of pumpkin cake batter.

Then I baked the cakes...

This cake is very moist, but it never hurts to add a little vanilla-steeped syrup.

Cream cheese frosting should just be the standard cake frosting, right?

Once I had my buttercream made, it was time to assemble.

Confessions: I had a little leftover cake.

Props to my nephew for having a birthday so I can exercise my cake muscles.

Cinnamon Rolls

I've been told by many that cinnamon rolls give off the most enticing smell of anything the oven has to offer.  Either there is scientific evidence proving this or it is a view so widely shared that it has been accepted as fact.  It's certainly easy to make friends when you've got a few extra sitting around in your kitchen.

Orange Fish

Salmon is amazing.  Actually, just fish in general are amazing.  The texture, colors and flavors are varied and beautiful.  There is nothing to be afraid of when cooking fish.  Balance out your flavors: sweet, salty, umami, bitter, sour and you will be eating like royalty.

I love cooking fish in butter mixed with a little olive oil to raise the smoke point.  For salmon, I usually "quick-cure" by salting and sugaring it on all sides, leave at room temperature for about 20 minutes and then rinse.  Season as desired and away you go!