Parisian Patisseries

Being sick on the couch really is driving me crazy. I have watched hours of tv, looked through my cookbooks, exhausted facebook’s entertaining options and have finally resorted to writing a post – as I am too sick to cook. I was going to save this post for when people started to actually read our blog. But hey, I don’t know if that will ever happen. Maybe this will be the post that will make people say, Hey I really would like to check this blog regularly. So here goes.

As you know (well if you read our last post – Paris) I carted my Paris Sweets book through the streets of the city of love, determined to find the patisseries from all of my favourite recipes. However, as we were there over the New Year- of course things were closed and we were sometimes dissapointed – it also didn’t help that I was sick. All that in mind, at least I found some of the main attractions open.

As S knows I am in love with the Punishments and I try to make them whenever possible, especially since they’re so easy. Boulangerie Poilâne was luckily open – (although I think only just at 1pm) and was filling the window with breads. Of course, like a school girl meeting Gerard Butler, I quickly snapped a few pictures before cautiously venturing inside. Immediately we were offered the famous Punishment biscuits from a basket sitting on the counter. We gazed at the breads available – but as they were bigger than our heads (and that’s saying something, given the size of S’s head) we thought it would be a waste. Of course we had to buy a beautiful box full of the Punishments and also some chocolate croissants. This bakery was everything Dorie Greenspan said it would be and more. I still cannot get over the window display. Punishments were cut into different shapes and strung up with string. They hung at different levels and looked beautiful.

The next best patisserie was Gérard Mulot. As we walked up to it, you could hardly see the windows due to the amount of people gazing into them. But once we got to the windows it was truly amazing, pyramids of macaroons, chocolates, oh and the cakes. Amazing. Once we were inside I didn’t know where to start. There were at least 20 people serving and double that in customers. Cabinets full of tarts, profiteroles, creme brulees, and any sort of cake imaginable. The whole reason I went to Mulot’s patisserie was for the Cherry Clafoutis which I had made a few days earlier for Christmas. It was delicious – although I have to say mine was much prettier. I have to say the main event for me at this patisserie was the devine Chocolate Eclair.  I have never eaten a better chocolate eclair – and that really is saying something. The light and airy choux pastry combined with the rich velvety chocolate cream filling, oh and the chocolate ganache icing. Truly heaven. It is my challenge for this year to recreate this perfect chocolate eclair.

Around the corner from us in Montmartre was Arnaud Larher. A beautiful, well organised little patisserie where most of Montmartre buys it’s macaroons. This patisserie is known for it’s TV Snacks – although we arrived quite late on our first day and there were none left. I plan on making them at some point, however we did sample the beautiful macaroons and I think those alone are a reason to return to this beautiful patisserie.

During our trip to France, S became the connoisseur of lemon tarts (Tarte au Citron). Eating them for breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and of course dessert. We set off one day for Rollet Pradier patisserie, hidden away in a little corner behind the National Assembly, just back from the river. Lunched at by all in-the-know people in upper-class St. Germaine and renowned for the lemon tarts – naturally S had to have one and I settled for a lovely pear and almond tart.  The tart fillings were as per Parisian usual, delicious – but the pastry – it was really the best we’ve both ever eaten and I must learn how to make it – I will search my whole life if I have to! There are no adjectives in the dictionary worthy of this pastry – other than it is the best (still not a worthy word) – so … to find out what in the world I am talking about you will just have to visit Rollet Pradier for yourself.

When we returned home, of course S was having lemon tart withdrawal issues and so we made them. I had some frozen shortcrust pastry leftover from Christmas, which we defrosted and amazingly enough, we even had all of the ingredients in the fridge to make the lemon curd. So here I give you our lemon tart – although I was not happy with the tart cases, I guess I’ll have to get back to you on the pastry for this recipe. It was no Pradier-pastry…. (I feel as though every pastry from this point in my life with be unworthy) – but very edible nonetheless.

Lemon Tart:

Pastry – see Cherry Clafoutis

Lemon Curd: (James Peterson)

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (approx. 2 lemons)

1/3 cup lemon juice

4 tablespoons butter, cubed

Combine the eggs, sugar, zest and juice in a heatproof bowl that fits over a saucepan. Whisk until smooth and slightly pale.

Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir with a whisk. As the mixture warms, add the butter, a handful at a time, stirring constantly. Whisk the mixture over heat until it thickens, be careful not to let it boil.

Let the mixture cool before placing in the individual prebaked pastry shells.

This recipe made enough for 4 individual tart shells – although I had leftover pastry. Serve at room temperature. Enjoy!

It’s strange that a city with so many tourist trap restaurants, brand named fueled shopping areas with nothing really to offer and mile long lines for even the least interesting museums and art galleries can be filled with so many little amazing places to eat, with everything prepared with a huge amount of care and attention – there is a part of me that feels if the tourist industries effect on Paris gets any worse, we might see the closing of these little beautiful patisseries, so wonderful to stop at and eat a small cake, or get something for a party on the way home. But then I think – at some point we have to trust the Parisians – they definately know what they like – and at least these artisinal, family owned Boulangeries, and Patisseries serving amazing cakes, biscuits and bread will remain. It’s hard to see a Paris without them.