paris: tartelette

Showing posts with label tartelette. Show all posts

Bonjour Pate Sucree!

Les Tartelettes aux Fraise by Carol Gillott

Les Tarelettes aux Fraise, watercolor, 9" x 11"

I've had a rude awakening of late...

For years (at least 5) I've been walking around Paris, admiring, shooting, leche-vitrine and eating altogether way too many pastries...

Only to discovery I know ZIP about pastry making! Ouch

And to add insult to injury...

I've been leaving the crusts on way too many tartes...

Like this Fauchon tarte au citron. SHAME on moi!

How did I make this alarming discovery? By browsing Japanese pastry books. It became crystal clear I don't know beans about pate sucree and pate brissee. What's more I will NEVER know if I don't eat the $#@! crust! How can one claim to KNOW pastry intimately if one does not eat the total affair?

I'm ready to give up Japanese pastry books and head for French books or English. Your suggestions are most welcome.

Better yet should I head over to the French Culinary Institute for a crash course in the anatomy of a tartelette?

BEAR, comme habitude, is way ahead of the game. He's studying more and eating less. Watch this video from L'atelier des Chefs to become better informed about what we put into our mouths. Pastry is serious business! It's not just about flannering around gazing into glorious patisseries vitrines! Mais non!

BONJOUR PATE SUCREE!

Macarons in Venice

No, I did not take a gondola ride in Venice...

Macaron Boxes, art on Etsy, 9" x 11'

Nor did I find French style macarons...well not exactly.

You'd think I'd be content with all the Tiramisu floating around Venice but my tastebuds are not creamy-inclined...

These giant hazelnut-smothered cookies looked lethal to me, perhaps even weapon-like..?

A massive meringue cake filled with vanilla cream with more cream on the side to drap over it - no way!

In a pinch, one could settle for the ropes and ropes of liquirizia/liqurice lining the calle/streets of Venice...

In desperation, I bought a Venetian guidebook to help me find local pastries - there are at least 22 listed: balcoli, bussolai ciosotri, castagnole, colombina, crema frita, curasan etc., etc.

Rosa Salva is one of Venice's oldest, most revered pasticcerias in sestiere San Marco, 951, Calle Fiubera. It's a cafe as well so you can stop in for a coffee with your cantucci...

But I was not tempted...

At last I broke down and gobbled an unpronouncable sfogliatelle - a Naples specialty. Maybe I sucumbed because these are in my neighborhood in Astoria? And maybe because these are crispy?

Look! Little Nutella tartelettes. What's wrong with these you ask? Are you saying to yourselves, "picky...picky?"

All from pasticceria Toletta in sestiere Dorsodura, 1192, calle della Toletta, mentioned in the guide...

As a so-called Paris pastry (painter)expert have I been ruined for the treats of the rest of the planet? I think I have.

I do love Italian Macedonia de fruita (basically an improved version of our 'fruitcup').

And there's ALWAYS gelato for dessert. No wonder I was reduced to going on The Gelato Dieta in Venice.

And there ARE plenty of dogs in Venice (more to come on them). So what's YOUR favorite Venetian dessert? Do tell all PBers!!

I did find mini macarons at Toletta my last day in Venice...

By then I'd given up hope and missed out tasting them. They're cleverly sitting in little caissette plissee/paper cups and the cream filling inside is decoratively squiggled. At least I got this photo in passing... I'll just have to return to Venice to taste them. c'est la vie.

BUON GIORNO MACARONS IN VENEZIA

Why I love Paris

This was going to be a post on cafe tables...

There are an awful lot of cafe tables...

In Paris...

In fact there are a lot of round/rond things in Paris. And Parisiens adore them unreservedly like this pool in the Palais Royal...

The Parisien macaron is a prime example of abject adoration of rond-ness.

It makes perfect sense that the cupcake would also be the recipient of mass adoration...

Lunettes rond? Bien sur. Absolutement essential.

Velos=rond. Parfait.

Heavens there is even a Rond Point on the Champs Elysees!

Guerlain Meterites Perles = macquillage parfait pour les femmes francaises

YSL adored the rond shape sprinkling it on this delightful frock...

Rond Cs on these Chanel buttons=absolutement parfait.

Tartes up the whazoo in Paris=rond aussi.

Another trendy gateaux is the 'cake' (pronounced 'keck') or loaf as we call it. What do Parisiens place on top of this rectangle? A citron rond evidemment.

OK, there is no denying Parisens adore also unreservedly their quite vertical Eiffel Tower. What is one to make of this? A little variety is the spice of life non?