Its never too early for a treat

Remember Meert? A patisserie shop I discovered earlier on in the year? I love love love their vanilla gaufre cookies but hard as it is to believe, I wasn't completely convinced by their chocolates. Well, I just found out that on weekends, they have a small selection of freshly baked mini-cakes, including a mini-chocolate one that's apparently, too die for.  So in the name of research (its hard, but someone's got to do it right?!), I took myself there to buy one or two.  

They were delicious! Its actually resembles a teacake in consistency and there are little chocolate bits hidden within the cake. Its not too sweet yet not too bitter.  Its just right and perfect with tea or coffee.  I can see why these little cakes sell out fast.  The good thing about them too is that you can store them in the freezer and they keep really well. A sweet treat saved for another day is always a good one in my book!

Of course while I was there, I couldn't resist taking home another teacake.  This time, it was their version of glazed orange tea cake.  Little confession: I'm actually allergic to oranges but cannot for the life of me resist orange cakes.  So when I saw that Meert had one, I just had to try that too.

I'm happy to report that its absolutely fantastic. One can really taste the fresh oranges used while the body of the cake was all moist and soft. And did I mention that its glazed too? Absolutely yummy! Unlike the chocolate ones however, the orange cake doesn't keep well. It has to be consumed right away. I think that's not going to be a problem for me.

A sweet taste of Algeria

From the outside, this cafe doesn't stand out from all the other cafes that line the streets of Paris. But the  cold as well as the wonderfully steaming cups of mint tea being drank with gusto by the cafe's regulars convinced me to step inside. 

And what a wonderful surprise it was inside! You are greeted with the delicious aroma of sugary  pastries and mint tea. Tesnime  is an algerian patisserie and tea salon.  They serve a wide variety of Algerian sweets, each one more mouthwatering than the other.  I couldn't help but take pictures even before choosing which tasty morsel to try first.

Here are pastries based on pistachios and almonds..

Algerian version of the baklava with the honey still melting off the pastries

Chocolatey desserts with different nuts..

It was extremely hard to choose which ones to bring home.  And I've forgotten what they're called, those that did come home with me. But what I remember well is the taste.  They are redolent with the taste of honey and spices and they are hearty too with none of the fluffiness of French pastries.  Washed down with a steaming cup of mint tea, this afternoon's gouter  made me think of warm exotic lands.

Friday night treat

I love how french patisseries have such beautiful and fancy names. It makes them that much more appetizing don't you think? This treat here is called un ecrin de frambois et pistache.  And ecrin means jewelry box so this one right here is a jewel box of raspberries and pistachio.  Yum!

Have a great weekend everyone!

A cupcake find

As if I didn't already have a sweet tooth and enough temptations around me, I've recently discovered this pretty little cupcake shop not far from our house.  They pride themselves in freshly baked cupcakes everyday and the shop is full of wonderfully sweet smells.

For those who are not so into cupcakes they also carry NY style cheesecakes and carrot cake with a wicked looking icing.

Of course I went right for the cupcakes! My excuse? I had a friend coming over and I wanted to serve something special. *wink* I'm pleased to say they were delicious!

Moules frites in Lille

Being in Lille, we were literallythisclose to Belgium. And what better way to fortify ourselves for the Grande Braderie than to fill up with the North's specialty--moules frites! We headed towards Le Pot Beaujoulais because it was highly recommended and proceeded to wait a good half an hour to be seated. Normally, I don't have the patience to wait that long but the prospect of eating fresh mussels induced us to wait. When we finally did get to eat, the mussels were everything they should be. They were fresh, clean tasting and the sauce or broth of white wine and shallots were heavenly with the crispy fries. 

Washed down with a glass of white wine, we were pretty satiated.  Or so we thought.  After we left the restaurant we came across the most tempting display of candied fruits...

and cookies and that absolute favorite of mine---gauffres a la vanille from Meert. Their vanilla flavored waffles are just divine and cannot be missed.  A stop at Meert was almost obligatory for us and room was made for their wonderful goodies. A box even came home with us!

Sweet sunday

Hello friends, hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  What better way to end a sweet Sunday than with  a selection of delectable patisseries from our favorite boulangerie.  Here we have (from clockwise) -- une religieuse au chocolat, une tarte au fraises, un millefeuille and un opera.

Mid(ish) week treat

This folks, has to be one of the best cheese souffles I've ever had in my life.  A good cheese souffle is that rare combination of cheesy savoriness married to the light flufiness of a souffle. Its a combination that can be very hard to achieve given that cheese and lightness don't necessarily go hand in hand. But this one right here hits it just right.  And we found it in the most surprising place; in Monoprix, our local grocery of all places! They have a section of baked and cooked goods and one weekend, we were desperate for a quick lunch item. We quickly grabbed a quiche and the souffle then hurried home, glad to be done with the lunch menu.  When we warmed them up and I had the first bite, I all but sighed in delight.  Its soooo good.

Since then, I've been on the lookout for it. And to my surprise its hardly available.   Today I asked again for it and the woman at the counter gave me a knowing look and said, "il faut venir plus tot, ca part tres vite" (you must come earlier, they go really fast).  Seeing my crestfallen look, she then whipped out the last two from under the counter!  I went home a happy woman.

Ingredients for a delightful at home treat

1. Gather some fresh fruits of the season. In our case, juicy strawberries and sweet raspberries

 2. Warm up a pot of this delicious Fondue au Chocolat for 15 minutes till the chocolate becomes warm and gooey (ours came courtesy of Benoit chocolates)

3. Assemble fruits and chocolate (bananas optional)

 4. Indulge and enjoy

Cheers to a great week!

Mid week treat

Just because its Wednesday....

Just because a Lenotre cake especially their gateau au citron is hard to resist

Just because we all need a treat half way through the week

What about you, what's your mid-week treat?

Easter and its chocolates

I'm sure its not too late to wish everyone a Happy Easter! 

All over the city the chocolate shops went all out with their window displays to celebrate this most wonderful of feast days.  Here are a few that caught my attention...

Chocolat noir et blanc

Chocolat au lait

Don't you just love the detail on this window?

An orange bunny 

Even Tintin got involved

Don't they just make you feel like splurging on one of these treats?

Merienda time

A friend needed a bit of a break from work and I didn't need much prompting to go with her.  In my book, any reason is a good reason for a merienda or gouter break.  We headed off towards the Marais, as is our wont but this time, our destination wasn't the usual cafe or tea place I'd gotten accustomed to. Instead, we headed towards the Swedish cultural center.  The center is housed in a lovely hotel particulier called Hotel de Marle which was built towards the end of the 15h century. The center has been in residence since 1971.

Its a lovely place with a big courtyard where they'd cleverly set up chairs and tables for their cafe.  Normally its packed but as the day proved to be fresh with a brisk wind, only two people were brave enough to sit outside. More prudent souls like ourselves headed inside where we were welcomed by the aroma of freshly baked bread and cakes.  The atmosphere is casually friendly and convivial with paper lanterns providing much of the light. Folks line up and point to their cake of choice and then grab one of the tables. 

Of course, I went for a cup of hot chocolate and a slice of cake. The chocolate was served steaming hot with a more than generous dollop of chantilly cream. Delicious...

 But the real stars of the cafe, as far as I'm concerned are their wonderful cakes. They are freshly baked everyday on site and flavors depend on the season. Their best seller is their carrot cake and unfortunately somebody had grabbed the last slice so I had to go with another choice. Luckily, their banana chocolate cake more than made up for missing the carrot cake. It was just yummy. It hit just the right balance between the chocolate and banana and there was a flavorful explosion in the mouth.  This, I thought to myself, as I devoured my cake, was what we're talking about when we say merienda time!

A shot of their cakes, the empty plate was the carrot one

The new kid on the block

I was coming home after running a mundane errand, as errands often are, when I noticed the façade of a brightly lit store. Up close it was even more interesting as it was chock full of chocolates. It seems that a new chocolate shop had just opened. This is no ordinary chocolate shop however, as it proudly carries the distinction of Meilleur Ouvrier en France or the MOF. This distinction, which is unique in France, is  awarded to those considered the best in their craft or trade.  Originally created in 1924, the MOF seeks to recognize the savoir-faire of craftsmen and has now evolved to include trades in high technology. I dare say though that it carries much weight for those in the artisanal trades.  Here in France, much pride is taken in producing the best bread, best pastries, chocolates and even butchers.  To be awarded such a distinction is to be recognized by one’s peers in the trade as well as the grand public.  How then can I resist the opening of a store that carries such a distinction?

Georges Larnicol is in the biscuit and chocolate trade and is originally from Bretagne.  Tempting and luscious chocolate displays abounded but the house speciality is the Kouign Amann, a sweet pastry made predominantly from butter. Lots of it. Fortunately for our respective cholesterol levels, he has decided to make smaller versions of his sinful dessert—the kouignettes. It comes in different flavors including pistachio, caramel, citron, framboise and chocolate. As everything looked equally scrumptious, I opted to try the plain, citron and caramel. Verdict? A sweet mouthful that is even better when warmed up so its all gooey and soft and literally melts in your mouth.  Be warned though, you gotta work off all the calories you get from partaking this sweet goodie.

the house specialty

The Kouign Amman

There was nonetheless a huge selection of macarons, which uses no animal fat and only vegetable dye

Pots of caramel which is another Breton specialty

Chocate piece montee

Rows of different chocolates and biscuits

Am I the only one tempted by the chocolate lollipops?

The beautiful chocolate display

All it takes

When we took a walk outside our usual haunts the other day, we discovered a wonderful new cookie and chocolate shop called Meert. What attracted me was their wonderful window display.  Meert’s window featured wonderful gift wrapped boxes and a lovely cake stand filled with what looked like the most delectable waffle cookies. One look and I had to step in.

Inside, even more delights await the visitor.  There was box after beautiful box of the most sinful looking chocolates. There were mendiants with their mix of pistachio and orange, sables in dark and milk chocolate, truffle filled ones and various assortments of chocolates from all over the world. If that weren’t enough, they also had scrumptious looking candied fruits, caramel, marshmallows and confiture. I tell you, my head spun just taking in all the goodies that surrounded me. 

Isn't this a wonderful display of goodies?

The yummy boxes of chocolates

Finally, hard as it was to narrow down my choice, I went with a box of the house specialty –La Gaufre Vanille.   But as was painstakingly pointed out to me, these are no ordinary waffles. They are vanilla filled waffles made according to the Meert’s traditional recipe dating back from the 19^th century. They even hold the proud distinction of having been the official supplier of King Leopold I in 1864. In more recent history, their waffles were the personal favorite of General De Gaulle. So you see how I had to have a box of them right?

Now the question is, did the waffles live up to their not inconsiderable hype? The answer is a resounding YES.  They are simply divine.  One bite and the vanilla explodes in your mouth in a creamy burst while the waffle cookie acts as a melodious counterpoint to all the sweetness. The taste transports me and I can well imagine King Leopold likewise enjoying the taste centuries before me. 

I have to restrain myself from eating more than one at a time, heck, from not finishing the whole box in one sitting. It is that good.

I think its safe to say that I’m going to be frequenting their establishment.

La Gaufre Vanille

a clever way of packaging the cookies

 I couldn't leave with just one box so I indulged in one of their chocolates. Its too pretty to open so I'm saving this pleasure for another day...maybe when it turns all gray and snowy and I'll need a little pick- me up.

Practical Details

Meert

16, rue Elzevir

75003, Paris

01 49 96 56 90

A day out of the city

 Yesterday was a blessedly sunny and mild day for winter.  A visit to a family member in Versailles was the perfect way to take advantage of such weather.  No matter how many times I visit Versailles, a glimpse of the castle always induces  a sigh of appreciation. It truly is a wondrous place, one worth visiting over and over. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised as Versailles used to be the capital of the French Kingdom for close to a century.

And while the Chateau de Versailles is the main draw for the hordes of tourists who come by train, bus or car, it is also a thriving and modern suburb of Paris.  One proof being, the Starbucks that has just set up shop not far from the Mairie or Town Hall.  I never noticed before but the Town Hall is itself a pretty imposing looking building. It has beautiful grounds and provides the perfect photo opportunity to couples who get married in the Mairie.

Our discovery of the day was, no, not the Starbucks, but a little creperie place not far from it.  It doesn’t look like much from the outside but I’m so glad we gave it a try. Believe it or not, it is hard to find a place that does decent crepes.  Usually the crepes are too dry or too thick or not tasty but Le Dolmen actually does pretty good ones. They have a good selection of savory crepes and an even better list of sweets.  We downed our crepes with good cidre and we left with happy bellies.  All in all a pretty sweet day.

As we were hungry, we chose the Gargantua and it had cheese, tomatos, ham and ground beef! It sounds a bit like a strange combination but it was delicious!

For desert I had to try their caramel crepe.  So yummy!!