with my feet begging for me to stop with the walking, and weather reminiscent of vancouver, i decided to take the day off from any serious sightseeing.
i did get out this morning to do a little croissant and baguette comparison shopping, and to pay a visit to a couple of the local sunday markets.
for my comparison shopping, i’d found a few well-reputed bakeries in the neighbourhood, and decided to check them out for my morning pastries (i think i might really miss this little habit i’m getting into, but it’s probably for the best!).
of course, as i’ve been slowly discovering, many of the local bakeries and pastry shops have decided to take the week off (thanks! – how am i supposed to do my research?).
the bigger names don’t go on vacation though, so i headed over to lenotre near the place de la bastille to grab some treats.
the croissants from both fauchon and lenotre were much better than the ones i’ve had from the local bakery (whose name i still haven’t found).
they were both extremely light and flaky, as i envision a croissant to be, whereas the the local bakery’s product was much doughier.
when made properly, there isn’t the slightest hint of grease…remarkable for a product so high in butter content.
through my own trials and tribulations with the croissant, i’ve found that proper proofing and baking are crucial to a light, flaky final product.
i have a funny feeling the type of oven used for baking has something to do with it too.
out of the three, fauchon’s was my favorite…they bake it just a little bit longer, creating a nice caramelized crust.
the baguette lenotre was also wonderful, with a nice dense, moist and slightly chewy crumb, with a light, crisp crust.
the baguettes from the unnamed local bakery now seem like white bread, explaining why i probably wasn’t overly impressed.
the bread in tain l’hermitage that we were served daily for lunch has been by far the best of the trip though.
i think there’s something to be said for small-scale artisanal production that just can’t be duplicated once you get into larger volumes.
after breakfast, it was back out to the markets – first to one of the biggest, along boulevard richard lenoir, and the second, paris’ oldest covered market, around since 1615!
the more markets i visit in europe, the more i realize how lucky we are to have access to such wonderful produce year-round in vancouver.
much of what was for sale at the markets here still comes from the large produce station, very little coming from producers themselves.
i suppose it isn’t exactly the time of year for farming, but we’ve got it pretty good in vancouver.
back to the apartment, i started brainstorming ideas for my spring/summer menu at work.
yes, i’m supposed to be on vacation, but for me the purpose of the trip was one of professional development.
i figured that while i’m still here, and the weather sucks, i would try to channel some of the french food culture into my menu planning.
things are coming along, but right now i’m almost feeling a sense of ‘idea overload’ and need to work on editing.
my biggest issue in the development of desserts for the restaurant in the volume we do during the summer, being a beachfront restaurant.
we can do upwards of 300 covers a night, and desserts have to be plated quickly.
people dining out at what could be considered ‘casual fine dining’ restaurants, tend to be a little impatient, and last summer one of the biggest complaints was the time it took for desserts to be prepared.
servers get tired of dealing with complaints, so they in turn stop trying to sell desserts, and in the end, we all lose.
so i’m trying to come up with creative ways of presenting familiar flavors that can be plated in a minimal amount of time.
it’s going to take some work, but i think i’m on the right track…
no pictures today, so i’ll leave you instead with thoughts of summer – pina coladas; raspberry and pistachio; blackberry and jasmine tea; chocolate and passion fruit; and, of course, the return of summertime farmers markets…
March 9, 2008...6:56 am
paris – nearing the end
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