I’m working on a couple of additional Italian treat posts, but first I want to take time to share some images and thoughts about the City of Light where we’ve been spending the past 9 days. For us it’s not Michelin starred restaurants or la haute couture but the day to day life, the history, the monuments, the parks, the light, the art, the wine, the flowers, the ever changing variety of cuisines from all over the world . . . . . and even more.

We envy the neighborhoods (quartiers) in every arrondisement that offer within easy walking distance most everything you might need on a daily basis; the parks and green spaces where families and friends can enjoy the fresh air and the children run and play; the transit system that can take you from one end of the city to another in less time than it might take us to drive several miles round trip to our favorite cheese shop (or many other things in Grand Rapids). The societal camaraderie in general here is refreshing and healthy.

And, on an eco-friendly note, our friend Marie B. shared with us that pollution is down 40% in Paris due to limiting cars in the city.

You can also read more about things we experienced through Steve’s blog here.

Following are a variety of images from Paris that demonstrate what it is about this place that draws us in. There’s always something interesting around a corner or an unexpected find to surprise you.

FLORA AND PARKS (in no particular order)

A bit of green space at *Place de L’Hôtel De ville,* 4th *arr.*

Florist shop near *Le Bon Marche,* 7th *arr.*

Just a small part of *Le Jardin de Luxembourg,* 6th *arr.*

Playing *petanque* in *Le Jardin de Luxembourg*

Florist shop near *Le Jardin de Luxembourg*

Lovely natural garden near *Le Petit Palais,* 8th *arr.*

**Vineyards near *Musée de Montmartre,* 18th *arr.* (the only vineyards actually in the city)**

Everyone’s out in the park on a Sunday afternoon, near our AirBnB in the 12th *arr*

Walking along *Le Promenade Plantée,* 12th *arr.*

In the courtyard at *Musée Jacquemart-André,* 8th *arr.*

CULINARY AND PASTRY TREATS and a bit more (again, in no particular order)

The following images are from outings that occurred over a series of days, focused mainly on our lunches out and afternoon coffee and treats. Our evening meals were either at home prepared by chef Steve using roasted chicken plus fresh veggies and potatoes, all purchased at the local Place d’ Aligré market (literally just outside our door). We also enjoyed Vietnamese, Algerian and classic French cuisines at nearby eateries.

*Chocolat chaud, macaron au passion, praline chocolat* at *Foucher,* 7th *arr.* (Steve had espresso)

On one outing we had lunch at Café du Trocadero - Steve a tasty chicken salad and I a classic goat cheese/greens/tomatoes/carrots/cuke/walnuts arrangement.

**My *salade au chèvre chaud,* delicious and filling**

Below is our shared dessert - pâte sucrée crust, layer of crème d’amande baked in, topped with crème de pistache and fresh raspberries. It reminded me of a non-pistachio version I make. Good!

***Tarte au pistache et framboise* at *Café du Trocadero,* 16th *arr.***

**Savory *galette artisanal* (classic Breton buckwheat crepe with ham, egg, cheese), *Breizh café,* 18th arr.**

**Classic *Flan Parisien, Musée d’Orsay café,* 7th *arr.* (not as good as The French Tarte’s!)**

*pâtisserie Gosselin,* near the *Orsay* (we tried *paris-Brest* and *Religieuse au café*)

Wine and cheese tasting at Ô *Chateau,* 1st *arr.*

A nice Rosé, *La Vieille Tour,* 5th *arr.* (just off *rue Mouffetard)*

Plus . . . . .

And . . . . . .

*Soupe à la oignon* (classic French onion soup!)

***Le Gouter* (afternoon snack time): *èclair au café, brioche feuilletée, espresso, cappuccino,* at *Blé Sucre,* 12th *arr.***

After initial days of cool temps and rain showers on and off, we enjoyed our first afternoon “sitting-out” coffee experience at Blé Sucré (above) as the weather had turned sunny. Since it was just around a corner from our AirBnB, we opted for another round of treats at the end of our stay.

**Another day - *èclair chocolat et tarte au citron* (reminded me of The French Tarte’s!)**

Of course, I had to throw this one in . . . . . .

STROLLING AND DISCOVERY (once again, in no particular order)

This one was unexpected. When in Paris we typically stop on rue Monge at Pâtisserie Pascal Pinaud where I did two stages (internships) in 2007. The last time we stopped there was back in 2022 when Pascal’s wife was still manning the counter.

This visit we were surprised to see a new look and new name, now called Maison Monge. The shop is definitely refreshed from the days I recall - new faces, newer/cleaner look, more open and inviting. They have some outside tables for morning coffee and pastries or enjoying a lunch time baguette sandwich or slice of quiche. The range of breads and pastries looked good (sorry - forgot to take an inside picture!)

We popped in and talked briefly with the man who seemed to be in charge - I tried my broken French, he did speak some English. Turns out that Chef Pascal has retired! The fellow I just mentioned says he’s in touch with Pascal by phone to receive tips and guidance about the shop’s operations. They just opened three weeks ago! Bon chance I say!

*Maison Monge,* 5th *arr.* New owner, new look

We did try an oranais, one of Steve’s favorite pastries made with Danish type dough with a filling of pastry cream and apricot. We gave it a thumb’s up. Once again, I forgot to take a picture, but here’s a version I made a while back that will give you an idea (whoops - should have been in the pastry section!). Oh well.

Next up was one of those “what’s going on here” as we approached a number of white tents like you might see at a craft fair in the USA. Much to our surprise it was a VERY cool vintage furniture market (brocante) and definitely not one of the often grungy flea markets/rummage sales (know as vide greniers) that one often sees here and there around Paris.

We certainly are in no market for furniture but the quality of what we saw was quite stunning. Below is just one “room” set up that could certainly appeal to many who fancy vintage stuff or retro looks.

Vintage furniture market, *rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard,* 5th *arr.*

Interior of Saint Medard church, 5th *arr*

**Love the light and shadow on the seating**

Fountain at the base of *rue Mouffetard,* 5th *arr.*

Crossing the Seine on *Pont Marie* to *Isle St Louis,* 4th *arr.*

My favorite statue at *Le Grand Palais,* 8th *arr.*

A beautiful day for a stroll in *Père Lachaise* cemetery, 20th *arr.*

**Grave of Frederic Chopin in *Père LaChaise* Cemetery**

**Vivant Denon - the bouquet of flowers caught my eye - one of the first curators of the Louvre; has a wing named after him**

**A visual of a few monuments in *Père Lachaise* - gives some sense of the topography - you really gotta be there**

Line six metro crossing the seine; near the Eiffel Tower, 7th *arr*

What better way to end this post than with . . . . . . .

I hope to be back with you with more baking adventures in the next several weeks. Enjoy!

A good madeleine can be hard to find. It's best to eat them fresh from the oven since they have a tendency to be on the dry side once they cool. In the past I've taken to brushing the classic version of madeleines with lemon syrup while still warm, which goes a long way to holding in moisture and prolonging their shelf life.

I've tried a variety of madeleine recipes over the years, most of which have somewhat similar ratios of flour, sugar, butter and eggs, often with some honey and lemon zest added in.

This chocolate version is from Clotilde Dusoulier's "Chocolate and Zucchini" blog, and is her chocolate version of the "perfect madeleine" from Fabrice Le Bourdat's shop Blé Sucré in Paris. The base recipe has a larger quantity of butter than many I've reviewed, and Clotilde's chocolate version adds melted bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder to Le Bourdat's base.

Madeleine batter should be made ahead and allowed to sit in the fridge for several hours and up to a couple of days. Think planning ahead!

Here's the process.

Melt 150 g good quality chocolate (I used 56%) over a bain marie. Remove from the heat but keep the chocolate bowl over the warm water to hold it until it's added to the batter.

Melt 350 g unsalted butter (stove top or microwave - you decide). NOTE - the butter is the final ingredient to be blended in and should be hot when added to the batter. It's all about planning.

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat 6 large eggs with 260 g sugar until thick and pale yellow, 4-5 minutes. Blend in 120 ml milk (I used whole) and the warm, melted chocolate.

In a separate bowl combine 375 g all purpose flour, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Fold these dry ingredients into the batter.

Finally blend in the hot melted butter until incorporated.

Cover and refrigerate up to 2-3 days.

On baking day heat the oven to 450ºF with half sheet pans placed separately on two different racks (I have three oven racks but prefer to use only two at a time - it's just easier).

Placing cold batter into cold molds and then onto heated sheet pans in a hot oven are some of the reasons that madeleines develop that classic hump.

Mold preparation is key. I prefer using the standard silver tin molds rather than the darker finish brown non-stick molds (which, by the way, still have to be buttered and can cause the petite cakes to brown too quickly - trust me, I know.)

I apply a decent coating of butter on each well and give them a dusting of flour - you can never be too careful in terms of making sure your madeleines don't stick!

As you can see below, I opted to bake some minis as well as the standard size.

Once my molds are ready I pop them into the fridge until I'm ready to fill them.

The chilled batter is quite thick. You can pipe it or simply scoop it into the molds. Filling the wells with just the right amount of batter carries a bit of a learning curve and comes with experience but a general rule is to full 1/2-3/4 full. I wasn't sure how these babies would rise so I chose about 1/2 full.

Place the molds into the hot oven directly onto the heated sheet pans. Immediately turn the oven temp down to 360º F and bake for 12-14 minutes for standard size and about 6-7 minutes for the minis. If you're doing multiple batches, turn the oven back up to 450ºF before baking your next batch.

Nice humps!

Once pulled from the oven turn them out onto parchment paper - they should fall out freely if your molds have been well prepared. You can tap the corner of the overturned mold onto the nearby surface as needed if they're being a bit stubborn. It works.

One thing I noticed about the minis is a blurring of the shell pattern - most likely due to the butter and flour coating of the mold that melded into the batter and didn't allow the pattern to remain distinct. No biggie.

I reacted to my first taste of a mini with the feeling that the chocolate flavor wasn't as forward as I would have liked. However, the texture was sooooo light and ethereal - I've never had a madeleine like it! As I continued to sample a few more, they grew on me. Steve too.

I wanted to punch up the chocolate experience and decided to make a glaze by melting 130 g bittersweet chocolate with 3 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon corn syrup (gives it a bit of sheen) over a bain marie and then adding in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.

I dipped the "hump side" of some of the madeleines in the warm chocolate, and, after a few minutes of setting, created a ridge like pattern with my zig-zag cake decorating tool. They look kind of like walnuts, don't you think?

The added layer of chocolate was just the right touch. Mmmmm good.

Once the chocolate had cooled and set, I turned them over to give them the quintessential dusting of powdered sugar.

With another bunch of the finished cakes, at Steve's suggestion, I did what I used to do with the little coriander buttermilk cakes I used to make in Rhode Island. I re-warmed the madeleines briefly in the oven then dipped them in melted butter and rolled them in coriander sugar.

I thought the sugar a bit too much so brushed some of it off. Delicious indeed.

Both versions remained moist in a covered container over a couple of days, plus I froze some of each as well. Once thawed they still tasted great. The texture is fantastic!

What a treat.

Thanks Clotilde!

Baking with the French Tarte

Baking with the French Tarte

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Baking with the French Tarte

Paris

Chocolate madeleines and more than you'll ever want to know about making them

Baking with the French Tarte