Paris

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

Le Jardin des Plantes, 5th arr.

Les Jardin des Plantes

Le Jardin des Plantes

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 . . . . .

Fresh baguettte

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 . . . . . .

We all know what this is!

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.

Oranais

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.

Typical market

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

Les Bouquinistes along the Seine

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

Lovely house boat along the seine

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

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

Le Tour Eiffel, 7th arr.

Again

And one more!

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

Mid-ish summer check in

Hi all. Hope you’re staying cool and beating the heat the best way you can. I long for those perfect Michigan summer days that bring fresh breezes, crystal clear blue skies and low humidity. They seem few and far between this season.

I’m working on a couple of posts featuring goodies that incorporate tahini, honey and chocolate and hope to share them with you soon. I’m taking it slowly but surely - steady wins the race, right? But wait! I have a few summer treats that I’ll share with you now.

For July 4th I made my favorite tarte au citron and topped it with whipped cream and raspberries.

For serving I made a simple blueberry topping to dollop on each slice. Cool, creamy and delicious!

Picnic style!

In spite of the heat, we did have a day (or two) that actually lent itself to croissant making. I was prepping for a private croissant class with a soon-to-be junior in high school who has her sights set (possibly!) on pastry school. I hadn’t baked croissants for some months and it felt good to get the feel once more for the process of the beurrage and laminations. Here they are all proofed - check out those layers!

For a recent group dinner with some of our exercise buddies, Steve made a load of delicious panko crusted chicken tenders with roasted little potatoes. Host Shirley provided appetizers and made a lovely fresh green bean salad. I went with freeform cherry/berry puff tartes. Michigan tart cherries are available and blueberries are coming fast and furious. I love using the fruits when fresh but have also been getting freezer stock ready for autumn and winter projects.

I rolled out two 1/4 batches of puff (~300 g), using my 4”x11” tart form as a guide. I trimmed the edges away leaving a border outside the form to build up the edges. I saved the scraps to bake separately for my top decor. A slit at each corner allowed me to turn the edges over to create a thicker border.

After lifting the form out of the way, press down the turned in edges to create the rim. Then score lightly with a paring knife just inside the inner edges. This gives you some demarcation when baking and subsequently filling. Prick all over with a fork. I lightly brushed the puff with milk and sprinkled raw/golden cane sugar mix all over. I hold the puff in the freezer as my oven heats to 400º (remember - cold dough into hot oven - better puffing!)

Bake the unfilled puff at 400º about 20-25 minutes until nicely browned. If you’re a plan ahead-er, you can do this a day or two before and hold the baked puff in the freezer. Remove it when ready to add the fruit and pop into the oven.

Bake the edge scraps too - use for top decor if you wish.

I placed blueberry filling down the center then the cherry filling along the sides. Place into a 325º oven for 10 minutes or so to refresh the puff and set the filling.

Once cooled I placed the “scrap” strips diagonally across, crushed some of the extra baked scraps to sprinkle over all, then a nice dust of powdered sugar just because.

When baking free form puff shapes, I love the longer narrower versions like these - when slicing across, each serving has the benefit of TWO edges of puff (and the end portions get THREE!). So delicious with the fruit. Love that!

Serve slices with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and a few fresh blueberries sprinkled on top.

Finally, as often happens, I had egg whites in the fridge that needed to be used. Guess what - my favorite financiers were the choice once again. I had prepared a smallish batch of lemon curd for a lemon Swiss meringue buttercream (another good use for egg whites!). There was some left so I added about 3 tablespoons of that into my citrus zested financier batter after it had chilled overnight.

After piping the batter into muffin sized silicone molds, I topped each with an additional dollop of the curd and a few fresh blueberries. A top sprinkle of a mix of golden cane, coarse raw sugar with coriander finished ‘em off.

Bake at 375º about 25 minutes until golden brown. Let ‘em cool about 10 minutes then release from the molds and finish cooling on a wire grid.

Remember that lemon buttercream I just mentioned? I piped a swirl on one freshly baked cake so Steve and I could trial it. Yum. The rest went into the freezer ungarnished for more fun later.

Delicious!

Stay cool everyone! Until next time.

Here are a couple of images from our recent trip to visit family in New England.

Lovely window box in Chester Connecticut

Sunset near BAngor Maine

And finally - a recent daylily sighting. Cheers!

Easter desserts, happy spring and one more chocolate babka

Happy Easter everyone.  Steve and I are in our second spring since our move back to Grand Rapids, and this has been the first burst of color in our little garden two years in a row.  The lovely primrose - ahhhhhhh.  

Our day began misty, windy and overcast and is winding down with glorious sunshine, lovely breezes and no humidity.  We'll take it, thank you very much.

We spent the afternoon with the Galloway and TenHave clan for a delicious Easter dinner and good conversation and companionship.  Thanks Scott and Jen - you're the best!

Of course I simply had to make dessert for the gathering, and what better flavor to choose than something lusciously LEMON.  

I turned to that tried and true (and now my favorite tarte au citron) recipe from Jacques Genin, topping it with a thin layer of crème Chantilly and some fresh raspberries.

A good lemon tart is one of THE best things in the pastry world à mon avis, but I wanted to throw something else into the mix for the holiday meal.  I'd been thinking about coconut and chocolate and ended up following Alice Medrich's coconut chocolate meringue recipe in her book "Flavor Flours" (a recent and exciting discovery for me). What better way to use up some of those egg whites I had sitting in the fridge.

Make a basic meringue, taking it to stiff peaks.

Fold in a delightful mixture of chopped dark and white chocolate, coarsely chopped roasted, lightly salted almonds and coconut chips (the smaller bowl below is for sprinkling on the top of the scooped meringues).

Portion out generous tablespoons of meringue mixture onto parchment lined sheets, then sprinkle additional chocolate/nut/coconut mix on top.

Bake at 200ºF for 1.5 hours, then turn oven off and let cool completely.

Crispy, crunchy, nutty with almonds and coconut, chocolate chunks - what more does one need in a bite size treat? These are downright tasty.

I declare this a winning dessert day - yay!

But before I go, here's one final note. 

Just when you thought you'd heard the end of the whole babka thing, I'll finish up with one more experience with that oh-so-intriguing subject.  I baked one more babka the other day as part of a trial for an Easter class I was preparing to teach at the Breton Sur La Table here in Grand Rapids.  The process went well, the dough felt great, the plaits looked pretty good (in spite of a bit of messiness with the chocolate filling), and it went into the pan without much of a hitch.

It baked a bit longer than I expected but came out a deep golden brown and smelling heavenly.

The swirls were okey-dokey when sliced too.

And you know what? Delicious.

I promise that's it for this year's babka session. Enough.

Happy spring everyone and thanks for reading "Baking with The French Tarte". I appreciate it more than you'll ever know.

Lemon-lime tart

As I mentioned in a recent post on fresh fruit tarts, I had a blind-baked pâte brisée shell in my freezer just waiting to be filled. I was thinking lemon.

Before the Christmas holidays I had purchased a bunch of Meyer lemons, regular lemons and limes to use as table decor as well as to have on hand for baking. Since I had way more fruit on hand than I would use up efficiently, I proceeded to zest it, freeze the zest, juice the whole lot and freeze the juice too. Always on the prowl for the perfect lemon tart, I tried to track down the recipe for Jacques Genin's famous tarte au citron. I found a couple of recipe versions online as well as a video of Jacques himself preparing said tarte.  Unfortunately the video did NOT include the specific ingredient portions.  Oh well.

Update! I subsequently got my hands on his book on lemon tarts compliments of a student who was in one of my classes at Sur La Table. It’s small, in French and includes many versions of citrus tart. It’s great! But alas very difficult to get one’s hands on in the USA.

While his tart is made with limes, I opted for a lemon-lime combo. I already had my blind-baked crust. NOTE: here’s a link to two of my favorite tartes au citron, including Genin’s version.

The lemon-lime filling is made with 3 large eggs, 170 grams sugar, 180 ml juice (half lemon, half lime for me), zest of 6 fruits (Meyer lemon, lemon and lime combo for me) and 200 grams butter.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a saucepan, add the zest and juice and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture starts to thicken and is just short of boiling (I took it to ~83º C).  You should start seeing fine little bubbles forming around the edges and steam starting to rise up.

Remove it from the heat and blend the butter in with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.

Since my crust had been in the freezer, I took it out about 30 minutes ahead and warmed it in a 325ºF oven for about 5 minutes.

One approach to a lemon tart is to make the curd, chill it and then fill the blind baked shell with the already chilled curd. Then it goes back into the fridge for additional chilling. Another is to fill the shell with the warm curd, cover the surface with plastic wrap and put the whole thing in the fridge to chill. Even another is to fill the warm shell with the warm curd and put it in the oven at 300-325ºF for about 10 minutes to further "set " the filling.

That's what I did with this one.

before the oven

after the oven

Believe me - the number of ways to approach a lemon tart is as many as the number of lemon tart recipes you'll find out there.  Yes, it's true.  I've tried 'em all (almost).

Once the tart cooled to room temp, I popped it (covered) in the fridge overnight.

We taste tested it the following day as our luncheon dessert at cousin Jen Galloway's house in the woods.  Oh how creamy, tart and lemony it was.  And the pâte brisée crust was PERFECT with it.

Another winner!