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Friday, November 30, 2007
I'm posting in time today for breakfast/ petit dejeuner...Jam anyone?
I love jam almost as much as I love macarons... I spent a lot of time gazing at these jam jars of Christine Ferber confiture at the Lafayette Gourmet.
Just a portion of the different flavors/ parfums Christine Ferbier makes! WOWYou can make them yourself if you get her book...
Everybody makes jam! Pierre Herme works with Christine Ferber to create special flavors that tie in with his pastry collections.
French patisseries have jam too...
I was influenced by jam from an early age...I LOVE their handmade labels. The French labels with handwriting on them are especially endearing - as if your own grandmother made them...
That's why I redesigned the Paris Breakfasts banner as a jam jar label.
A real grandmother was at the SALON DU CHOCOLAT selling her jams. Grandmere Ezilda Lapasse Depardieu of le jardin des gourmandises from Domaine du Tronchay. You can go and stay in her Chambres d'Hôtes and eat jam morning, noon and night = Heaven!
I bought the "Fruits Rouges" flavor made of (all red fruits) fraises, cassis, groseilles, griottes, framboises =
That's why I redesigned the Paris Breakfasts banner as a jam jar label. A real grandmother was at the SALON DU CHOCOLAT selling her jams. Grandmere Ezilda Lapasse Depardieu of le jardin des gourmandises from Domaine du Tronchay. You can go and stay in her Chambres d'Hôtes and eat jam morning, noon and night = Heaven! I bought the "Fruits Rouges" flavor made of (all red fruits) fraises, cassis, groseilles, griottes, framboises =YUM
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Have you been to The Ritz for tea? Me neither...
Let's go!
Hey, Paris Breakfasts readers you have made me intrepid! Life would be so dull without you. I know you expect your Paris correspondent to go EVERYWHERE and report back.
And how could I miss out on THE RITZ?!
Did you know the Ritz bar played a role in women's liberation? It's where ladies were first allowed to go unescorted for tea out in public in the early days of the 20th century!
The Ritz bar looks out on this bucolic garden...
And take a casual stroll around the lobby...Soak in the marble, the chandeliers, the impressive jungle-wild floral arrangements from designer Varda. Did you know you can take floral arranging classes with VARDA at the Ecole Ritz Escoffier?
Act like you own the place...
Pretend you're a Pop star or a president or have money to burn...
What the hell, pretend you're Hemingway!
That's putting on The Ritz!
Don't miss their fab loo. I found myself taking shots of designer faucets all over Paris...
Not to forget their divine hot chocolate-thick, lush and riche...
Dive in PB readers! It's breakfast time and this only set me back 12 Euros like the Meurice.
The chocolates are a bonus.
Now LET'S PUT ON THE RITZ with Fred Astair!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Some of you have kindly written me and said you'd like to buy a watercolor...
So I'm thinking of having a HOLIDAY SALE next week...YAE or NAY?
And I thought I'd ask if you had any special request?Would you like some Xmas decorations in your watercolor?
Or some of these santos figures I got in Provence?
Or dollhouse tea sets?
French macaron boxes..?
Little cafe au lait bowls? I don't have any big ones...
That silver tray from...L'Ile Flottante?
Would you like Eiffel Towers in your watercolors?
Birds?
Or EVERYTHING?TELL ME
TELL ME
TELL ME!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Do you believe in synchronicity?Or "meaningful coincidences," as Jung calls it...
Just before I left for Paris I was rushing to finish a menu illustration full of bears...
The apartment I rented in the Marais was on rue aux Ours (BEAR street), pronounced, ru Oh-Zores... I still can't pronounce it! 
My first day in Paris I met Jette from Denmark in the street...
And don't you know she's writing and illustrating a book about Polar bears! So naturally I kept seeing more BEARS EVERYWHERE!
This poster in the Metro was unavoidable.
And a 5-minute walk from my apartment was this wonderful specialty boutique, L'Ours du Marais on 18, rue Pavee, 75004. They sell ONLY BEARS of course.
They have tons of these Russian carved wooden bears from the town of Bogorodskoye.
Plus all manner of silly out-fitted teddy bears or nounours....
Bear stamps, bear tins, bear T-shirts...it goes on and on.
Plenty of bear china too. I was looking for a GREEN bear for my cousin Louise, but that was the ONE bear they didn't have...
Today I found among my photos these marshmallow bears or les nounours a la guimauve from La Mere du Famille.
Just before I left for Paris I was rushing to finish a menu illustration full of bears...
The apartment I rented in the Marais was on rue aux Ours (BEAR street), pronounced, ru Oh-Zores... I still can't pronounce it! 
My first day in Paris I met Jette from Denmark in the street... And don't you know she's writing and illustrating a book about Polar bears! So naturally I kept seeing more BEARS EVERYWHERE! This poster in the Metro was unavoidable. And a 5-minute walk from my apartment was this wonderful specialty boutique, L'Ours du Marais on 18, rue Pavee, 75004. They sell ONLY BEARS of course. They have tons of these Russian carved wooden bears from the town of Bogorodskoye. Plus all manner of silly out-fitted teddy bears or nounours....Bear stamps, bear tins, bear T-shirts...it goes on and on.Plenty of bear china too. I was looking for a GREEN bear for my cousin Louise, but that was the ONE bear they didn't have...Today I found among my photos these marshmallow bears or les nounours a la guimauve from La Mere du Famille. Isn't that synchronicity?
Hi Jette!
How are your bears doing? :)
Monday, November 26, 2007
This last trip to Paris I learned to love GUIMAUVE!
These chocolate-covered guimauve or marshmallows are called "Nounours" at patisserie PAIN DE SUCRE. Nounours after the chocolate covered bears made by HARIBO - les nounours à la guimauve, for kiddiwinks.
A great fuss is made over marshmallows in France...
Here they are in PAIN DE SUCRE's windows in exotic flavors - safron and cassis. I nearly got arrested for taking this picture...again!
Chocolatier Gerard Mulot has them too.
Boissier in multi-colors and multi-flavors.
I bought a packet of these guimauve tied up in knots at La Mere de Famille, planning to paint them... I ate them instead.
These distant relatives to our American marshmallows march to a different tune. They are less sugary and come in many, many subtle flavors. Plus they cost A LOT MORE than their US cousins!
The best way I can describe them is to imagine you are biting into a pastel Laduree box...
There were piles of them at the Salon du Chocolat.
And they come covered in dark and white chocolate too. I love the way the French take a kid's candy and make it sophisticated. They give it a witty twist that engages your mind as well as your taste buds...
I couldn't not show you these HELLO KITTY guimauve! Anyone know where you can find guimauve in the US?
Dean & Deluca used to have them..no more :(
Marcolini does have them at $13 a pop :(
Just to clarify -
Guimauve is the Audrey Hepburn of marshmallows!
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