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Thursday, December 11, 2008
Yesterday I was looking at Mistress Longears "comparative holly study" and I was reminded...
Of a recent study I've been making comparing American pastries with...
...French pastry.
I discovered in my researches that there is a serious lack of gloss, glitz or l'abricotage in our home front desserts.
L'abricotage is the generous application of an apricot jam syrup...
...that the Parisien patisseries fling about with abandon. Doesn't this New York tart need a generous lashing of apricot syrup, I ask you?
Here a dusting of powdered sugar does the trick. No one could say this Gerard Mulot tarte looks dull.
Another Gerard Mulot beauty combines both powdered sugar AND l'abricotage...
The inherent elaborateness of Parisien desserts is no accident...
When you have this in your occupational tradition...
...And this...
...Is it any wonder that you come up with something like this? And you'll find such divine fantasies in every Paris pastry vitrine. Bon Jeudi
Monday, July 23, 2007
While Paris has lots of grey skys and grey Baron Hausmann buildings 
And I'm not just talking about all the high glossy tartes - the L'abricotage.
But tons and tons of silvery, reflective tableware that make French tabletops so delightful.
Here, the window of L'Argenterie at 19, rue de Turenne, 75004 in the Marais. 
Alexi Worth said in his book review for the New York Times on my favorite book,
Jonathan Miller's book, ON REFLECTION:
Reflective surfaces, from puddles to pewter to mirrored glass,
have always been catnip to artists.
What makes these images so especially puzzling and delicious?
I certainly can't keep away from shiny things.
And they're a real challenge to paint...
I've painted this lone original silvery teapot at the Petrossian Boutique over and over..
The Vaissellerie shop in Paris has lots of silver bargains...
I found a terrific silver-plated chocolatiere for a song!
Laduree's teapots are a delight and an ongoing challenge...
Last but not least a silver water flask for the watercolor artist..
Surely something you can not do without!
For more silver, visit the Musée de l'Argenterie 109-113,avenue Daumesnil
From the French book of silver marks, Poincons d'Or et de Platine :
"Silverware will always be the most beautiful ornament of the table"
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