Due to the amount of food related content on today's blog, I've brought in Jack as a consulting blogger. With the August shut down deadline looming, we decided we'd better check some if the patisseries off the list before our favorite pastry chefs pack up to spend a month in their summer homes in Provence. We started with Pierre Herme to try their Ispahan croissant (lychees, rose and raspberries) which they don’t make in the summer (strike 1) but we settled for the same flavors in a pastry. Gerard Mulot is already closed for the summer (strike 2) so we will have to wait for our next trip to France to try his raspberry chocolate croissant. We stopped in at Poilane for our second visit but they did not have what we were looking for so we picked up an apple tartlet and some croissants (can’t leave empty handed). Next stop was Maison du Chocolat and got 2 éclairs: caramel and chocolate (of course!). Next stop was Christian Constant for his signature chocolate tart. Hugo et Victor rounded out the contenders where we picked up the 'Hugo' a log of caribe chocolate and tonka bean mouse and lime soaked cake with a decorative, gold tonka bean right on top. The tonka bean is not legal in US because it contains a neurotoxin that is harmful in large quantities - of course we did not know this and cut it in half and gave it to the girls. There goes mommy of the year award.
We walked to Luxembourg Gardens this morning so the girls to take in the Marionette show at 11:00 but, when we got there, we discovered that they have changed the schedule and these classic French puppets now only make their appearance on weekends (strike 3). The girls enjoyed their second visit to the playground there though and were happy to have so many English speakers to play with. It seems that the tourists have arrived in earnest now. Jacqui overcame her fear of the zip line after her success at the Jardin du Dunes so she spent a good part of the morning winging around and giggling uncontrollably.
We had lunch at a small bistro and rushed home so Natalie could take her nap at home and we could have a pastry party with all of the spoils of our morning pastry hunt. We cut each one into pieces so everyone could try everything. Tasting them side-by-side really allows you to distinguish between something that is sublime and something that is merely awesome. Charlotte cleaned her plate but Jacqui, the girl who poured over the Patisseries of Paris book and in large part inspired this blog, tried a molecule of each one, turned up her little nose and asked 'What’s next?'! Although she has the interest, I don’t think her palate is ready for anything but macaroons and pain au chocolat - maybe next year. After our scientific taste testing (see pictures below) the general consensus was the Hugo bested all of the other pastries with the Ispahan a close second. Charlotte offered a dissenting opinion, judging the caramel eclair the champion.
In the evening, we went to the Pinacothèque de Paris museum and on to Sur Measure for dinner. This was our best meal yet in Paris!
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