Triumph Over Adversity

Yes, the adversity I am talking about is cake! I finally managed to make a beautiful cake. It was a frog themed masterpiece for my friend Jen's baby shower. I can't wait for the next occasion for a cake!

Macaroons

Although Amy & I probably have fodder for many a paris related blog post, I felt that I had to start my series of blog posts with my favorite new food, the macaroon. My coworker had introduced me to the amazing French macaroon, which is nothing like the almond & coconut concoction that you might associate with this name. The French macaroon consists two light but chewy meringue cookies sandwiched around a flavored buttercream frosting. The middle layer can also consist of a jam-like filling in some cases. The two most famous macaroon makers are Laduree and Pierre Hermes and obviously I tried out both (as well as quite a few others!). The macaroons come in many delicious flavors including blackcurrent, pistachio, rose, salted butter caramel, and my personal favorite, passion fruit chocolate. I can't wait to try to make my own delicious creations. I will report back with recipes!

Famous Parisian breads

In keeping with the name of our blog, Lisa and I roved on over to France last week. We split our time between Paris and Bordeaux, gobbling up delicious treats and sipping on fine wines in both spots. I'm sure there will be several more posts covering the trip, but let's lead off with a discussion of bread.

One of our first stops in Paris was Eric Kayser. We purchased two baguettes, one regular and one sesame, and several croissant ones. The regular baguette was terrific - crisp crust with a soft inside. The sesame one was less successful for us, but still good. The croissants were excellent.

Later in the week, K and I made our way to Poilane. It's a very small and unassuming shop but the shelves are lined with delicious breads, rolls, and cookies. Their famous round loaf of sour dough bread is HUGE, so we decided to go for half a loaf. I added a small box of butter cookies to the order because I can never turn down a good butter cookie. After picking up some cheese and meat, we headed back to our apartment to sample the spoils. The bread is absolutely out of this world! The outside is very dark and yet not burnt. The crust has just the right amount of chewiness and toughness. The inside is airy and full of flavor. We loved it.

In fact, we loved it so much that I ended up carrying about a quarter of the loaf home with me the following day. The Poilane lived on for two more days as I was able to use it on Monday to make tartine sandwiches with basil, mozzarella, and prosicutto and on Tuesday to make panzanella. Each reincarnation was delicious. For those who won't be in Paris anytime soon, Poilane's website allows you to order all of their products and have them delivered to your home. If you're having a fancy dinner party, need a special foodie gift, or just want some darn good bread, check it out.