jour du macaron

every 20th of march is Macaron Day. Pierre Herme always participated in the event. together with some friends, i decided to pay a visit (we heard we can get 3 macarons for 1euro). we wanted to go to the boutique in rue bonaparte but changed our minds because it was always packed with people and there is always a long queue. we thought the one in vaugirard would be the best choice since it is a bit bigger n not as central as the other. it took us 10minutes to walk from school. we were about 50m away from the shop and could already see a long queue along the street. (are the french madly in love with macarons?!can’t imagine how the shop in bonaparte would look like). we joined the queue n found out that each person could actually get 3free macarons. (lesson learnt: everyone loves free stuffs.never thought that parisians likes freebies, but yes they do). the pierre herme store only display macarons n nothing else. i think they had a quite complete display of macarons. i decided to buy 7 and 3freebies.

 i got one with olive oil n vanilla. i always wanted to try this combo.the taste is not as attractive as the name. i thought it would taste excellent, but no.my favourite, celeste(passionfruit,rhubarb,strawberry) n arabesque(apricots n praline croustillant), azur( with ganache n yuzu) is not bad either..so is the mosaic(pistachio n griottines)…there will be another macaron day nxt year…but i would be in indo by that time.what a pity…maybe i can eat my own macarons by that time. hmmm…brilliant!

in comparison with the one that i made…

the one that i made is on the right. the difference is the ‘feet’. PH’s macaron has more ‘feet’. n mine is more dome-shaped compared to his…wonder why….have to experiment more

mmm…..chocolates…..

after class, a friend of mine decided to go to jacques genin(chocolaterie|salon du the)and asked whether i would like to come along. i agreed without any hesitation.my friend esplained that jacques genin used to make chocolates by appointments, so going to his store which was just opened at the end of last year was an occassion not to be missed. 

we left school around 4.30 in the afternoon. the sun was shining brightly. a box of chocolates would make my day perfect!we reached the area where the store is located. there are shops mostly for suits(not very nice looking^^.old fashined)or shoes stores(again…old fashioned). we continued walking. then my friend saw the shop and “look! it’s here!” said she. we could see the interior from the outside. and it looks really CHIC! we were getting nervous and like,”should we go in or not…” the chocolaterie are too fine for my mismatched, butter-scented clothes. we bravely pushed the door.

as we entered, i can see chairs n tables at the back of the room. there is a spiral staircase in the middle of the room. as spiral as the staircase that is leading to my apartment. the difference is that: it is new, made of good quality wood and unwobbly handrail!first thing that catches my eyes are prices. they are expensive. a packet of caramels for 18euros…hmmm…pass!then i was that they have pastries as well. there was one pastry that i wanted(forgot what it was. blame my short-term memory)but the seemed to run out…PASS! we then walked to the chocolate display. they cost 10euros for 9 pieces of chocolate…that’s expensive as well. but i’m really interested with the box.hah!so i decided to get 9 pieces.  the person who served us was very nice. he is not snobbish at all. he is very friendly, in fact. i got the dark chocolates one and i thought he noticed, so he sugested me to also get the cardamom n cafe, since it is coated w/ dark choc. so i asked him back “c’est bon?” “oui,oui” he answered. i followed his recommendation. in his own initiative, the man took 2 pieces of cardamom-cafe chocolate n gave it to my friend and me. it was a really nice gesture n i really appreciated it.

we also saw M. jacques genin himself, in his white chef jacket, serving teas to his customers and managing tehir bills as well, it’s really a somewhat funny sight when you think of it. but i think it was sweet…aawww.

french really love their pamplemousse. I have tried pamplemousse macaron, pamplemousse choux n now they have pamplemousse ganache. n i happen to irresistable towards pamplemousse(for some reason…)i decided to try the…guess what…PAMPLEMOUSSE.. i really like it.

verdict: can’t wait to try the other flavours!

pierre herme

ispahan overdose!!!

my mom and sister is in paris!yay!i decided to take them to patisseries, since there are only a few in indonesia.

pierre herme is a must-go. this guy has been called the “picasso of pastry”. i am glad we were able to pay a visit in one of his store in paris.

we went to the store in rue bonaparte. it was quite tiny, but really ’boutique’ n classy.  the window display looks like that of a jewellery store. i think they are having a ‘festival’ on their signature flavour – ISPAHAN – (letchis, rose, framboises). it was thursday,fortunately for us! during weekends,there will definitely be a very long queue! 

i have tried the original ispahan(the one using macaron)last time, its was nice.the flavours match beautifully, can’t have to much though. too sweet for me. 

i decided to go for the ispahan cheesecake. it didn’t like it as much, too fragrant. but my sister liked it. so it’s a good thing.

carl marletti

some of the gateaux on the display.a picture of le caraibe

my friend in ESCF an i went together to CARL  MARLETTI. i actually found it in the internet while searching for patisseries in paris. the place is quite small and they are more into tartes individuelles and petits gateaux  . the decor of the store is not overdone and when we entered the store, i didn’t feel intimidated.i didn’t feel any snotty-ness(if there is such word).

i bought the le CARAIBE. it was quite light actually. i thought the milk chocolate mousse would be too sweet, but it’s not. coconut, passionfruit and chocolate. a nice combination.

i am definitely coming back next time to try their other produits. they don’t offer many choices of macaron though. c’est dommage.