Archive for the ‘confections’ Category

How to Make a Candy Sculpture (A Demonstration at the Festival du Livre Culinaire)

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013
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Cordon Bleu Chef Jean-François Deguignet Making Candy Sculpture

Cordon Bleu Chef Jean-François Deguignet
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Start with several differently-colored globs of candy and heat them with a hot-air blower so that they becomes pliable.

Making Colored-candy Strips

Sticking Log Strips Together
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Roll the warm candy into log strips, and then press differently-colored strips together. If the strips don’t stick, use the hot-air blower to re-warm the candy until they stick.

Cutting Candy Strips

Cutting Candy Strips
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Use scissors to cut the joined log strips to the desired length.

Cutting Flattened Strips

Cutting Flattened Strips
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

After joining several differently-colored log strips together, flatten them, and then use a knife to cut them to the desired length. To make a clean cut, heat the edge of the knife with the hot-air blower.

Working with the Flattened Strips

Working with the Flattened Strips
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Depending upon the effect that you want to achieve (a bow, for example, or a flower) take long, flattened strips and twist them into the desired shapes.

Assembling the Sculpture

Assembling the Sculpture
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Assemble the ribbons, bows, and other shapes that you have created into a sculpture. Use the hot-air blower as necessary to get the pieces to stick together.

Finished Sculpture

Finished Sculpture
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Et voilà!

Another Finished Sculpture

Another Finished Sculpture
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

These candy sculptures were created by Chef Jean-François Deguignet of Le Cordon Bleu cooking school at the Festival du Livre Culinaire, held from February 22 – 24 this year at the Carrousel du Louvre.

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Tasting Cupcakes at the Paris Cookbook Fair

Wednesday, March 13th, 2013
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The Festival du Livre Culinaire was held from February 22 – 24 this year at the Carrousel du Louvre. There were publishers from around the world displaying their culinary books and non-stop conferences and cooking demonstrations for three days.

Alisa Morov

Alisa Morov
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The first demonstration on Saturday featured Alisa Morov, an American who moved from Los Angeles to Paris in 2002 to found Sweet Pea Baking. Alisa showed the audience how to bake cupcakes. This may sound easy, but according to Alisa, it can be frustrating if you don’t combine the ingredients properly. Baking is chemistry, and Alisa explained how to do it correctly.

Sifting the Flou

Sifting the Flour
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Alisa said that some people who buy her cupcake cookbook (Sensational Cupcakes, Simon and Schuster, UK) complain that they don’t get good results. She said this is because they combine all of the ingredients at once, rather than following the step-by-step instructions. The trick is to combine the ingredients in stages so that they get a chance to react with one another chemically. And here was her big tip: use real buttermilk in the cupcakes, not a buttermilk substitute, such as regular milk mixed with lemon juice. Buttermilk, she said, is one of the ingredients that helps the cake rise.

View from TV Camera

View from TV Camera
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And so we watched as she added flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, real vanilla, eggs, butter, buttermilk…all in the correct order…

Putting Batter into the Cups - TV View

Putting Batter into the Cups – TV View
www.DiscoverParis.net

…and then put the batter into the cupcake pan and pop the pan into the oven. Each cup was lined with a paper cupcake liner. Alisa said that cupcake liners are not necessary with modern non-stick pans, but that people like to peel the paper liner off their cupcake…it’s like opening a gift!

Squeezing Pastry Bag

Squeezing Frosting from the Pastry Bag
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then she made buttercream frosting and squeezed the frosting from a pastry bag onto a batch of cupcakes that had already been made (the other cupcakes were still in the oven)…

Cupcakes by Alisa Morov

Cupcakes by Alisa Morov
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

…and distributed them. We each got one!

The cupcake tasted rich and buttery. It had wonderful flavor but was too rich for my taste. Alisa staunchly defends the use of butter and heavy cream in her cupcakes and frostings, and she made comments during her presentation indicating that these products are not meant to be diet food. I found myself wondering why, in this era when Americans are becoming alarmingly obese from eating fat-filled and sugary foods, Alisa appears to blithely ignore the dangers that fat and sugar pose to health…clogged arteries and diabetes…just to name two.

As is true for everything, moderation is key to consuming these cupcakes—particularly if you have a weakness for sweet and buttery baked goods!

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Tasting Ladurée Confections

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013
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When we stepped into the Ladurée shop at the Carrousel du Louvre recently, we couldn’t resist buying a couple of their confections—they looked so appetizing! We took home a Corolle Feuilletée Caramel and a Tarte Citron.

Corolle Feuilletée Caramel

Corolle Feuilletée Caramel
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The Corolle Feuilletée Caramel consists of sticky-sweet caramel in a buttery pâte feuilleté (flaky pastry) shell covered with a caramel-flavored, whipped-egg-white confection. This is a treat for confirmed caramel fans only…as we are!

Tarte Citron

Tarte Citron
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The Tarte Citron is a smooth, lemon-pie filling in a crunchy pâte sablé (shortbread) crust. We both found that the filling lacked the zing that we hope for when we bite into in a lemon tart. Lemon tarts shouldn’t have mild flavor—they should have the pucker power of lemon zest!

In spite of the disappointment, we were pleased to learn that a Ladurée pastry shop is located so conveniently to the Louvre.

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Vegan Folie’s Cupcakes – Unboxing!

Wednesday, January 16th, 2013
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Box of Cupcakes Unopened

Last Sunday we spotted some delicious-looking cupcakes in the window of Vegan Folie’s, a small vegan bakery on rue Mouffetard that specializes in brownies, cookies, cheesecake, and cupcakes. We stepped in and purchased three cupcakes to take home. At 4€ a cupcake, the price was steep, but we were tempted.

Box of cupcakes opened

Arriving home, we opened the box. The three cupcakes awaited our eager bites!

From left to right:
John Lemon – Ginger and Lemon
Choc Norris – Chocolate
Sid Delicious – Orange Flower

The cupcakes had cute names: John Lemon for the ginger-and-lemon-flavored cupcake; Choc Norris for the chocolate-flavored cupcake; and Sid Delicious for the orange-flower-flavored cupcake. They looked scrumptious!

The looks, however, were deceiving, because the cupcakes lacked flavor. The frosting of the Sid Delicious was not particularly sweet; the frosting of the Choc Norris lacked richness and the cake was somewhat dry. As for the John Lemon, it lacked moistness and sweetness, but it was the better tasting of the three.

In short, the cupcakes were bland. They lacked the richness and moisture that only eggs, milk, and butter can bring to a good cupcake recipe. These were vegan cupcakes, made with vegetable substitutes for the three ingredients that are required for a really scrumptious cupcake.

Vegan Folie’s
53, rue Mouffetard
75005 Paris
Metro: Place Monge (Line 7)
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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Queen for a Day!

Friday, January 4th, 2013
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Monique with Crown

Following our initial tasting of the Galette des Rois on Wendesday, we finished it off today. Monique found the fêve hidden in her slice and wins the honor of Queen for a Day. She also gets to boss me around for 24 hours.

The Fêve

The Fêve

I wanna be King next year!

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Galette des Rois – Unbagging!

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013
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After New Year’s Day, Kings’ cake is a big tradition here. We hustled down to Le Fournil de Mouffetard to buy one.

Galette

The cake is made with buttery puff pastry and frangipane (almond paste) and doesn’t disappoint. Inside the bag is the cake and a cardboard crown. The crown is to be awarded to the person who finds the fêve (trinket) that has been slipped into the confection.

Galette 3

The cakes that I saw in the supermarket had all collapsed. The one that I purchased at the boulangerie held its shape. Its crust had a beautiful brown color.

Galette 5

The almond filling was moist and not overly sweet as some of the fillings that we have tasted. It didn’t take too long to finish off the slice that we had each cut for ourselves.

Galette 4

We didn’t find the fêve, but only ate half the cake. We’ll surely find it tomorrow! Who will wear the crown?

Le Fournil de Mouffetard
123, rue Mouffetard
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.47.35.07.96

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Bûche de Noël – Unboxing!

Wednesday, December 26th, 2012
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Today I purchased a bûche de Noël at Le Founil de Mouffetard.

Bûche de Noël

I took it home and started to unwrap it.

Bûche de Noël

I removed the beautiful ribbon.

Bûche de Noël

I carefully opened the box…and WOW! A bûche de Noël!

Bûche de Noël

Looking more closely, I could see Frosty the Snowman on top. And the message, written in chocolate, Joyeuses Fêtes!

Bûche de Noël

After carefully removing the bûche from the box, I took a photograph.

Bûche de Noël

And then a close-up of Frosty.

Bûche de Noël

And then, I sliced the cake and ate a piece. Scrumptious! Happy Holidays!

Slice of bûche

Le Fournil de Mouffetard
123, rue Mouffetard
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.47.35.07.96

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Cupcake Camp III
By Monique Y. Wells

Tuesday, October 30th, 2012
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The third annual Cupcake Camp Paris was held at Le Comptoir Général, a cultural center in the 10th arrondissement, on Saturday, October 26th from 3 PM to 5 PM. While entry was free, all proceeds from cupcake sales went to support the non-profit organization Make-a-Wish France.

This was my first time attending – the event has gained so much attention over the past couple of years that I felt that Discover Paris! should cover it this year. I arrived at 3:10 PM and was surprised to see a line stretching down the block. I thought that the queue was for the popular bar inside the center. So I walked up to the front of the line where I realized that it was indeed the entry point into the event.

Entrance to the Cupcake Camp

Entrance to the Cupcake Camp
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Amazed that the line was so long, I went back to take my place in it.  The queue had grown considerably longer in just the few minutes that I was gone!

A Big Turnout for a Chance to Buy the Best Cupcakes in Paris!

A Big Turnout for a Chance to Buy the Best Cupcakes in Paris!
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

It was the first wintry day of the year and an occasional drizzle punctuated the wait. An hour later, I finally got to the front of the line. I purchased tickets to buy three cupcakes, a box in which to carry them home, and a raffle ticket for drawings that were being held every 15-20 minutes.

The camp was held in a large area of the cultural center that served as a classroom and dining room. It was packed with people and it didn’t take me long to figure out that the theme of the event was Halloween. I was surprised to see that the vast majority of the attendees were adults! Hostess Cat Beurnier of the American bakery Sugar Daze and her daughter made a fine pair of witches. The other children that I saw were dressed in costume as well.

A Very Young Witch

A Very Young Witch
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Where Are the Cupcakes?

Where Are the Cupcakes?
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

There They Are!

There They Are!
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Of course, the main attraction of the day was the cupcakes. Numerous bakers contributed and the array of cupcakes presented was absolutely stunning! I made my rounds and took lots of photos before making my selection.

I was fortunate to be able to purchase one of the last three cupcakes that won the Best Cupcake competition – it was a Scottish recipe made with chocolate, caramel, and whisky with a Bailey’s cream cheese frosting. A chunk of Scottish shortbread and shortbread crumbs adorned the tops of these cupcakes, which were scrumptious!

Scottish Cupcakes - Judged Best Cupcake

Scottish Cupcakes – Judged Best Cupcake
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

My other two selections were the Casse-Tête, a blond beer-flavored cupcake with rum and lychee buttercream frosting.

Casse-tête Cupcakes

Casse-tête Cupcakes
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And Jumpin’ Jack Flash, a pumpkin and spice cupcake.

Jumpin' Jack Flash Cupcakes

Jumpin’ Jack Flash Cupcakes

Both of these were also quite delicious.

The most unusual cupcakes that I saw were made from kale, beets, and cocoa powder. I was intrigued by this combination, but stuck with my initial choices.

The Kale Project Cupcakes

The Kale Project Cupcakes
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The first Cupcake Camp Paris was held on July 4, 2010 at the Bistrot Vivienne and proceeds (~1200€) were donated to the non-profit organization Rebuilding Haiti Now. Last year’s camp was held at Le Comptoir Général and proceeds (~6000€) were donated to Make-a-Wish France. This year’s camp raised just over 5500€ for Make-a-Wish France.

I look forward to attending the camp next year!

Monique Y. Wells is the creator of the Entrée to Black Paris blog, selected as one of the 10 BEST Paris blogs by 101 Holidays.

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A Great Day for a Fourth-of-July Garden Party

Wednesday, July 4th, 2012
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Every year at this time the American ambassador in Paris holds a garden party at his residence to celebrate Independence Day. This year was no exception. Although rain was forecast, the weather turned out to be largely warm and sunny, with only a smidgen of rain. It was, then, a great day for a Fourth-of-July garden party!

The theme this year was American food, and there was lots of that!

I went to the corn dog stand and got two delicious corn dogs, one after the other, served with mustard.

Cord Dog Stand (in foreground)

Corn Dog Stand (in foreground)
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

Make Mine with Mustard

Make Mine with Mustard
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then, I made my way over to the beverage stand where I saw that three American beers were being served. I opted for the craft beer Blue Moon. Nice!

Three American Beers

Three American Beers
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

After the beer it was time for fried shrimp. I walked past the hamburger stand…

Hamburger Stand

Hamburger Stand
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Serving Hamburgers

Serving Hamburgers to an Eager Crowd
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

…and made my way to the fried shrimp stand.

Serving Fried Shrimp

Serving Fried Shrimp
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then, over to the Häagen-Dazs stand for some ice cream…

Häagan-Dazs Stand

Häagan-Dazs Stand
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

…where I ordered a MiniCup Macadamia Nut Brittle. I went back later for a Cream Crisp Cookies & Cream. Heavenly!

I had eaten my fill, so I could safely walk around and look at the desserts without feeling tempted for more. There was an American flag made out of colorful puddings. What a great idea! As people took the dessert, a server behind the counter would immediately replace the empty space with an appropriately-colored pudding.

American Flag

American Flag
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Then there were cookies and doughnuts…

Cookies and Doughnuts

Cookies and Doughnuts
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And cheesecake…

Band Admirer

Band Admirer
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Oops! Wrong photo. And cheesecake…

Cheesecake

Cheesecake
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And cotton candy…

Cotton Candy Stand

Cotton Candy Stand
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

A Fourth-of-July celebration wouldn’t be complete with flags, speeches, and music…

Bringing up the Colors

Bringing up the Colors
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The official choir of the American Embassy, The Dip Notes, sang the “Marseillaise” and then the “Star Spangled Banner”. Great harmony, ladies!

The Dip Notes

The Dip Notes
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

Both American Ambassador Charles H. Rivkin and French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault gave speeches about the importance of French-American friendship in confronting the problems of our strife-torn world.

Ambassador Rivkin and Prime Minister Ayrault

Ambassador Rivkin and Prime Minister Ayrault
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

And finally, The Diplomats, the U.S. Naval Forces Europe band, played rock, funk, rhythm and blues, and pop.

Band Admirer

Band Admirer
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Oops! How did that photo get in again? Here is a picture of the lead singer belting out “Flash Light” by Parliament. Awesome!

The Diplomats

The Diplomats
Photography by www.DiscoverParis.net

It was a great day to be an American in Paris!

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Tasting Confiseries à la Figue

Wednesday, June 6th, 2012
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Confiseries à la Figue from Première Pression Provence

Confiseries à la Figue from Première Pression Provence
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

During our last visit to Première Pression Provence, manager Jenna Thornton offered us a package of confiseries à la figue that are made in Provence. We took them home, tasted them, and found that we liked them very much!

These round, three-layered sweets measure 7/8″ in diameter and are 1/2″ thick. The top layer consists of hard-sugar frosting, the middle layer a pasty confection of fig, almond, and melon, and the bottom layer a paper-thin azyme made from potato starch and sunflower oil. Small enough to pop into the mouth, they are sweet and chewy. The immediate and lasting flavor that I experienced was, strangely enough, cinnamon, which is not even an ingredient. It must have been the fig that I tasted, which, for me, has a cinnamon-like flavor. Monique declared that almond was the predominant flavor.

Première Pression Provence
51, rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Ile
75004 Paris
Telephone: 09.66.98.23.48

Open Sunday to Friday 10:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m

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