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Tasting Ladurée Confections

February 13th, 2013

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
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
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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Tags: Carrousel du Louvre, Ladurée
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It’s Not Too Late to Give Your Sweetheart a Valentine to Paris

February 11th, 2013

Travel writer Jim Calio has called our book Paris Insights – An Anthology “a wonderful valentine to Paris, unlike anything you’re likely to find in a standard guidebook.” Better than a box of chocolates, it is a gift that offers an insider’s view of the things to love about Paris.

Paris Insights – An Anthology was created with the Francophile reader in mind. Written in a lively, personal style that is both revealing and inspiring, this collection of informative newsletters explores various aspects of history, culture, and contemporary life in the City of Light. Published by Discover Paris!, it contains 33 articles that are grouped into chapters by theme: La Vie Parisienne (Life in Paris), Americans in Paris, Churches and Cathedrals, Tasty Treats, and Paris, Past and Present.

Our book is available in three editions: Premium (full color), Travelers’ (black and white), and Kindle (electronic). Click here to learn more or to purchase now!

The Kindle edition of Paris Insights – An Anthology is now available to give as a gift with free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet! At $9.95, this version of the book is a fraction of the cost of our Premium edition, and your sweetheart can receive it instantly thanks to Amazon’s Whispernet technology.

When you give your love the Kindle edition, be sure to tell him or her that a Kindle device is not required to enjoy Paris Insights – An Anthology. Amazon.com provides free Kindle reader apps that allow anyone to read Paris Insights – An Anthology and other Kindle books on any major computer, smartphone, or tablet.

To purchase, click on image below.

Discover the beauty and passion of the world’s most romantic city in Paris Insights – An Anthology.

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Tags: Paris, Paris Insights - An Anthology, romance, Valentine's Day
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Give the Gift of Paris on Valentine’s Day

February 7th, 2013

When your beloved whispers “Take me away,” do you dream of Paris?

Travel writer Jim Calio has called our book Paris Insights – An Anthology “a wonderful valentine to Paris, unlike anything you’re likely to find in a standard guidebook.”

Better than a box of chocolates, it is a gift that offers an insider’s view of the things to love about the City of Light.

Our book is available in three editions: Premium (full color), Travelers’ (black and white), and Kindle (electronic). Click here to learn more or to purchase now!

The Kindle edition of Paris Insights – An Anthology can be purchased and downloaded immediately. At $9.95, this version of the book is a fraction of the cost of our Premium edition, and you can receive it instantly thanks to Amazon’s Whispernet technology.

To purchase, click on image below.

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Tags: Paris, Paris Insights - An Anthology, romance, Valentine's Day
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Meet Cyril Laï and Pascal Potin of Le Bistrot du Temple

February 6th, 2013

Cyril Laï, Chef, and Pascal Potin, Owner
Le Bistrot du Temple
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Following a delicious dinner at the recently-opened Le Bistrot du Temple, we returned to meet the owner, Pascal Potin and the chef, Cyril Laï. Learn why we rave about this restaurant in this month’s Paris Insights.

Paris Insights newsletter is published monthly as a downloadable PDF file. It is available only to paid subscribers for an annual subscription fee of $30.

If you are not a paid subscriber and would like to download the newsletter, please click here. Enter promotional code 11473309154 to receive a $5 discount off the price of an annual subscription.

Bonne Lecture…et Bon Appétit!

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Tags: Cyril Laï, Le Bistrot du Temple, Paris Insights, Pascal Potin
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Hugo & Victor Chocolates – Unbagging and Unboxing!

January 30th, 2013

We passed by the Hugo & Victor boutique recently looking for Madagascar chocolate for our annual chocolate tasting. Spotting a display of Carnet de 6 Chocolats, I purchased one to take home to try. (I also purchased a bar of Madagascar chocolate…more about that later.)

Out of the Bag
www.DiscoverParis.net

Carnet means book in French, and this little book containing six different chocolates would provide a good sampling of the type of chocolates that this company produces.

Carnet
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Opening up the book, I saw six ganaches. A brochure listed their names: Voie lactée, Montezuma, Praliné Feuilletine, Poivre de Tasmanie, Palet or, and Framboise. If this were truly a book, it would make nice reading!

Carnet de 6 Chocolats
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Our tasting notes:

Voie lactée: Tender bite, sweet milk chocolate, unctuous, light caramel taste.
Montezuma: Sweet, cloying. Mango and spice flavors that overpower the chocolate.
Praliné Feuilletine: Ground hazelnut and dark chocolate. Grainy texture, like fine sand.
Poivre de Tasmanie: Spicy, peppery. Tastes like Juicy Fruit gum.
Palet or: Pure chocolate from a combination of the best cocoa beans. Melts rapidly in mouth.
Framboise: Has a nice odor of raspberry and dark chocolate. Strong raspberry flavor. Slightly grainy with raspberry seeds.

We enjoyed these chocolates from Hugo & Victor. As for the bar of Madagascar chocolate, read how that fared in our annual chocolate tasting in the February issue of our Paris Insights newsletter.

Hugo & Victor
40, boulevard Raspail
75007 Paris
Telephone: 01.44.39.97.73
Open from Mon to Wed from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Thurs to Sat from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sun from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

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Memorial to Michel Petrucciani

January 18th, 2013

Memorial to Michel Petrucciani
by Edouard Detmer
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Michel Petrucciani was a French jazz pianist who was influenced by Duke Ellington at an early age and performed with Kenny Clark and Charles Lloyd. A memorial is dedicated to him at the intersection of rue Duhesme, rue Versigny, and rue Sainte-Isaure. Place Michel Petrucciani features a sidewalk mosaic dedicated to him by painter, sculptor, and life-long friend Edouard Detmer. The mosaic was inaugurated in 2003, four years after Petrucciani’s death.

Place Michel Petrucciani
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Both the square and the mosaic were created thanks to the initiative of residents of the neighborhood, who wanted to embellish the then-unnamed square.

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Tags: Edouard Detmer, jazz, Michel Petrucciani
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Vegan Folie’s Cupcakes – Unboxing!

January 16th, 2013

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.

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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Tags: rue Mouffetard, Vegan Folie's
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Meet Alexis Chavance, Chef and Co-owner of La Table d’Orphée

January 9th, 2013

Alexix Chavance, Chef of La Table d'Orphée

Alexis Chavance, Chef of La Table d’Orphée
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

We recently dined at La Table d’Orphée, a neighborhood restaurant whose lunchtime menu represents an exceptional value. Read our review of the establishment, meet the chef, Alexis Chavance, and learn about his talent for creative cooking in this month’s Paris Insights.

Paris Insights newsletter is published monthly as a downloadable PDF file. It is available only to paid subscribers for an annual subscription fee of $30.

If you are not a paid subscriber and would like to download the newsletter, please click here. Enter promotional code 11473309154 to receive a $5 discount off the price of an annual subscription.

Bonne Lecture…et Bon Appétit!

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Tags: Alexis Chavance, La Table d'Orphée
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Queen for a Day!

January 4th, 2013

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

I wanna be King next year!

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Tags: Epiphany, galette des rois, kings' cake
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Paris Insights - The Blog

Tasting Ladurée Confections

It’s Not Too Late to Give Your Sweetheart a Valentine to Paris

Give the Gift of Paris on Valentine’s Day

Meet Cyril Laï and Pascal Potin of Le Bistrot du Temple

Hugo & Victor Chocolates – Unbagging and Unboxing!

Memorial to Michel Petrucciani

Vegan Folie’s Cupcakes – Unboxing!

Meet Alexis Chavance, Chef and Co-owner of La Table d’Orphée

Queen for a Day!

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