I've been working on my fraises/strawberries all week = an ongoing WIP/work in progress
The French Gariguettes in the marché go for about 5€ a 500 gr box (or 1 pound) and these babies are BIG and SWEET!
Honestly some are almost the size of a small pomme/apple. Eat two and you're full. No need to store them in the fridge either. They'll last for a few days too.
With the bounty of berries, gâteaux Fraisiers show up in all Parisian patisseries like crazy.
Louis XIV sent off to South America Amedee Francois Frezier, a French military engineer, mathematician, spy, explorer who is best remembered for bringing back 5 varieties of strawberries.
True there are now at least 600 kinds of berries to put in your tarte/gateau.
But what's with the red Vichy checkerboard on top? De rigeur for most Fraisiers and very pretty but I'd love to know the whys and where for...
Yesterday, Ascention Day in France and a major holiday was not the day to go looking for a good fraisier.
It was slim pickings all around but I made do. By the way, it must be genetic how the French can wrap up these delicate cakes in a bit of paper and Scotch tape and they arrive home completely intact. Don't even think of requesting a box in some small patisseries either. HA!
Intact yes. Inspiring? Non...
Today was different. Cara Black and I waltzed into L'Éclair de Genie (Cara wanted to see the stone cave/labo downstairs where the workers create 1,500 eclairs each weekend).
Maybe there's a future Aimee Leduc mystery inside a patisserie? I hope so. Cara fell hard for the fraisier éclair in a big way. Absolutely fabulous so a definite candidate for an OFD entry.
What to wear whilst eating your Fraisier gâteau?
A strawberry pink dress of course.
Plus the essential jeans jacket bien sur.
And do sit on a complimentary green cafe chaise/chair while you're at it?
Happy Mom's Day All!
