What I ate at Relais Desserts Noel 2013

Yesterday was the grand tasting of Christmas buche de Noel for 2013 by the Relais Desserts at Hotel Royal Monceau.

24 top pastry chefs of France offered a sneak preview of what's to come in December!

President of the Relais Desserts, Frederic Cassel, Fontainebleau was of course onboard to greet and meet.

His buche de Noel 'Etienne le Renne' is full of hazelnut and pistachio ice cream...miam

Arnaud Larher's 'Buche Louise' is a cheese cake inside with passion fruit and a strawberry coating...

'Del Lago' by Jean-Philippe Darcis of Bruxelles is...crunchy hazelnuts, cocoa from Del Lago plus, plus..,

I loved the concept of Joel Baud's 'Blanche Neige' (Snow White) with a squiggle of blood in the snow unless I'm mistaken - mousse of white chocolate, red currents, coulis of framboise..

Jean-Paul Hevin can be depended upon to surprise - a chocolate cage encasing dark chocolate and passion fruit - 'Best of Passion'

I loved the crazy textures of this buche though the chef preferred I shoot it from the side...

Another mad creation, this one by Dalloyau's Yann Brys called 'Blanc et Merveilles' with meringue and bergamote, milk chocolate of Madagascar and macaron crunch on the sides.

So pretty, Laurent Duchene's 'Forest Noir' looks appropriately like a sled and full of gelee de griottes plus cremeux chocolat noir.

Silhouettes! My favorite graphic, line Richard Seve's buche. Inside - chocolat gianduja and baba au rhum with yellow raisins.

This Mondrian looking buche is called 'Puits Rouge' by Jeff Oberweis of Luxemburg and full of red fruits.

Well it's impossible to show every Relais Desserts buche much as I'd like to...

But not to be missed Pierre Herme's witty take off on the original classic chocolate log was intensely chocolatey with mousse, ganache and biscuit macaron all chocolate all the way.

The gentleman behind the red buche is Herme's photographer, Laurent Fau, creator of all those lush photos in his books, newsletter and little brochures that come inside the macaron boxes. Don't forget that all the Relais Desserts pastry chefs generously participate in the annual charity event, Jour du Macaron, created by Pierre Herme.

You might well wonder how we got to taste all these delightful creations? I've been starving myself for weeks (unsuccessfully) in preparation for this event ticking off the days on the calendar.

The waiters took our orders and then returned with plates to taste.

Clever Frederic Cassel served his delish hazelnut ice cream in a little glass bowl, while the others were served up in slices. It would have been nice to have little flags identifying each but that's perhaps too much to ask...

My date, candy man, Georges Marques of Le Bonbon au Palais. Naturally we shared bites of this and that...

As did everyone else including these fashion editors...

 

Awards were handed out to the best pastry book of the year, the best chef etc. and then we downed pink Champagne and savory snacks.

Last but not least exquisite mini Paris-Brests filled with pistachio cream and Ispahan creamy 'puffs' all designed by Pierre Herme for Hotel Royale Monceau. You can imagine I'm in major recovery today but well prepared for the coming Christmas season.

Big Merci to Relais Desserts!

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Les Mirabelles en Saison

If you plan to be in Paris in September puleeze eat a Mirabelle! One of the great joys of Paris is eating seasonally, but you'll have to go to the morning marche to get the hang of what's in and what's out.

These are so tiny plan on eating quite a few if you're hungry.

On the other hand you'll notice the price can cascade from 1euro a kilo (if you're at marche d'Aligre where they'll insist you taste one) all the way up to 7,95 euros a kilo (2.2 pounds - that's a lot of Mirabelles. Get the jam jars out.

The window of opportunity is small for these babies.

They first appear in late August from the Lorraine area (the Metz Mirabelles have a distinguishing touch of red to them). If you should go to Nancy and why not, just an hour or so away from Paris, Mirabelles will hit you over the head in every form possible. Tartes, Eau de Vie, preserved in liquer, confiteur of course and hard candies and even marshmallows. Yellow, yellow and more yellow prevails in Nancy. I wish I'd known there was a 2-week celebration in Metz end of August with much dancing in the streets, floats and Mirabelle dessert contests. I'd have been there in a flash.

Luckily you can find Mirabelle tartes in most boulangeries.

Boulangerie au 140 (140, rue de Belleville and a favorite of Trish Devine) is the cousin/sister of haute couture patisserie de l'Eglise around the corner. *Note they won best baguette in 2001. This is an award that never goes away.

Also look around while you're on line for your tartelette. A 3-day Edith Piaf festival is just on the horizon in Belleville. I've yet to visit her little museum here. Too much to do! More to come on the fete I promise.

Patisserie d'Eglis was closed at 8:55 so I ran to marche Pyranee for some plumes.

The church is appropriately reflected in it's doorway.

Later on I came back to see if they had any Mirabelle tartes. They did! This is unusual. Most of the 'haute couture' patisseries for some strange reason do not have seasonal fruit desserts other than the standard fraise et framboise. I've yet to figure this out. Tons of chocolate and whipped cream - always yes. Seasonal fruits - rarely?!

A comparative analysis begins.

The boulangerie tarte wins the days for crunchier more caramelized crust. The fancy tarte is almost a 'crumble' but not quite. The shortbread crust is excellent but not as crunchy. The fruit on both are running neck and neck winning :)

Plums or pruneau are pretty divine this time of year in France so please don't miss out. On The left you have the almighty and nearly unpronounceable Quetsch (a combination of kvetch and wetch) ready to eat right out of the paper bag. On the left the lovely green Reine Claude, a tad larger than the Mirabelles.

Also equally unpronounceable and requiring long cooking, the Coing(pronounced like a duck's quack but without the K).

I'm seeing Girolle mushrooms are in. But wait they are NOT from France. Wait a bit on these plus the price is out of sight as are the very French, fresh walnuts at 9,95 a kilo.

What to wear when eating French plums?

This squirrel cardie of course (even if it is English). I've yet to encounter a live French squirrel but at the Agriculture Salon they said French squirrels are noted for their shyness. Maybe a few could come to New York and mingle?

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Revelations - Grand Palais

Last week was the first edition of Revelations - le salon des metiers d'art et de la creation at le Grand Palais.

Any exhibit at le Grand Palais is bound to attract. The lines were long.

Such an auspicious space well sets off the creme de la creme of France's best craftsmen in every art form.

Craftsmen were onsite demonstrating their best techniques. Norway was the guest country for the event.

Nothing ordinary could be found here...

The large area for French shoemakers brought back memories of my own shoe design days.

Quite a few of these shoemaker/designers are winners of the much coveted MOF (Les Meilleurs Ouvriers de France).

Not just top chefs get to wear the red, white and blue prestigious ribbon.

A Lalique style heel on a Cinderella glass slipper...

Elegant glasses with sapphires embedded in the bridge...

Designed by another MOF, Ghislain Duroy of Lunetterie d'Art.

More glass by Nicolas Sartor Verrerie.

Porcelaine ceramic roses by Antonella Fadda-Haffaf.

French children get early indoctrination to the finer things of life and it's not just fromage. The 5-day Revelations Salon will return to the Grand Palais in two years - don't miss it.

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