French Fashions #1

Japanese inspired chocolates at the Salon du Chocolat

If, in London, it feels like there is a Starbucks on every corner, in Paris the same can be said for Japanese restaurants. Sushi, it seems, is the plat du moment for Parisiens. So, it's not surprising that two Japanese ingredients have made it big in the world of French patisserie, and can be found flavoring everything from macarons to mille-feuilles.
The first of these is thé matcha, Japanese green tea, which is commonly used to color madeleines, macarons, and financiers as an exotic alternative to pistachio. The other is yuzu, which at a recent masterclass I attended, chef pȃtissier Christophe Michalak described as a cross between an orange and a lemon, but which to me tastes more like a hybrid lemon / grapefruit.
Both of these ingredients have been known in the US for a decade, but it's interesting to see them established as stalwarts of the Parisian patisserie scene. 

Pȃtisserie 101: know thy pastry

The word, pȃtsserie comes from the French word pȃte, meaning pastry and that's what it's all about.   Pȃte is basically a mixture of flour and water, known as a détrempe, to which other things are added to give variations of taste, texture, and puffiness. These variations will serve as the basis for most of the recipes on this blog, so let's take a quick look at them, and their differences.

Pȃte brisée: similar to shortcrust pastry, this mixture of flour, salt, and butter with a flaky texture, is the basis for sweet or savory tarts, such as the quiche lorraine.

Pȃte sablée: a sweet pastry with a sandy texture, this is a mixture of flour, sugar, and butter. Sometimes eggs are added and it can be flavored with nuts. This is the basis for many sweet tarts.

Pȃte sucrée: a sweet pastry with a crisp texture, this is a mixture of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, often flavored with nuts. The difference between this and pȃte sablée is the way in which the butter is mixed with the other ingredients and this affects the final texture. This too, it the basis for many sweet tarts.

Pȃte feuilletée: also known as puff pastry, this is made by adding butter to a détrempe. By a magical process, known as tourage, 729 microscopic layers of butter are created which puff up into flaky layers when cooked. This is the basis for vol au vents, gallettes, and mille feuilles.

Pȃte à choux: eggs, flour, water, milk, and butter form the basis of this pastry which puffs to form small hollow buns when cooked. This is the basis for profiteroles, réligieux, and chocolate éclairs. 

New look, new focus

Before, I moved to Paris, a French friend of mine told me that, from a culinary point of view, living in France was just like being in the movie Julie and Julia. I was skeptical, and have spent the last three months waiting to be disappointed. But I can categorically state, he was right.

Yes, there is a small baker's shop opposite my apartment, where I can pop down and buy fresh croissants, and baguettes so hot from the oven, that they burn your hands on the way home. Yes, there is a large turn-of-the-century market hall in the next street, where I have made friends with one of the grocers who will suggest just the right ingredients for whatever I am making. Yes, the city is full of the most amazing patisseries which compete with each other to create stunningly beautiful cakes that make you want to weep.

If I had to find something to complain about or criticize, it would be that the baker's is closed on a Saturday, and I have to walk to the next street to find the nearest alternative; the market is only open three days a week (although one of these is Sunday), and the patisseries can be expensive.

As well as the sheer range and quality of the food, I have been overwhelmed by the fads and fashions I have seen here, many of which haven't been heard of outside France. I have also discovered that there are myriad opportunities to learn how to cook as well, ranging from lessons at well-established cooking schools, to masterclasses with celebrity chefs.

All of the above led to a bit of a crisis on my blog, as I had no idea what to focus on as I couldn't write about it all. So, I have decided that a change of focus and a new direction are in order.

This blog will now focus on patisserie. Every week, I will try one classic pastry, from a famous shop and then recreate my own version at home. As I learn, I will share my recipes and insights here which will build up into a manual. I am also going to take a class once a month at a different cooking school and will blog about my experiences there too. Updates in between will focus on anything I happen to notice around town and feel like sharing.

So, sit back, relax, and enjoy. Updates coming soon about the oldest macaron shop in the world, a masterclass with a real TV celebrity, and a legendary tart made by two sisters. 

Gontran Cherrier

La basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre

Yesterday after work, I took a quick trip to Montmartre to visit the main shop of one of the most fȇted bakers in Paris, Gontran Cherrier. Extremely gifted, Cherrier has long been a part of Parisian life, but has recently achieved national fame as one of the judges on the popular TV program La Meilleure Boulangerie en France (The Best Bakery in France). His three shops in Paris have been joined by one in Singapore and one in Tokyo. It doesn't hurt that he looks like a rock-star, either.

It was very quiet when I arrived at the shop in  the Rue Caulaincourt. I took a coffee, a patisserie and a seat by the window, and within minutes the place had filled up parents and children on their way home form school, popping in for le goûter, the French equivalent of afternoon tea.

I tried his tarte aux pistaches et agrumes (pistachio and citrus fruit tart): segments of sweet orange, and sour pink grapefruit, lying on a verdant springy mattress of pistachio and almond, in a walnut-coloured bedstead of pâte sucrée—the most even and delicate I have ever tasted. Chapeau M. Cherrier. I will be back.

Gontran Cherrier, Rue Caulaincourt

Tarte aux pistaches et agrumes

Butter ratings:
Gontran Cherrier, 22 rue Caulaincourt, 75018 Paris, France