Paris' Best Baguette, Croissant & Chocolate

Visiting Gosselin in St. Germain de Pres

Of course Paris has a Grand Prix for the Best Baguette each year! Scroll over the link to see which boulangerie was the winner for 2012, which also gets the honor to supply the Elysee Presidential Palace for one year of freshly baked baguettes. Being the magazine hoarder that I am I didn't realize I had the winner from 2008 until just now, considering how nicely crisp and wrinkle free the page was. But tasting the baguette from Gosselin was as if they were still the winner this year. France's iconic food did not disappoint having a crunchy crust and a soft interior also known in French as "La Mie"(we need an English word to describe the soft inside of bread too).

The second find was for best croissant, and you bet that I looked on the same article finding the 2008 winner, Maison Kayser. I was wondering how a croissant could be so much better than the next one, almost like saying best bagel for New Yorkers -- but oh it was certainly clear when I bit into Eric Kayser's croissant! I honestly don't think I have ever had a better croissant, granted I didn't have this year's winner, but just the same... It was warm, buttery and crusty on the outside with a soft fleshy inside. The almond croissant was fantastic as well, but the plain butter croissant was the best. Thankfully my tiny shorts reminded me not to go for the chocolate croissant in this sitting and wait for tomorrow.

Enjoying Eric Kayser's Croissant for
breakfast with a Cappuccino. 

Onto the last find which was certainly well worth the manhunt and hours-long search. Christian Constant may be considered the world's best chocolatier. My husband has the patience like no other willing to wander neighborhoods in Paris trying to find this small chocolate boutique near Luxembourg Gardens. We had left the apartment quickly and I didn't write down the address. Meanwhile, I thought anyone in the neighborhood would know where the "World's Best Chocolate" is... except that wasn't the case for this hidden gem, and there was no wifi to even find the address! After a few hours of roaming around asking each shop along the way with my best Fresh accent, which is pretty bad, we finally found it! Christian Constant is serious about chocolate, as a "Scholar of Chocolate History," writer of three books on -- you guessed it -- chocolate!

The exquisite chocolates of Christian Constant

ABSOLUTELY EXQUISITE CHOCOLATE!   It was not what I was expecting at all. I thought it would be more traditional, old-world truffles with intense flavors of hazelnut or ganache. Rather, the chocolate was refined and much more about the texture and quality of the cocoa instead of distracting flavors. That is why I use the word "exquisite," as it is clear to taste the craftsmanship and the highest quality ingredients in this chocolate. 

Christian Constant who may be considered the world's best Chocolatier!

Exotic flavors ranged from Verbena Flowers, Yemen Jasmine and Green Tea, Tahitian Vanilla Flowers, Orange Blossoms to savory, unique flavors such as Safran threads, Cardamom from Malabar and Cinnamon from Ceylan. Surprisingly the price was also reasonable for this caliber of chocolate. You may pay $10 for a cup of coffee in parts of France, but thankfully the chocolate is much more fairly priced! 

I also had to mention MEERT, one of the oldest Parisian outposts for Flemish style gaufres since 1761. The flagship location is in Lille, but we visited the small boutique in St. Germain des Pres off Rue de Seine. These waffle delicacies are filled with vanilla cream from Madagascar and drenched in syrup -- VERY VERY SWEET. Other than the gaufres, the chocolates were delicious. Especially memorable was the dark chocolate truffle filled with a single-malt scotch from Scotland and the chocolate apricots.  

One of the oldest Chocolate 

Chocolate Case at MEERT

      

France's Open-Air Markets, in Honor of National Farmers' Markets Week

This week is National Farmers' Market Week supporting local farmers and better, healthier food. As much as this may be an oxymoron, living in the city makes us especially privy to some of the freshest local produce because of farmers' markets. Living in New York City and having recently travelled throughout France, city-goers have a great appreciation for farmers' markets because we value that green space and the fresh, local produce that we get to enjoy from it. So in honor of National Farmers' Market Week instead of running to Shaws or even Whole Foods, go to your local farm stand and buy some fresh produce! And before you run off to go get those nutritious rich goodies, read the rest of my blog and please share.

One of many Sunflower Fields in Provence

Every weekend I try to make it a point to go to one of many neighborhood farmers' markets (for me it is either Union Square or Abingdon Square) to get my fresh fruits and veggies, peruse the plants and flowers, try various cheeses and jams, and even buy some seafood and baked goods.

Union Square Farmers' Market
with Gigi

An Artist showcasing her original artwork in
St. Remy de Provence

 Having recently done a tour de France starting in Paris going through the countryside to Provence and ultimately finishing the trip on the Riviera in Nice, it was clear to see the love of farmers' markets throughout the country. Firstly, it was beautiful driving throughout France and noticing the thriving agricultural industry throughout the country with farming in all different sectors. Everyone knows how proud the French are, and as well they should be for their prosperous farming that even in this day in age so much of their produce, dairy and cattle is still farmed in their own country. And as a point of distribution for farmers, open-air markets are as consistent and in abundance throughout the country. The biggest word to the wise is beware of days and times. Many varying markets are either on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and then of course the weekends as well.

Flower Market in Nice.

Open Air Market in St. Remy de Provence

 I really wanted to go to Marche Raspail while I was in Paris. It is the largest, organic market in Paris that is held two times a week, although those exact days are questionable. Online I saw the market was held on Tuesdays and Fridays, however, when I was about to go and asked for directions, I was told it was the artists' market on Tuesdays, and the food market is Wednesdays and Saturdays. Needless to say I missed my opportunity while in Paris since I was there for only a few days, but with all the open air markets in the city, it's not hard to find one.

On our way back from missing Marche Raspail and going shopping instead, right in our neighborhood was a small cheese, meat and bread market. The cheeses were scrumptious and plenty, and even if you don't want to taste every single one, good luck explaining that to the nice guy force feeding you.

Trying an Assortment of Cheeses from the local market in
St. Germain de Pres, Paris.

Fresh Bread and Salami, Jamon and Prosciutto

Enjoying one of the BEST Blue Cheeses I've ever had on our balcony in Paris
... or should I say Roquefort from the South of France...
With the rest of my Farmers' Market Booty: chocolate oranges,
fresh peach, & really good, cheap Bordeaux that I don't even know the name of.

Seafood Stall in Nice, with camera shy vendor.

Shucking oysters at a farmers' market
in St. Remy de Provence.

Tasting some wine at a St. Remy de Provence market. Moving
onto the Champagne stall to bring with me while eating
just shucked oysters. See Charles below...

Best Farmers' Market in St. Remy de Provence!
4Euro Champagne + Just Shucked Oysters= Tres Bien!

Paris: Superb Dinner at Verjus

One of the best restaurants we ate at in Paris offering haute cuisine wasn't prepared by a local Parisian chef, rather a Bostonian chef, Braden Perkins, who is living la vie en rose cooking up specialties in Paris with his business and life partner Laura Adrian.




Tucked away on rue de Richelieu across from the Palais Royal is Verjus, an intimate restaurant and wine bar that offers modern cuisine using only the freshest local ingredients.


We were lucky to get a reservation since walk-ins are not accepted, and there is limited seating emphasizing the focus on execution for high quality food and service. There is one tasting menu offered at 60E or accompanied with wine pairings 100E, which for the cuisine and service given was well worth it. By the end of our dinner it was clear that during any visit in Paris, one MUST have dinner at Verjus.

Starting from the amuse all the way through to the double dessert we couldn't have been happier. Each course was prepared perfectly combining wonderful flavors and textures, let alone a more than satisfactory portion. One of my favorites was the "skillet cooked trout from Banka, with chanterelles, guanciale, pickled chilies, chives and a roasted corn soup." I couldn't hold back from using my spoon for every last bit of the corn soup-- phenomenal!




Since this was early on in our trip I was really looking forward to my first duck entree in France -- I was not let down! Wonderfully cooked seared crispy on the outside and a tender inside with an orange, rye au jus. The red Sancerre 2011 paired with the duck was clever and couldn't have worked any better.





The only thing we didn't think worked well was one of the desserts. The espresso panna cotta with Bing and Ranier cherries seemed to clash. The lemon polenta cake with blueberries, lavender honey and a Greek yogurt sorbet was more than sufficient for dessert, and considering how creative and delicious it was nothing else was needed.


It was refreshing and inspiring hearing the story behind the owners opening Verjus. The professional and kind manager who was also our server explained how the owners started having supper clubs at their apartment when they first moved to Paris more than 20 years ago. From such popular dinners and word of mouth growing, they realized there was a high demand for the dinners. Local friends were willing to invest in the Americans so they could take their passion for homemade culinary affairs to the public in a restaurant setting.

Can't stop raving about Verjus and definitely look forward to trying their famous Fried Chicken in their lounge next time we're in town. Although we would definitely recommend the dining room over the downstairs bar since it is simply too good too pass up.

Even the flower on the table made me happy. I had never seen such an exotic shimmering color flower where it was between a beautiful periwinkle and silver color... Come to find out after seeing the flower at an open-air market the name is Chardon.


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