Sweetly, sweetly

                        

February, even though it was a short month of only 28 days, saw quite a lot of sweet treats eaten chez moi. First up, a a quarter wedge shot of this pastry I bought from the cheese stall at the market, without first finding out what it contained. Fortunately it was a pocket full of a very agreeable mix of goat cheese and soft dried figs. On another occasion we bought another piece, only to find out it had a very stinky cheese baked into the insides, minus the figs, boy that was nasty, so now I make sure to check with the cheesemonger first.

                      

This rice flour cake layered with a kind of dryish powdered milk custard paste is a particular favourite of my husband. I honestly don't see the attraction, it was hard to even swallow a nibblet. From one of the dozen snack shop/internet cafe/bahn mi joints in the 13th arrondissement.

                     

Husband loves these peanut brittle slabs too, and again, the little snack stores in the 13th have a good turnover of these, enough to ensure very fresh supplies.

                     

True to my short attention span, we have not been eating much baked goods and have stopped popping by the neighbourhood MiDoRe. This may be in part attributed to the batch of mini beignets that was disappointingly dry and cakey, I may be used to the Singapore versions which are lighter and softer.

                     

Some treats from Noura's. Happily for our teeth too, our fixation on these nut honey pastries are slowly waning, we're now able to survive on about one fix a month.

                     

These cloudlike pastries are called 'bugnes', a variation on beignets I guess. Light yet substantial in taste, with a transient melting character from the buttered layers and icing sugar, a paperbag of these goes down the gullet faster than one can say 'wow, these are yummy!'. From le Fournil de Mouffetard on 123 rue de Mouffetard.

                   

Along the same little street as le Fournil de Mouffetard, at number 112, is a branch of Nicolsen Chocolatier. I am not into chocolates but their jellied fruit bonbons, all laid out like twinkling gems on the glass counters, never fails to tempt me. These pretty sweets are soft and intensely fruity, lovely treats for any occasions.

                   

Closer to home, I am always passing a little chocolate shop Malitourne at 30 rue de Chaillot, so one day decided to buy a little something from them. The raspberry sable was delicious, the sable biscuit satisfyingly short with good crunch, and the rich fruit filling not too teethachingly sweet. The macaron though, was horrible, the insides were so soft it was akin to eating uncooked dough, so it went straight into the bin.

                   

Macarons don't appear in our cake stand much, I don't exactly know why. Maybe because it is so available, maybe I've seen too many American tourists eating the supersized ones outside hotel lobbies and the Hediard down my block, I don't know, but like chocolates, I cannot fathom what the fuss is about. Give me griottines any day. To date, I've tried the ones from Laduree, la Maison du Chocolat and MiDoRe, and have been excited by none of them. Of course I have not yet tried the universally acknowledged best from, I know, Pierre Herme, but in the meantime, I remain an unbeliever. Anyway, these were from a box of ten mini ones that I bought from the market for a dinner party, I found the shell too crisp- when bitten into there is a little airpocket space between shiny top and softer squidgier insides, splitting hairs maybe, but cheaper, and in all honesty, not worse or better than its fancier cousins.

All these happened in February of course, we are now in warmer March, and we have been eating a lot of strawberries dressed in with near-syruppy Dodi balsamic vinegar, but that's for next month. A revoir!

Comments

[Beaulotus]

That your hubby likes those dry sweet stuff (haha), is proof that he had studied and lived a few years in Paris before. In my first 2 years in Paris, I literally threw myself on them (especially the transparent chewy Viet ones). Too poor to eat nice French pastries and too homesick to care. Even now when I see them, I would be tempted to get some. Then I remember that they are not too good really (plastic taste and too dry) and would drop it. But they've comforted me when I needed them so I will always remember them fondly.

[umami]

Ah beaulotus, you too like them. I can see the nolstagic appeal now.

[santos.]

oh! such beautiful fruit bonbons. i agree, give me pâtes de fruit over macarons any day. i am thoroughly intrigued by the rice flour cake now, i'm going in search of it, along with the bugnes.

[umami]

hi santos, I hope you'll find it, and discover how weird it is (to me at least)!