“Deux croissants au beurre s’il vous plait.” Oh how I miss saying that every morning. Here in the states a morning typically includes a trip to Starbucks for a latte, mocha.. or whatever it is people need to wake up. Not being a coffee drinker myself I wouldn’t know. But it was nice to finally have my own treat to get the day going. Here is what I discovered on my mornings in Paris.
I started my search for the perfect baguette but soon realized its not easy for one person to test alone so I switched to croissants. Nevertheless, after much research, I selected my baguette from Eric Kayser’s main boulangerie just a few blocks from my hotel.
Eric Kayser is known for having very good breads and the baguette lived up to all the praise. It was crispy, crackly and when you rip it open you can see all the holes throughout. Perfect with my wedge of brie and yogurt.
I also tried a Kayser pain au chocolat but unfortunately it was nowhere near the quality of the baguette. I was looking for the flaky crunchy bite but it was chewy.
Ah Poilane Bakery, a must visit for anyone taking a foodie tour of Paris. Above is the shop on rue du Cherche-Midi in the St Germaine area. In 1932, Lionel Poilane opened shop and started baking the now-famous sourdough rounds or miches. You can see the rounds displayed through the windows, some with intricate designs like stalks of wheat or the traditional signature P for Poilane.
I picked up a round to take back home and it was still piping hot in the bag. I walked with my round all the way back to my hotel, which unfortunately was a good 20 min away and I had underestimated just how heavy a 5 lb round was. The plus side was the smell which was just heavenly and on the trek back, I repeatedly opened the bag to inhale the wonderful aroma.
Since the miche was being saved for later, I turned to the goodies by the window for something to munch on. The have a selection of flan, danish, pain au chocolat, and croissant au beurre. I picked the pain au chocolat…
and there it was… the crispy crunch and flakiness that got all over my mouth and the front of my shirt. It had just the right amount of chocolate in the center and though not easy to see in the photo, you could see all the individual layers of the pastry. Found myself a winner!
Before leaving with my purchases I sampled one of their shortbread cookies called punitions from a basket at the cashier counter. Punitions translates to punishments and from what I’ve heard, the name comes from the idea that it is like a punishment to have to wait for them to bake before eating. Very true because they are crisp and buttery. If the lady at the counter were not there I would have dumped the whole basket in to my bag.
Then it was off to pastry and chocolate extraordinaire, Gerard Mulot, whom I will mention several times more as I tasted his breads, chocolates, and pastries. As I was walking along rue St Germaine towards his shop on rue de Seine, I spotted a bubblegum pink truck across the street. How cute is his delivery truck?
First taste was the pain au chocolat. I didn’t have the same reaction as with the one from Poilane. It was crispy and flaky but not nearly as much as Poilane. Maybe it wasn’t fresh because it was late in the day. I did go 10 minutes before the shop closes.
On visit number 2, I went for the croissant au buerre.
Hallelujah chorus. I have found my butter croissant! It was by far the flakiest of any croissant, chocolate or butter that I had. Thus the start of my phrase… two croissants please, because you cannot leave with just one.
Addresses- I have listed them based on my route from the 5th to 6th arrondissement
Eric Kayser
5th, the main shop
8 rue Monge
6th, Odeon area
10 rue de l’Ancienne-Comedie
Gerard Mulot– 6th, the main shop
76 rue de Seine
Poilane– 6th, the main shop
8 rue du Cherche-Midi