Even man’s best friend gets treats at Bouchon Bakery. I remember on one of my visits, at the counter there was a glass jar filled with dog bones made using foie gras, quite luxurious before the ban of the ingredient in 2012. Chicken liver is the replacement, according to the recipe in the book.
This post is one of many documenting my week in Paris, a present to myself for graduating pastry school in the fall of 2012. Every moment was spent eating and one post wasn’t enough. It’s now a short novel. Kidding. I hope.
Time for my first of three afternoon tea posts. Sadly I heard this past week (1/14/13) that Jacques Genin will no longer be carrying pastries. Yes his fortés are his chocolates and caramels but I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon tea I had there. Hopefully it will continue in some form.
Tea for two at Jacques Genin in the Marais (3rd arrondissement)
After a couple of weeks of more involved cookies, we get back to the basics with this shortbread recipe. Just five pantry staples: butter, sugar, flour, vanilla and salt. At first I was underwhelmed with the idea of doing this recipe. It didn’t seem that interesting but after consuming more than my fair share of cookies, this recipe now sits very high up on my go-to list.
C is for Cookie
There are a couple of cookies I consider classics, one being Chocolate Chip and the other, the Oreo. Thomas Keller’s Oreo or TKO for short is a much more sophisticated sandwich cookie. The dark exterior comes from the cocoa powder in the dough and Chef Keller asks for cocoa noir or black cocoa to get a deep, rich flavor that is not as sweet as the traditional Oreo. The cookie is balanced with a sweet, white chocolate ganache filling that is smooth in contrast to the chalky consistency of the store bought version.
UPDATE 1/14/13: Serious Eats has featured this recipe on their blog with permission from Chefs Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel. You can view the recipe here
It was a warm fall day in October and I had a table reserved by the window at Craftsman & Wolves. I was out to try their new afternoon tea, launching a year after the shop opened up in the Mission. Already a fan of the rebel, I was excited for the tea experience and happily photo-documenting what I ate.
