I'm going to make a shocking revelation: I'm not much into desserts in general, and French pastries in particular.
When I lived in the States, I had a pretty sharp sweet tooth, which I carried with me to France. But during my two pregnancies I craved salt -- no strawberries or ice cream for me. While I was expecting my second daughter, I used to heat up obscenely large quantities of already-very-salty frozen pommes dauphines -- a kind of potato puff -- and SALT them more for good measure before scarfing them down at 10 in the morning.
I never really lost that desire for salt -- I still sometimes salt things that don't really need it -- and I never got my sweet tooth back. I do enjoy simple, homemade French desserts like clafoutis, but have never gone in for the traditional pastries. I'm sure not going to make them myself, and I've often been disappointed with ones I've bought in bakeries.
That's probably because a lot of bakeries around here are just that -- bakeries and not pâtisseries with a trained pâtissier making his or her own pastries. And when I go to a "real" pâtisserie in Rodez, I'm usually attracted to the most imaginative creations. So I've hardly ever even tasted the basics of French pastries -- until now.
A small bakery in the nearby suburb of Sébazac has recently been taken over by a trained boulanger-pâtissier -- and we have started to indulge in his creations. He sticks to the basics, such as the pastries you see above (clockwise from top):
Chou au caramel
Eclair au chocolat
JM Pâtisseries et Pains (no link available) has definitely changed the way our family deals with Sunday dessert. I don't feel guilty about not making it anymore -- I just buy it!
No comments:
Post a Comment