For all that he doesn't reveal to us he makes up for in almost ascivious food close-ups and behind-the-scenes glimpses at some of the hottest sweet spots in town. But does his Francophilia go beyond croissants and macarons?
Love of craftsmanship. This is a country that has national honors (the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France distinction) for everything from pastries to lute-making and corsets. It’s hard not to enjoy being somewhere with an unrelenting insistence on – and deep respect for – quality.
Favorite French pastry?
Even though I technically have 30 or 40 favorites, my #1 is Jacques Genin’s Tarte au Citron. You’d think after eating hundreds of different pastries from the finest Parisian pastry chefs that I’d be in love with something more exotic than a mound of crème citron in a simple pâte sucrée shell, but I believe it’s the finest pastry I’ve ever had.
As a little context for how Monsieur Genin’s tarte could be so amazing, keep in mind that he’s only written two cookbooks in his life. One is about his chocolate recipes, and the other is 80 pages devoted just to his Tarte au Citron, complete with poetry, quotes and assorted musings on lemons. The tarte is his masterwork. The mindblowing harmony between the sweetness, acidity, and lemon tones is enough to wow me, but it goes to a whole other level when you factor in the textures of the crème and shell together. On a scale of 0-10, where 10 is perfect, it’s at least an 11.
Your go-to spot for a savory meal?
You mean not all food is made of sugar, cream, fruit and/or chocolate? Seriously, I’m way too busy eating pastries and candy to go out to a real dinner. I literally buy enough sweets during the morning and early afternoon so that I not only have éclairs, tartes, macarons, marshmallows and more well into the night – but also have at least one pastry waiting in the fridge for me in the morning. This is a 180 degree turn from my very vegetarian/vegan, organic, rice-milk, non-sweet diet when I’m in the States.
Truth be told, during my last 6-month stay, I did go out to dinner . . . once. And that was because William Caussimon, head chef at Un Dimanche à Paris and former right-hand-man of Guy Savoy at Les Bouquinistes, got mad that I kept coming to Un Dimanche only for the pastries. He and owner Pierre Cluizel invited me to the restaurant for a going-away dinner, just a few days before I returned to the U.S.. It was quite an amazing meal, and since it was the only one I’ve had in Paris in at least two years, I guess that makes it my go-to spot by default ;)
Don’t you ever get tired of just eating pastries and candy?
Well, the thing is that I’m so sweet-deprived by the time I get to Paris that I love the first two weeks of bingeing. Then there’s about a 4-6 week span where the protein deprivation, lack of fiber, etc. are in full effect. It’s physically unpleasant on a lot of fronts. After that, it’s smooth sailing. I don’t know whether it’s because my body acclimates or because it lapses into a state of learned helplessness.
Preferred Paris neighborhood?
The Saint-Sulpice area of the 6ème. Strategically, it’s important to me, because it’s within a few blocks of a half-dozen of the most important pâtisseries. The other major shops seem to fan out in all directions from there, too. So whether I stay in the neighborhood with Hugo & Victor, Pierre Hermé, Sadaharu Aoki, and La Pâtisserie des Rêves, or want to head all the way out to Carl Marletti, Des Gâteaux et du Pain, Café Pouchkine or Jacques Genin, I’m in a perfect central spot.
On top of the convenience to pastry shops, it might be the most beautiful area of the city. The Luxembourg Gardens and Saint-Sulpice itself are right there. You’re within blocks of the Boulevard Saint-Germain, the Latin Quarter, tons of great cafés and everything else, too. It’s also really easy to pick up a metro line there that shoots right into any of the other cool neighborhoods.
Most frustrating or amusing encounter with the French?
This is a tricky one, since I generally find the French very polite, non-frustrating, and no more prone to quirks than any other nationality. That said, the one thing that does drive me nuts – and I think this applies to anyone trying to speak their non-native language – is how people react to you speaking their mother tongue.
At one end of the spectrum are those who think you do a great job with their language. They seem to understand everything you say, remark at how impressive your accent is and just love to see an American put forth some real effort. Then there are others – and I mean people I speak to frequently – who delight in picking my pronunciation and grammar apart. I even had this one guy tell me I was saying “marron” (chestnut) when I said “macaron”, as if that’s not the #1 word I’d never mispronounce. My French friends just tell me I say it very fast, like I speak English, hence the confusion. So I guess my frustration with French encounters is that I need to very deliberately enunciate.
*****
Thanks, Adam! Fan of macarons? Be sure to check out his riotous post: Parisian Macaron Crimes and Misdemeanors)! Follow his indulgent adventures on Paris Patisseries and on his Facebook page.
{Photos courtesy of Adam Wayda)
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