Ingredients & Fine Foods

I was out in the Marais area this afternoon, doing a little Christmas shopping (ok, a lot). And shopping, as you know, is a form of strenuous exercise. Especially ten days before Christmas. Especially in the Marais. That is why I entirely deserved a nutritious goûter, and I found just what I needed at a chocolate store called “Cacao et Chocolat”. I already knew that this Aztec-themed store sold excellent chocolates, ganaches and truffles, but I had never tried any of their pastries.

This little cake immediately caught my attention in the window, it looked so good. And you know how sometimes a pastry looks perfect, but when you bite into it, you’re a bit disappointed and find it somewhat lacking? It was not the case here, this cake was every bit as delicious as it looked. A small chocolate cake, of exactly the right ratio of crusty to moist, topped with crunchy caramelized hazelnuts and dusted with confectioner’s sugar. It had an Aztec-sounding name I forget, but I will make it my personal mission to go back, make a note of the name, and buy another one. I know, I know, don’t mention it. My sense of duty knows no bounds.

I would also love to reproduce this in the privacy of my own kitchen…

Cacao et Chocolat
36 rue Vieille du Temple
75004 Paris

When my parents came over for lunch a few weeks ago, my mother, who knows me oh-so-well, brought me a cute little jar of maple sugar from Quebec. It is made by a company called Les Sucres du Quebec, which makes a variety of maple-based products.

I love, love, *love* maple syrup, and I’d never had maple sugar before, so I was very intrigued, and it’s delicious! It’s crystallized like muscovado sugar, but the crystals are more fragile and collapse faster in your mouth. The maple flavor is distinctly present and yummy. Add to this the very special taste of things given to you by your mom, and you’ve got the perfect topping!

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Or : Maxence the Fearless Eater

Maxence loves sushi. It is hard for him to decide which type is his favorite (I know, I asked), but it could very well be Uni, sea urchin sushi, which is somewhat hard to find in France. So when we spotted sea urchins at the rue Lepic fish market (which we don’t like very much apart from the good shellfish selection : bad service and overpriced fish) we bought five.

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Last week, Maxence and I were at the Poissonnerie Bleue, the fish market at the bottom of the rue des Martyrs, a.k.a. fish lover’s paradise : they have a very wide and very tempting selection of sea food. It is always pretty crowded, but the service is friendly and fast. As we were standing in line to pay, we noticed they also sold frozen garlic snails, so we promptly bought two dozens.

Petits gris (literally “small gray”) are a variety of snails, much smaller than their cousins the “Escargots de Bourgogne”. They are often prepared “à la Bourguignonne” : boiled, seasoned with garlic parsley butter, and served as a first course, in their shell.

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