Sit-down Saturday

The sun-dappled sidewalk terrace of a local boulangerie.

Flour Friday

 

From oven to table... One loaf at a time.

 

Sinful Saturday

 

 

 

Paris temptations... One croissant at a time.

 Below: croissants w/lemon cream and strawberry fillings

Le croissant autrement 

 

 

Fat Tuesday

 

 

 A trayful of Crookies, the croissant-cookie dough hybrid sensation, tout juste sorti du four.

 

Below: at Maison Louvard, where the Crookie originated  

 

  

***

 

Today is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, last chance to indulge before Le Carême (Lent) starts tomorrow when food austerity kicks in for the next weeks leading up to Easter. The emphasis is on feasting, using up rich, fatty foods like butter, eggs, sugar and lard before the Lenten fast so nothing goes to waste. Traditionally, crêpes, beignets (bugnes or oreillettes in some regions), gaufres and other sweets have taken center stage.

 

Enter the slightly monstrous yet irresistible newcomer, the Crookie, the ultimate jolie-laide / “beautiful-ugly” Franken-pastry creation that, for some, has become another excuse to come to Paris. The concept was simple: a croissant is split open, crammed with chocolate chip cookie dough, topped off with more, then rebaked until the edges crisp and the center stays molten. A lovable oddball (weighing in at up to 900 calories) it was inspired by Stéphane Louvard in 2022, and in 2024 went mega-viral on TikTok. Today, the Crookie is still drawing queues and has copycats worldwide. At €5.90 to €7.10 depending if it’s to be taken away or savored sur place, it's not cheap, but then again, it's cheaper than therapy - and so far, seems to be more “croissant” than "crook." Classic croissant defenders (and admittedly I was one of them) call it heresy - but then, there’s that first bite.... - BPJ

 

Maison Louvard

(Café Bistrot Restaurant Boulangerie)

11 rue de Châteaudun 75009 

 

 ***

 

 Update: Paris' annual Mardi-Gras Boeuf Gras (Fat Ox) carnival and parade has been cancelled this year

  

Life is pain...

 

Literally: pain au chocolat, baguette (demi; tradition; bien cuite...), ficelle, flute, pain aux figues, pain de seigle, pain à l’avoine, pain au maïs, pain de campagne, pain moulé, pain long, pain suédois, pain norvégian, pain nordique, pain croque fruits, pain aux noix, pain de mie, pain aux graines, fougasse (aux lardons, olives, fromage), bretzel (from Alsace), bâtard.... To name a few.

Here's to a "Pain-ful" New Year!

🥖🥖🥖

🇫🇷

***

In France, the iconic baguettes, croissants, and artisanal loaves that fill boulangerie shelves are crafted from wheat flour that remains proudly non-GMO, thanks to strict EU regulations and national opt-outs that effectively prohibit the cultivation of genetically modified wheat or other GMO crops on French soil. No commercial GMO wheat is grown anywhere in Europe, preserving traditional varieties and farming methods passed down through generations. And gluten? In France, it's not just tolerated - it's celebrated. That robust, elastic gluten is the magical backbone behind perfect crusty exteriors and airy mie, delivering the texture and flavor that make French bread world-famous.  - BPJ

Sandwich Saturday

 

With many boulangeries closed during August this Montmartre gem will remain open.

Pâtisserie Boulangerie Boris Lumé

48 rue Caulaincourt 75018

 

Closed Mondays / Tuesdays

 

Sandwich Sunday

 

 

Casser la croûte means "to break crust" and these extra long crusty jambon-beurre sandwiches are ready to be shared. 

 

La Grande Épicerie

 Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche

Sandwich Saturday

 

Ready-made sandwiches appear in many Paris boulangeries around lunchtime.

 

 

Bastard bakers

 

 

 

French Bastards are baking Paris by storm.

 

The French Bastards 

Boulangerie-Pâtisserie artisan

65 rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle 75009

 

- 5 more locations -

 

Window Wednesday

 

No one likes to see a good celebration come to an end, and all over France La Fête des Rois - The Feast of The Three Kings - continues until the last day of January, up until the very last galette.

 

Above: a window display of freshly baked galettes des rois in a local bakery

 

Below: don't forget the crown

 👑

 

Irish twins

 

A local boulangerie called Les Deux Frères, the two brothers.

 

Boulangerie Les Deux Frères 

111 rue Caulaincourt 75018

***

Irish twins: "'Irish twins' are only those siblings born within 12 months (or less) of each other. The phrase originates from the United States and Britain of the 19th century and was a disparaging term used to describe siblings from large, and mostly poor, Irish immigrant families." - IrishCentral.com

 ***

Saint Patrick's Day 2023

***

Deux frères, born eleven months apart, died eleven months apart. 

And hardly anyone noticed.

National Croissant Day

 

How does one celebrate National Croissant Day? By indulging in croissants, of course....!

Above: first-thing-in-the-morning, freshly baked, still warm

 ❤️

Joyeuses Fêtes

 

 

 

Une Très Belle Année 2022

 

Quiche and run

 

 

A variety of scrumptious mini quiches, still warm, in a Montmartre boulangerie.

Good morning pastry

A new crop of breakfast pastries is muscling out traditional croissants au beurre and pains au chocolat.

Above: a buttery kouign-amann made with cinnamon, hazelnuts, and, quelle surprise, peanuts

Cinnabliss

The new bun on the block is unmistakably British:

delectable cinnamon knots at a boulangerie-pastry café on a narrow street in the Latin Quarter.

Below: a fresh batch gets a quick egg brush and ready for the oven

Circus Bakery

63 rue Galande 75005

Pain Poilâne

The wood-fired brick ovens at Poilâne's small original Left Bank boulangerie work round the clock turning out thousands of signature rustic loaves daily.