Throwback Thursday - Black Forest #3

 

 

So good it deserved a post of its own.

 

 Above: fizzy cocktail of freshly-squeezed orange juice, Cointreau, Schweppes topped w/vanilla ice cream and house Schlag at a cozy Gasthaus restaurant, good enough to be a dessert, to share

 

PARIS - STRASBOURG

3 hours (or less) from Paris

 

Recommended: train/drive 

Train (1-hr 45 min) + car rental at station (45-min drive into Black Forest region)

Mocha Monday

A trio of mini desserts: a Mother's Day Café Gourmand

Above: an espresso takes a back seat to crème brûlée, a crumbly pastry, a scoop of salted butter caramel ice cream

***

For those with a sweet tooth the Café Gourmand, often mistakenly passed over as "gourmet coffee," is a welcome sight on any menu. It's that delightful after-meal espresso served with at least three mini desserts (posing as one). A unique French coffee-plus-sucré pairing concept, it's perfect for sharing, or just sampling some of the day’s desserts without going overboard. - BPJ

 ***

Fête des Mères / Mother's Day in France 2025:

Sunday May 25

🌹

 

Stollen moments

 

Stollen, the traditional German Christmas cake that originated in Dresden in 1329 as a result of a baking contest, is now considered French in France as it became a specialty of Alsace, a region that once belonged to Germany. During the holidays it can be spotted in boulangeries and pâtisseries everywhere, as it is here, direct from Alsace and usually displayed on bakery countertops.

 

 When I was growing up, along with mouth-watering poppyseed and apple strudels, Stollen was one of my mother's holiday specialties, covered in finely powdered sugar that resembled snow. It is sometimes called the French panettone, that cherished holiday import from Italy, also studded with candied fruits and nuts, and leftovers, if there are any, will show up on the breakfast table or at tea time. - BPJ

 

Caramel crunch

Indescribable apple dessert topped with caramel au beurre salé ice cream, fait maison.

 Merci Jean-Christophe!

Saturday sweets

 Dessert anyone? 

A waiter tempts with "a little something" to go with our coffee.

Pastry perfect

Perfect pastry on a perfect afternoon.

National Cream Puff Day

 

In case you hadn't heard...

 

Once again, it's National Cream Puff Day in France.

 

 Above: profiteroles, one of the most cherished desserts of la cuisine française

Champagne on the side

At a local café a waiter serves up an espresso, dessert du jour, and champagne.

Pistachios please

Pistachio-heavy vanilla cream tartes.

Coffee gourmand

Coffee and a sampler of desserts.

Profiterole

A  profiterole filled with vanilla ice cream tops off a terrace lunch.

Restaurant Le Vauban

7 Place Vauban 75007

Paris-Brest

This version of the classic buttercream pastry is loaded with crushed hazelnuts.

Yann Couvreur Pâtisserie
23bis rue des Rosiers 75004

 

Also:

81 rue Caulaincourt 75018 

French toasts

Unless it's an Anglo eatery, in France, French Toast will appear in the dessert section of the menu as pain perdu - "lost bread" - and is not served as breakfast.

Above: bistrot versions of pain perdu as lunch and dinner desserts:

1) creatively rounded into a "cake" form with a layer of tart rhubarb inside

2) lusciously caramelized and served with vanilla ice cream
(click to enlarge)

Below: breakfast / brunch French toasts at Franco-Australian Hardware Société, Montmartre
 

Where to find these and more in upcoming October newsletter

Digging in

Raspberry heaven: an entremet framboise vanille as it disappears.

Dessert art

Ball of coconut cream atop passion fruit sponge cake.

Cracking good

Croquante and enormous, these shiny meringues are just begging to be taken home.

Almond meringues

Huge snow white meringues topped with almonds are ready to be hacked into pieces and passed around to eager children or, for the grown ups, as an accompaniment to after-dinner espressos.