Stephanie Wallace

I hope you have a wonderful time! If you have any questions about patissiers/chocolatiers, feel free to ask. Filipe: I had his yuzu tarte. It was amazing! It was the first time I'd eaten yuzu and now I'm filled with ideas for flavor combinations.

Also worth noting: Pain de Sucre is the only non-restaurant entity that carries chocolates by Jacques Genin.

He did.

Looks like we were both in Paris at the same time; did you try any of the other Ispahan preparations?

You hit it Patrick, crushed caramelized puff pastry. I just polished off the remainder of two single origin bars from Patrick Roger.

Thanks for the praise, people! As to the Japan/France discussion, while I think my experience with only one Japanese patissier is too limiting to comment, I will say that Aoki's work is exceptionally light and very well balanced, while still being slightly too sweet. And Poppy, Pain de Sucre is about a block and a half east of the Pompidou on Rambuteau.

Two weeks of desserts in Paris, posted in the France forum. I've got to move there. (Here is a pic of Sadaharu Aoki's perfect millefeuille.)

Just got back from two weeks in France. I didn't waste a single opportunity to eat dessert. Forgive me if I cannot remember a lot of the names. Sadaharu Aoki: Lemon mousse dome with crunchy praline filling. Macha mousse dome with red bean paste. Cassis. Chocolate sponge with blackcurrant and walnut. A truly transcendent millefeuille. This is where Aoki really shines. Laminated dough with macha and red bean paste; like a cinnamon roll. Patrick Roger: I was blown away by Roger. His bon bons are balanced exquisitely and made with any of his 25 single origin chocolates. Incredible. Storefront in Sceaux, France. A sculpture in his Paris shop. And, of course, his bon bons. Pierre Hermé: Macarons. Pistache et Griottine, Huile D'olive and Plénitude (chocolate caramel). Genoise with pineapple and caramelized fruits. Ispahan Festival! Dirty marketing ploy? Sure. But trying the Ispahan in so many forms was still a lot of fun. Pain de Sucre: Recently opened by Didier Mathray and Nathalie Robert. Probably my favorite patisserie in the city. Krac Krac. Pistachio/almond cream with grapefruit and crushed pistachios. An amazing lemon tart. Something I almost always find cloying, this was incredibly light, with a filling that turned to liquid the instant it entered your mouth.

I'm all for it! ← I second that. Tell us, tell us!

Eggs can be left out safely for weeks.

Dude, thank you so much for this demo. I am completely sold. As soon as my bank account agrees I am investing in the necessary equipment.

Lovely! Those raspberries look huge.

The Chinese New Year collection from L.A. Burdick arrived at my house yesterday. So far I have tasted the Lapsang Souchong and Cashew Sesame. The smoky Lapsang aroma was incredible!

This can't be missed, from Chocolate & Zucchini. A report from a "molecular gastronomy" seminar in which Hervé This discusses the physical characteristics of the macaron, and the chemical properties that determine them. Any francophones want to translate this for us? HTML version

The sheen on that hazlenut/white truffle macaron is gorgeous. The Kouign-Aman from the book are very similar to those in the shop. He doesn't suggest it in the book, but use salted butter.

That looks like the "Mille Feuille 2000." Delicious. Herme's Kouign-Aman are incredible. I ate one almost every day during a two-week trip: (I used his recipe in "La Patisserie...")

It is a classic Breton pastry; a basic laminated dough with lots of butter and layers of caster sugar. The secret is using the highest quality salted butter you can find.

Herme's Kouing-Aman for dinner and dessert. Now I need to get some sleep... ...so I can get up and eat some more for breakfast.

Wow, Filipe. I am very excited to try these. I can imagine using them in all kinds of unusual ways.

No; I should rephrase: I used the proportions in la patisserie, and Nicole's method. (Which is actually Herme's method in the shop)

I used Herme's (la patisserie) recipe and nicolekaplans technique. Incredibly happy with the results. The buttercream itself is not flavored, the insides are basted with syrup boiled with ginger and cinnamon.

Cinnamon-Ginger Macarons. Lots of them. That's not crazy at all! Whether music, film or food (especially food) I live by this philosophy. Variety truly is the spice of life. </cliché>

I'd be wary of keeping a piece of equipment with which you've already experienced a few small flaws just because it fits with your color scheme. It's nice to have it in your kitchen, but the functionality is much more important. The new mixer may begin to aggravate the hell out of you after a while.

Apple-cardamon cake with walnuts and a scoop of 5-spice ice cream.

I must respectfully disagree. One of the most important things you have to remember when tasting chocolates is that you cannot simply compare brand v. brand; manufacturers like Valrhona or Bonnat make a range of bars that taste nothing like each other. One of the most exciting things about chocolate--like wine--is variety. There are so many different bars with so many subtle (or not so subtle) nuances that are not necessarily better or worse than one another. They all have strong characteristics that make them useful in certain scenarios. As far as tasting, I would recommend looking at a site with reviews, like seventypercent.com, and comparing them with your own reactions. As soon as you have an idea of what to look for, begin tasting before reading others' opinions (the power of suggestion is strong). You might want to try comparing Valrhona's Manjari and Caraibe just to see how different one company's chocolates can be. It's an epiphanous moment.