Louisa Chu

That's totally cool David! Our experiences are just different. Maybe my perspective is skewed because I'm dealing with mostly school, restaurant and media people - who are just not normal people anywhere.

Yes, have not heard good things about Constant. Sucked? Oh I like that. I haven't used that since high school. And to answer the inevitable eternal question, no it's not Violon d'Ingres chef/owner Christian Constant - it's another Christian Constant. Different guys, no relation.

Not really. Most everyone will be back to work or school even just for the day before the weekend.

Not yet. Michel Chaudun 149 RUE DE L'UNIVERSITE 75007 PARIS 01 47 53 74 40

When you use the soaking liquid - and I also highly suggest you do - take care to leave the sediment or even filter it through a paper coffee filter. And yes, use in Chinese dishes or as you would in any as a wild mushroom. Would you happen to remember how much you paid at Costco? And how much did you get? Just amazing what they have there!

From the aforementioned feuilletage: "He has hired five dim sum experts from a Chinatown restaurant 'on Elizabeth Street' that neither Mr. Vongerichten nor the cooks will name, and an eight-man wok team, also from Chinatown, who also prefer not to talk about their previous employment." Why do you suppose? The secrecy I mean.

The praline rose however is a completely different thing. It is in fact a vibrantly pink sugared almond, bumpy surface and are the origin of what I knew as a kid in the States as French burnt peanuts. It is a very distinctive colour in the French psyche.

In French patisserie praline is a smooth paste made with sugar, water and either hazelnuts and almonds, almonds only or hazelnuts only. It's medium caramel brown, thick, smooth, shiny and tastes a bit like a very sweet peanut butter on its own. It's a staple item that's almost always purchased premade. It's used as a flavouring for everything from chocolate fillings to pastry creams. We've never made it but a chef did in demo - mostly to show us how even an experienced pastry chef cannot achieve the same perfectly smooth consistency. Here's are two recipes. PRALINE 50% 500 g sugar 200 ml water EITHER 250 g skinned hazelnuts and 250 g blanched almonds OR 500 g almonds PRALINE 30% 500 g sugar 100 ml water 300 g hazelnuts Cook sugar and water to 110C. Add nuts. Crystallize then stir until caramel forms and nuts are coloured. Spread immediately to well oiled plaque and cool. Add food processor and grind well.

Here's what we made at Cordon Bleu. We're given ingredients only and then we write our own recipes. It was in my shorthand and I've tried to clarify but please feel free to let me know if you need further explanations. The macarons are best baked in a conventional - not convection - oven. Prop the oven door open a few inches during baking to release steam. If you must use a convection oven, then preheat the oven to 180C then immediately reduce the temp to 160C at baking. MACARON ANIS-FRAMBOISES RASBERRY FILLED MACAROONS WITH ANISE FLAVOURED PASTRY CREAM Macaroon 300 g powdered sugar 180 g ground almonds 150 g egg whites 30 g sugar Bake at 160°C Pastry cream 250 ml milk 3 egg yolks 60 g sugar 12 g flour 12 g cornstarch Light anise cream 250 g pastry cream 3 gelatin leaves 15 ml Pastis (aniseed flavoured drink) 250 ml whipping cream Rasberry coulis 500 g raspberry purée 75 g powdered sugar lemon juice Finish fresh raspberries Prep bag with medium tip and magnets. Tami ground almonds then weigh and add to large bowl. Sift powdered sugar then add, whisk to uniform then turn to papered plaque. Mount whites, add sugar and seal. Add red food colouring to pale raspberry pink and whisk uniform. Have partner fold paper lengthwise then gradually add almonds and powdered sugar to whites while folding well with spatula. Have partner turn paper over and magnet corners. Seal and work to fluid and shiny. Scraper sides down then over. Pipe from top, about 3 cm, sealing point to side, staggered rows. Bake about 15 minutes. Remove plaque from oven and pour some cold water under paper, rest several minutes then metal scraper off carefully, cleaning scraper often, to papered grill, face down. Set aside to dry. Pastry cream. Soak gelatin leaves. Just boil milk with half of sugar. Blanche yolks with remaining half of sugar, then add flour and cornstarch. Add some boiling milk to yolks and whisk well, then whisk all back to pot and cook. Turn out to clean bowl. Light anise cream. Measure out warm pastry cream then add squeezed gel leaves and whisk smooth. Add pastis, whisk smooth and set aside. Whip cream, whisk in then set aside. Coulis. Add some purée to small pot, add sugar and heat to melt sugar. Add all back to remaining purée in bowl, add lemon juice to taste, whisk smooth then chill. Plate. Pair macaron top and bottom. Pipe some cream to plate, stick bottom, pipe center spiral, no cream showing from side. Place best raspberries around at edge, then fill center. Place macaroon top. Deco plate with coulis.

kit, sorry because I should have done this first but I just re-read delight's recipe more carefully and I'm sorry but this will not make the macarons that I was thinking of - the French macarons that one sees classically at Laduree. So I cannot answer your question as I'm not quite sure what these should be like. If you'd like a recipe for the kind of macarons pictured here at the Laduree site, then please let me know and I'll post it.

Lesley, you're right, I'm wrong, there is another store. But in my own defense, it's not quite exactly right across the street. It is in fact on the other side of the street, but La Motte Picquet is one of those really wide busy Parisian streets with those little parking lanes on the side and the shop's up a bit towards Ecole Militaire - right across from the end of Rue Cler actually. I stopped in both shops with classmates yesterday - to try the cheese chocolates but sadly they were sold out. Camembert, chevre, roquefort and another with cumin. They're sold as aperitifs - a box of 16 for about 13 euros, about a centimeter square - they had a display box. I don't know that I was more impressed with this shop - except that it had a larger selection as well as some patisserie items - nor with the chocolates there as most of the ones I would have selected personally would have been the same ones that cabrales and I tried together from their pre-boxed set. I did try their macarons - chocolate orange and chocolate caramel - which were all quite perfect, beautiful cocoa colour, had a very nice toothsomeness, not too sweet, rich bitter chocolate flavour and the orange one a bit of candied orange in the center which was a nice surprise and taste and textural contrast. The one patisserie item we tried - a pyramide of chocolate genoise and layered with chocolate buttercream - I thought was a bit less successful. I think the genoise could have benefitted from some liberal imbibing - liquored or not - and the buttercream not quite as supple as I think it could have been, a bit stiff actually. But the chocolate flavours and technique all impeccable. I still prefer the tactile experience of the Ter store. We went immediately after and it was just so much fun to freely pick up a macaron - cello bagged - and look at it. Same with the truffles and other assorted chocolates. And the quality was identical. Though now that I think about it I think the macaron I bought at Ter may have been about 20 centimes more. Passing on that packaging cost I guess. They said that they will soon carry the regional patisseries there as promised but can't say when. 23 avenue de la Motte-Picquet 75007 Paris 01 45 51 77 48

Unfortunately nothing - throw it out and start again. We just made macarons on Wednesday and our chefs explained that there's really nothing that can be done with a macaron batter that's fallen - and that this happens all the time in professional kitchens as well. Also if macarons crack while baking there's nothing that can be done then either - just eat them. The consistency of your batter when you pipe it should be that of magma - is how the chef described it - thick but fluid. I'm curious as to how this recipe will turn out because I can't see how the cracked praline will work with such a delicate batter. Please let me know.

You've read the comments here. Why do you believe you're judged so harshly? And how does it affect your work?

Agreed that Barthelemy has a bigger selection but I don't think necessarily better. They tend to have a little too much of the cute cheese for my taste - tiny chevres with herbs etc. - that I think are best left for people who don't really like cheese. Plus I find their storage a little on the cold side - not everything needs to be in refrigerated cases but they are. As for Cantin, sorry about the bad experiences but I really don't think they're out to stick the Americans - not even the tourists. I've found them all to be exceptionally generous with their time, willing to answer a lot of questions - even when I've said I'm not buying anything that day - even when I come back time and time again to buy a only a few euros worth of cheese. Plus their display wins over Barthelemy hands down - rustic yet refined - and I think with cheeses to merit the presentation. I like Barthelemy and their homey, welcoming cheese ladies and do find Madame Cantin and her staff not as warm but very good to talk cheese with nonetheless. Have not yet tried Alleosse - all the way up in the 17th! Alleosse 20 RUE CLAIRAUT 75017 PARIS 01 42 29 39 36

Well...just barely... And that's what Ziplocs are for. But really, I'm so shocked. They're usually impeccable there. Have you been back? You should mention it.

Simon, you're welcome. That's what we're here for. Bux, interesting about the Chinese takeout boxes because as you know they have no idea what they are here in Europe - except from the movies. Here they use small aluminum pans with heat sealed film to cover.

Thanks so much for all the info. And I want to hear about that dinner too!

lizziee, cabby, et al - generally speaking how much/often/at all do the etoiles counsel you in terms of ordering? So you try all the signature dishes, seasonal specials, but not too much at once that's too similar in terms of taste and texture?

fresh_a, sadly agree about the lack of good burgers. Good meat, bread and cheese - you'd think we have all the elements needed. Thanks to you and David for the tips. Devez 5 PLACE DE L'ALMA 75008 PARIS 01 53 67 97 53 Coffee Parisien 4 RUE PRINCESSE 75006 PARIS 01 43 54 18 18 More accessible options than Disney - though perhaps not better.

How sad. I guess that's how things are all the way over in the 6th. Why didn't you take the Reblochon back to M. Cantin?

Is this a one man op? Great concept but it's amazing that he's making a profit - enough to support a catering business. Or is it something of a preview/marketing for it. In any case the dish shown looks beautiful and sounds like some interesting flavour explorations - like the white pepper sorbet.

Peter, not peevish at all. In fact I find it quite disturbing. And no, no, no, no way do the French not pay attention to this course. It is the most elemental of French cuisine - one of the holy trinity along with wine and bread. I just have no idea. I could better understand a misstep with a truffle dish than with an entire cheese cart. Restaurants at that level take their cheese very seriously in terms of selection, storage, service - I don't know for certain but I would bet big euros that Taillevant has a dedicated cheese refrigerator. I think it would merit contacting your concierge. One of the things that frightens me about moving back to the States is losing access to my cheese. Marie Anne Cantin is right around the corner from me - about a 5 minute walk - and Barthelemy, on my street but a brisk 15 minute walk away. To at will walk to Madame Cantin's for just a few euros worth of sublime cheese is a luxury I feverishly cherish. But I have to disagree that your cheese course is likely best at the etoiles. Direct from the best affineurs I think is best. Perhaps not the best in ambiance but I think the best purely in terms of the cheese.

Interesting ethnocentric perspective. I just had a discussion with one of my chefs after asking him a related question - he was most recently the pastry chef at La Tour d'Argent - widely acclaimed, etc. He was garnishing a Jamaique - or Jamaica cake, chocolate genoise with a layer of coconut mousse and then another layer of passion fruit and mango mousse - which is the first plated dessert that I've done so far. As he was selecting the fruit for the garnishes he was commenting about how some of them he's never eaten in France because of their poor quality. I asked him if in France the clients know not to eat garnishes. He said yes, in fact, they usually do know not to eat garnishes - at least for patisserie items, not necessarily restaurant plated desserts of course where clients usually eat everything. Having grown up in the States I always thought all garnishes were edible and in fact representative of the quality of the patissier. Not so in France apparently.

So Simon it was one of those amicable divorces I see. And herblau and eddie, I know that's generally true in the States - being Chinese and of a restaurant family and a veteran of infinite horizons of egg rolls myself - but I know for a fact that some of the little Asian traiteurs here in Paris buy their stuff mass produced. Don't know about Simon's Glaswegian takeaway of choice of course. Are you sure it wasn't some kind of delicacy they were trying to cheer you with? Like those mice fattened in jars?

Yes, I had lots of the same - Cold Stone Creamery, Maggiemoo's - also in SLC last year - where they eat a seemingly inordinate amount of ice cream for such a cold climate - some say it's in reponse to all their other religious dietary restrictions. Quite good if not a bit pricey for but a good show nonetheless. All around the States now. As for the dots, not bad, interesting sensation on the tongue, reminds me a bit of powdered sugar in how it quickly disappears, but not that good to me either. Geez, McDonald's. And here we all scoffed.