Le Chocdoc Goûte Paris

[Shelby]

Yep, I'm going with frog legs.  YUM

[BonVivant]

 

Hungary is the world's biggest foie gras exporter (to France, specifically). Bulgaria is catching up fast, though.

 

Get some foie, charcuterie and have a little picnic in your room.

[Kerry Beal]

13 hours ago, Darienne said:

 

Yup - frog's legs 

Edited October 27, 2017 by Kerry Beal
again the damn apostrophe (log)

[Kerry Beal]

14 hours ago, Beebs said:

An entire warehouse shelf of fois gras!! Who knew such things existed!! 

 

How did you resist spending an entire month's paycheque in there? Or did you?!?! 

I bought 8 little exopat spatulas, a bottle of G'Vine gin and a bottle of Marie Blizzard apple. @Alleguede bought 8 Matfer blue steel sheet pans European size for making macarons and eclairs at the shop. It took visits to 3 different Metros and those suckers are going to weigh down his suitcase something awful!

[Kerry Beal]

13 hours ago, BonVivant said:

 

Hungary is the world's biggest foie gras exporter (to France, specifically). Bulgaria is catching up fast, though.

 

Get some foie, charcuterie and have a little picnic in your room.

Indeed we will! They also had whole livers in the freezer compartment. 

[Kerry Beal]

Closest thing I can find to a decent sized tea mug in our airbnb - it will do just fine unless something else falls into my hands 

 

 

[curls]

No pics of your rachlette meal?  Hope is was delicious!

[Kim Shook]

I'm already loving this!  Thank you for taking us along!

[Kerry Beal]

6 hours ago, curls said:

No pics of your rachlette meal?  Hope is was delicious!

Not terribly photogenic 

 

 

And no picture of me scraping up all the little crispie bits of cheese off the plate after it had sat under the warmer for a while.

 

[Kerry Beal]

So, what seemed like far too early this am - we headed out by train to Cacao Barry - two things in mind - we were picking up chocolate and cocoa butter for the show and we were dropping off an EZtemper.

 

 

 

 

We spent a little while chatting with the head pastry chef and showing her how the EZtemper works. We didn't have the opportunity to chat with the director as he was away.

 

 

This is the lab where Cacao Barry helps various chefs develop their own private blend of chocolate. Challenging picture to take because it's behind a locked gate and trees!

[Shelby]

5 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

So, what seemed like far too early this am - we headed out by train to Cacao Barry - two things in mind - we were picking up chocolate and cocoa butter for the show and we were dropping off an EZtemper.

 

 

 

 

We spent a little while chatting with the head pastry chef and showing her how the EZtemper works. We didn't have the opportunity to chat with the director as he was away.

 

 

This is the lab where Cacao Barry helps various chefs develop their own private blend of chocolate. Challenging picture to take because it's behind a locked gate and trees!

Kinda like Willy Wonka's factory 

[IowaDee]

I love the first shot showing the exterior of the building. The care that must have been taken to make the amazing patterns with the bricks just  amazes me.  Having done the brick work for our house, I appreciate how precise one has to be or the entire pattern can go to hell quickly. 

 

Edited October 27, 2017 by IowaDee (log)

[Kerry Beal]

After leaving Cacao Barry we took the train back into the city and began our walkabout. I was fortunate in that I didn't have 5 kg of chocolate and two kg of cacao butter in a backpack on my back.

 

A quick run through the Gallerie Lafayette Food court -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then a little walk further in search of lunch - we ran across the Vorwerk store (they make thermomix) - odd to see a store as I thought they only sold through home parties like Tupperware.

 

 

 

 

And of course - couldn't resist a picture of Marks and Sparks.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2017 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Kerry Beal]

It Huiray was still about - he'd be taking the opportunity to abuse @Alleguede for our choice of lunch.

 

 

 

Weird to see a guy pull a great big handful of melted raclette cheese out of a pot and ease it onto the top of a burger.

 

 

 

 

 

Ask for rare - you'll get rare in this country. Just barely warm.

 

 

[Shelby]

5 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

It Huiray was still about - he'd be taking the opportunity to abuse @Alleguede for our choice of lunch.

 

 

 

Weird to see a guy pull a great big handful of melted raclette cheese out of a pot and ease it onto the top of a burger.

 

 

 

 

 

Ask for rare - you'll get rare in this country. Just barely warm.

 

 

Want.

[Kerry Beal]

After lunch - another walkabout (just looked at the app on my phone - apparently I walked 21,441 steps today, 23 floors and 15 km - no bloody wonder my feet are sore) - this time heading to the cookbook store.

 

Saw this on the way - 

 

 

Didn't get any pics in the bookstore - suffice it to say that @Alleguede left with the 7 kg in his back pack and another 7 kg or so on his arm.

[Kerry Beal]

After we made it back home the the Airbnb - we headed out again to the venue for the show with the intent of starting to set up our booth. Of course we spent far longer there than anticipated - but got a chance to see a whole lot of high end chocolatiers hanging around their booths for opening night. Highly over represented by MOFs. I suspect that's the last we'll see of them for the show.

 

 

Lots of posh cars with drivers in the parking area for the special guests - here for the opening night fashion show. 

 

 

 

 

Didn't get a picture yet - but there is a huge (and I mean huge) chocolate fox at the main entrance to the show. Made by the same fellow who makes the smaller chocolate foxes.

 

 

Cheese - but really chocolate. 

 

 

Chocolate Salami.

 

 

Flowers, but really chocolate.

 

 

An adorable little ball roaster (named for it's shape - not what it roasts).

 

 

Tools - also chocolate.

 

 

 

 

 

You've heard of Piecaken - this is Macmatchacaken.

 

 

Huge number of Japanese chocolatiers this year - this must be a favourite - he had a huge fan club.

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate World was kind enough to bring me two melters to use for the show so that we don't have to head back out to Cacao Barry to drop back off a melter that looked like it would weigh about 20 kg. We had a lovely chat with Ran from Chocolate World and took the opportunity to check out a new piece of bean to bar equipment they are starting to manufacture. It's two in one - has a very powerful melanger/conche and is also a large automatic tempering machine. It is a work in progress right now - they will likely change it from a drop in to a few pieces that are assembled right in the bowl of the temperer. Then after the 6 hour or so processing - you can remove the stones and scraper and turn the machine to temper the 20 kg or so of chocolate you have made. The first picture is of their unit that takes the nibs and turns them into a paste that you then process.

 

I've got somebody in mind for this machine. Suspect it might be just the thing for their startup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2017 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Pretty tired by the time we left the show - our plans to pick up a baguette and some foie foiled by the late hour. @Alleguede grew up in Paris and misses the Chinese food served here - he says it's far better than the Canadian version. I suspect it's the liberal use of peanut oil that makes it so much better.

 

Random hole in the wall restaurant close to our digs.

 

 

Shrimp chips - very tasty.

 

 

Fried rolls served with mint and lettuce.

 

 

 

 

 

Dumplings.

 

 

Chow Mein

 

 

Noodles.

 

 

Chicken with ?

 

 

Wine for me - Coke for @Alleguede

 

A satisfactory late night dinner.

 

[suzilightning]

2 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

 

Didn't get any pics in the bookstore - suffice it to say that @Alleguede left with the 7 kg in his back pack and another 7 kg or so on his arm.

uh.....would it be cheaper to send all the booty home via some way than pay the airlines?  don't know...just asking

[lindag]

Swoon.....

[Kim Shook]

Dear God, those eclairs.....thunk!  

[quiet1]

9 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Not terribly photogenic 

 

 

And no picture of me scraping up all the little crispie bits of cheese off the plate after it had sat under the warmer for a while.

 

 

What meats did you have with the raclette? My SO loves the stuff but he's only ever had it in Europe when with vegetarians and when he was vegetarian himself so he doesn't know what else is typical and last I googled I mostly found ideas from people who seem to have no idea about how it is traditionally consumed.

[Kerry Beal]

2 hours ago, quiet1 said:

 

What meats did you have with the raclette? My SO loves the stuff but he's only ever had it in Europe when with vegetarians and when he was vegetarian himself so he doesn't know what else is typical and last I googled I mostly found ideas from people who seem to have no idea about how it is traditionally consumed.

Just a combination of charcuterie - there was salami, a couple of types of ham. Nothing terribly high end or exciting but played off nicely with the salt against the potatoes.

[Kerry Beal]

8 hours ago, suzilightning said:

uh.....would it be cheaper to send all the booty home via some way than pay the airlines?  don't know...just asking

Nope - cheaper to buy another suitcase and spread the booty out I'd say if a suitcase will be too heavy. We can have 2 suitcases each - overweight allowed up to a point. So he could reorganize into two larger, not check his carryon size bag for the return. 

 

One way or the other we'll leave the EZtempers here so I'll have one smaller empty bag as well. I'm sure it won't be empty after we visit the professional kitchen stores today.

[Shelby]

Question:  What is a MOF?

 

Oh those fox chocolates and the chocolate flower bouquets are killer!