Le Pain Rustic

Ever since I arrived back in Melbourne, I have been craving for some good ol' rustic french bread just like the ones I buy in Paris every second day from Boulangerie Julien or Eric Kayser down in the 5eme arr. opposite the entrance of Rue Cardinal Lemoine, on Blvd. Saint Germain. Chewy, densey, filled with mix nuts, cranberries and apricots, they sometimes they call it le mixte, le fruits or just a small dollop of goodness for me. I love it as an after-lunch snack, healthy yet still sweet and quite filling with a cup of black coffee. So rather than doing an hour trip to Phillipa's on High Street everyday to get a good brown bread, I thought I should give a hand at making my own bread at home, another plus when you have lots of free time in the afternoon (cough*). So this week, I'm up to my third batch, and getting seriously addicted to it!

Can't wait to have my homemade bread in the morning! So this batch is filled with lots of cranberries, almonds, pumpkin seeds and a few other nameless nuts and sweet raisins. I used self-raising wholemeal flour and a few tablespoons of honey.

My favorite part is always when I'm shifting the wholemeal flour with tiny amounts of water and milk combined, and seeing the whole transformation of paste becoming a small dough in my sticky hands. I can't get enough it! It's quite therapeutic, especially when Desperate Housewives is on!

Stuffed with mixed nuts and cranberries. Really yum with yogurt, or toasted with a smear of honey or jam. A sweet tartine for breakfast.

A similar recipe I found which includes more of the necessary ingredients like yeast and salt can be followed as below (makes one big loaf)

3 1/2 cups of self raising wholemeal flour
1 cups of water
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons of honey
1 cup of trail mix with lots of cranberries

Mixed the flour with little bits of water and milk, knead and add all the ingredients gradually. Once it becomes a dough, leave at room temperature for 1 hour for it to rise (cover with a damp cloth) Add the trail mix at the end, make into a round shape and slice two thin lines at the top. Bake at 200 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. Make sure the insides are baked evenly before you take it out.

Lady Macaron

French macaroons at a local boulangerie at Rue de Sevres near Le Bon Marché in the 7eme arr.

Did you know that french Macaroons are slowly making it's mark outside of France? and I have a
feeling it will have similar-like effect of the cupcake phenomena when it first entered the New York scene and burst like waterfalls to every bakery and cake shops around the world. Little did anyone know outside of Paris, what is a french macaroon. Most of you reading this would probably already know what is the true french macaroons and how it actually look like (the image above is a giver) however for a minuscule of you who come across this article by sheer accident, here is a petit l'introduction to the differences of the macaroons you grew up eating - to the french version that for many le boulanger and I will tell you that this little gem is the true flag of France.

Like everyone else, I grew up with this version:
a cracky surface with a chewy texture made from egg whites, sugar and ground almonds. When I was growing up in Jakarta, I blurry remember eating them for the first time as a gift from someone who just came back overseas. I loved it instantly, from the sweet perfumy aroma from the almonds to the way it blends perfectly over a cup of hot milk. This version is called amaretti, originally from Italy and thought to have been made by the Italian monastery way before the 16th century.

The french version...is famously created by no other than Pierre Desfontaines Ladurée in the beginning of the 20th century. Today, Ladurée sells up to 16,000 macaroons each day from their three green painted salons, my favourite one is at Rue Bonaparte and my heart smiles each time I passed it on my way home. With more than 20 flavors and a new one added each month to last only for a couple of weeks until sold out, Ladurée is the true maker of french macaroons.

When I was in Paris, I had the fortunate chance to try many macaroons from different establishments, from the ones at Four Season where the serveuse secretly admitted that they were inferior to Ladurée's. And the different versions at countless local boulangeries in different arrondissements. Each one is beautifully tasty, I remember the rosé flavored macaroon from Jules Verne up above La Tour Eiffel that was uniquely rare in taste and aroma.

www.ladurée.fr

Of course no trip to Paris is ever fully complete without a visit to one of Ladurée salons. It is an experience even just to wait patiently at the long queues of tourists and french people alike waiting for their turn to be serve, and then goes the next daunting task of choosing which flavors you're after. Try the classic ones first if you're confuse, I always go for caramel with a salty after-taste from the au beurre salé, then for your next visits roll out your tonque with framboise, citron and fleur d’Oranger.

I have not seen any french macaroon here in Melbourne since I arrived. However if any of you have spotted these delicious diamonds around town, always leave a comment! Thank you

Cheeky Montmartre Boulangerie

Is that picture right? did I miss something? why is he headless? Wait a sec...what's his hand doing in there....???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The things you can only find in Montmartre and not anywhere else in Paris. HA-HA-HA. A very cute artisanal boulangerie in Rue des Martyrs, 9eme arrodissement, the end of the 18eme. Opened by Didier Lavry, diplômé de la grande école de l'I.N.B.P. (Institut National de Boulangerie Pâtisserie) which is like the university to learn how to bake and make beautiful cakes :O