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Angelina June 15, 2015 france

Trip to Paris – Champs Elysees and Tuileries Walk

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On our third day in Paris we spent most of the day shopping and dining.

We started our day off with breakfast at Laduree. We had breakfast in their tea room at their Champs Elysees location. You can read the full blogpost about it here.

Laduree Paris

Laduree Paris treats

After our filling breakfast, we went to the Louis Vuitton store headquarters. We spent quite some time there staring at all of the pretty purses, shoes, and accessories. I mean, after all, it IS 5 stories tall!

Peonies & Orange Blossoms buys a LV in Paris! Ooh la la!

I was SO excited to buy a LV in Paris that I had to have a picture! I don’t normally share pictures of myself, but I couldn’t resist! I wrote a blogpost about buying a LV in Paris and the fact that it IS cheaper to purchase there. Definitely a total splurge but I will have it forever!

We then strolled along the boulevard and eventually climbed up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

Oh, and my Dad told me this story when we were walking along the Champs Elysees. He was there one day in August in the 90s and there were all of these people lined up and there was a finish line… for something. So then all of the sudden this bicyclist comes rushing through and crosses the finish line first and… no one cheered. He thought it was SO ODD, why was no one cheering? Then another crosses, then another. Only to be met with silence. Then all of the sudden, everyone starts yelling and cheering at someone wearing a yellow jersey who was clearly not the first to cross the finish line. And the yellow jersey was the winner!! He thought to himself, what a typical French sport, where the one in front is not the winner. Turns out he was watching the end of the Tour de France!! This was before us Americans really knew about the Tour made famous by Lance Armstrong. How funny!

Don’t you just love the view from up here?? This was at the top of the Arc de Triomphe. I love the beautiful Spring green of all of the trees.

One of my favorite things to do is to stand on the top of the Arc de Triomphe and watch the cars go around in the giant traffic circle below. It’s amazing that no one gets hit. Every once in a while you can find the same car going in circles ’cause they can’t figure out which way they’re going!

Paris Metro

We then strolled along the tuileries garden. We crossed over the Locks of Love bridge. We didn’t add any lock. Apparently the French just cut off all of the locks and won’t be allowing people to put locks on the bridge anymore due to the weight of the locks on the structure of the bridge.

We then went to the Tuileries. The Tuileries garden was so pretty. The tulips were still blooming, the trees were still blooming, and then the other trees had just put on their green leaves! My friend had gone 10 days before and the trees were just blooming and none of them had leaves! Paris at the end of April is beautiful!

I just love how manicured the trees are… all perfectly cut into rectangles.

When people ask me, “What is your favorite thing to do in Paris?” My answer is not “visit the Eiffel” or do other touristy things, it is instead: Pick up a pastry at Angelina’s and walk over to the Tuileries and have a little picnic and eat it. The gardens are so beautiful and it is so much fun to just people watch. It’s really about just enjoying life. Isn’t that what vacation is about?

okay, not a pastry from Angelina’s but from Laduree. Angelina’s didn’t last long enough for a picture!

That concludes day 3 of our Trip to Paris!!

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Angelina June 8, 2015 france

Paris Trip – Walking in St. Germain des Pres and The Eiffel Tower

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On the second day of the Paris trip, we woke up at 3am. Yeah, whoops. Jet-lag is not fun. So naturally, we were up early and ready to go see the Eiffel Tower.

Paris Trip Day 2 Review

view of the Eiffel tower from the Place du Trocadero

Unfortunately we did not know that early in the morning the sun shines directly into the camera at this view of the Eiffel Tower. The BEST place to take a picture of the Eiffel Tower is at the Place du Trocadero. You can take Metro line 6 or 9 and get off at Trocadero. Follow the signs from the metro to “Tour Eiffel”… and voila! It is approximately a 5 minute walk to this view.

Obviously this was the best place to take Eiffel Tower pictures, as we saw 2 bride and groom couples taking pictures here. How romantic!

On this trip we did not go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. There is a long line even when it opens early in the morning. I have a phobia of heights and wasn’t too fond of going to the top again, and it wasn’t a must for my husband. So we saved the extra Euros (ha, to use on my purse!)

The Eiffel Tower from below

From the Eiffel Tower, we headed to St. Germain. We stopped at the Cluny Museum (now called the Museum of Middle Ages) which is a medieval museum in St. Germain. We sat and enjoyed the famous Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. The tapestries were made around 1500.

Lady and the Unicorn tapestries

They were SO beautiful. What you can’t see in the pictures is actually how much they shimmer with the metallic thread that was used. I highly recommend going to see them if you’re into textiles… the museum entrance fee is included in your museum pass.

There were some other tapestries too, like this one with sheep! Love it!

After that museum, we strolled and shopped along the streets of St. Germain de Pres. We saw this pretty hand carved wooden door with angels and fruit. How fancy!

The streets of St. Germain de Pres were so much fun to walk around on. We saw pretty buildings and cafes, such as the Cafe de Flore below. We did not eat here as it was $$$, however I’m sure it would be fun! Next time I go, I would probably want to stay in St. Germain de Pres. Or at the Ritz. ha!

We went to Pierre Herme, which I already blogged about. Did I mention that I LOVED the rose ispahan croissant and that you need to try one? Oh I did? okay I’ll stop. for now.

macarons at Pierre Herme

Once we picked up our pastries, we walked to the nearest square which had this beautiful old fountain. We sat here for about an hour or so and enjoyed our treats.

Oh, I HIGHLY recommend bringing plastic utensils in your bag so you can enjoy your treats in a park like this. Otherwise you’ll have one big mess on your hands!

We walked by famous stores, like the oldest chocolatier in paris, A La Mer de Famille! We did not buy anything here as we were already full from Pierre Herme! This chocolate store was super cute though!

Other places in St. Germain de Pres area that we shopped at were… Herve Chapelier, Le Bon Marche, Faconnable, La Maison du Chocolat, Louis Vuitton, Pierre Herme. We walked by Le Jacquard Francais but did not buy anything.

For lunch, we bought sandwiches at Le Grand Epicurie which is next to Le Bon Marche. We then sat in this cute park and had a picnic enjoying the flowers and watching the pigeons and people.

We decided to check out the Palais Garnier (the Paris Opera House). Despite going to Paris five times, we had never set foot inside the opera! We decided to check it out this time! And WHOA. It was beautiful. The great part is is that they use it still for productions today. We thought about getting tickets to a show but did not. How much fun would that be??

I felt like the Phantom was going to come out from behind a wall and start singing in this place… (If you did not know, the Phantom of the Opera was inspired by this opera house!)

After that, we crossed the street to go to Galleries Lafayette and Printemps. Honestly, Galleries Lafayette was a hot mess. SO MANY PEOPLE. While they did have some reasonably priced scarves, it was so crowded we were over-it and left. Printemps was much less crowded and we enjoyed something to drink in one of their cafes. But after a long day of sightseeing, we were pooped.

We eventually made it back near our temporary home… walking down pretty streets like the one below…

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Angelina June 3, 2015 france

Paris Trip – Walking the Il de la Cite

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As you know, I went to Paris this Spring. And now I’m finally blogging about it. First I blogged about my experience at Laduree. Then I blogged about Pierre Herme. Now I’m going to start blogging about my sightseeing experiences during the trip. You know I first had to write about macarons though, so now that that’s out of my system…. onto Day 1.

The first day in Paris was what I call zombie-day. Zombie day is when you get off the 12 hour plane flight (if you’re flying from the West Coast), go to your hotel, shower, and walk around the city like azombie because you’re so tired and jet-lagged.

Well, walk we did!!

First up, we headed to St. Chapelle, which is the most beautiful church ever. It was built from 1239 to 1248 for one of the King Louis. St. Chapelle cathedral is located on the Il de la Cite, just down the way from Notre Dame.

What’s amazing about this church is the beautiful stained glass that seemingly reaches to the heavens.

What’s amazing is that the stained glass is original and has survived through all of these years!!

On our way to Notre Dame cathedral we tried to go to the Marche aux Fleurs (the flower market), but on Sundays it turns into an aviary. We did find some flowers though…

An art nouveau metropolitan sign…

Next, we waited in line to see Notre Dame Cathedral. I don’t have a picture of the front of the cathedral- you all know what it looks like.

To enter the cathedral, you pass by these *massive* doors. How beautiful is the scrolling ironwork on them??

… and then you see this sight. Whoa. Hard to believe that this was built starting in the 1100s. It was built form 1163 to 1345. Almost 200 years!

People still attend mass weekly in this cathedral. I would too if I lived nearby! It is so amazing.

Everyone always talks about the Rose Window, which is pictured below. But frankly, I think the stained glass of St. Chapelle is prettier and you can see it better. The Rose Window is situated really high up so you can barely make out any scenes on it!

After our tour of Notre Dame, we strolled along the Seine River. It was such a beautiful day.

We then headed over to Ile St Louis to famous ice cream maker, Berthillon. Waited in a long line there but it was worth it! I’ll blog about it later.

We walked down these cute little crowded streets, trying to stay awake and enjoy the scenery. My favorite thing to do in Paris is to take a stroll, get a pastry, and sit in a park and people watch. C’est la vie!

And that concludes our first day in Paris! We followed this self-guided walking tour. In Summary, it was a short day because we only had the afternoon to explore. We headed to the heart of the city and visited St. Chapelle cathedral and Notre Dame cathedral. Both of these are must-visit. Notre Dame is free admission and St. Chapelle is available through the Museum Pass (which I recommend). We then strolled along the Seine, enjoyed world-famous Berthillon ice cream, then called it a night… and woke up at 3am the next day. Whoops!

Notre Dame with the River Seine

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Angelina June 1, 2015 france

Pierre Herme Macarons Review

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As you all know, I have a love for macarons. Naturally, on my trip to Paris, one of my main missions was macaron tasting.

Before I left, I read loads and loads of reviews of Pierre Hermé macarons and pastries. Imagine my excitement when I finally made it to the patisserie!

a review of Pierre Hermé

When you walk into the store, you are greeted with a sight of this…

French Macarons

and this… ooh, la la! There were a lot more pretty pastries at the counter but they only allowed us to take pics of the macarons.

We were on a mission: try as many macarons as possible!

French Macarons

In fact, we *may* have gone there a few times and tried different flavors…

french macarons

Before I start reviewing each individual macaron flavor, I NEED to talk about the best pastry I’ve ever had. EVER. #bestpastryever.

See this below. Yeah, that croissant. Yeah yeah, it looks like a croissant with bacon sprinkled on it. This is NO ordinary croissant. It is the ROSE ISPAHAN CROISSANT!!! (yes I’m yelling with excitement!)

So what is it? It is a buttery croissant that is perfectly baked with a crunchy outside and a buttery inside. The outside is covered in a rose-flavored almond cream with candied rose petals sprinkled on top. The inside is filled with a raspberry flavored litchi pate.

Before I went I wasn’t *too* excited about this croissant. I don’t like rose flavored stuff and I am not a fan of litchi. But when I tried it, it was like a little piece of heaven from the pastry gods. It is really just so good, I can’t sing enough praise. Here’s a hint: get one before noon because 1. they sell out and 2. the shelf life of a croissant is only 4 hours after it is baked.

the famous Rose Ispahan croissant from Pierre Herme

Ok, moving on to the macarons… All of his macaron shells are perfectly baked. They have a smooth top with perfect feet. They have the perfect crunch when you bite into them and then a little chewy in the center.

The Mosaic macaron…

It is a pistachio, cinnamon, and cherry macaron and I LOVED it.

Mosaic macaron

The “Huile d’Olive a la Mandarine” aka Mandarin Olive Oil Macaron…
This was my favorite macaron. The flavors were so interesting and really went well together. I highly recommend trying this one.

Mandarin olive oil macaron

The Infiniment Caramel aka Salted Caramel Macaron…
This macaron was one of my family’s favorite. The salted caramel was *perfect*. If you are new to macarons, this one you MUST try. Or if you’re a macaron mad like myself too.

salted caramel macaron

The infiniment Rose macaron…
this was a rose flavored macaron. It was okay. I’m not a huge fan of rose flavored dessert because usually it seems like I’m eating roses. I would skip on this.

rose macaron

The Envie macaron aka vanilla, violet, and blackcurrant…
This macaron was SO GOOD. I just loved the black currant flavor with the vanilla and violets. It is an unusual flavor and one you don’t taste very often. I highly recommend it!

vanilla, violet, and black currant macaron

Infiniment Vanilla macaron…
This vanilla macaron was made with pure vanilla beans. It was extremely rich in vanilla flavor. It was the best vanilla flavored macaron I’ve ever had.

vanilla macaron

We also tried the Celeste macaron, which is a passion fruit, rhubarb, and strawberry macaron. The picture I took of it was really blurry, so there is no picture. As far as the macaron flavor, it wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t really like the flavor of passion fruit with the almond shell.

Okay, moving away from macarons and onto a last minute decision to try this citron tart! When you enter the store, there is a whole row of pretty looking pastries, so this lemon tart caught our eye!

This lemon tart was SO delicious. The lemon flavor was really strong but not in a bad way. The candied lemon skin on top was really nice. The crust was good. Normally I don’t eat tart crust but I did on this one! This was just a really good lemon tart! I highly recommend trying one!

Pierre Herme Citron tart

Okay, last patisserie we tried was the Rose Raspberry Ispahan Macaron. It is one of the pastries that Pierre Herme and Laduree are famous for. It is raspberry macaron with fresh raspberries with rose buttercream inside. It is a rose petal on top as garnish.

Now, ironically, while this is the prettiest looking of all of these sweets, this one was my least favorite! It wasn’t BAD, it just… wasn’t as good as everything else! It sure does look pretty!

the beautiful Raspberry Rose Ispahan Macaron by Pierre Herme

My FINAL review for Pierre Herme:

All of his creations were absolutely delicious. The macarons were perfection. His flavors were interesting but really good. When going to his store, I HIGHLY recommend the rose ispahan croissant, followed by a macaron flavor of your choice. I’m sure if you chose another patisserie it would likely be delicious as well! I strongly recommend you stop by his shop if you are in Paris, even if you are only there for a day!

Which macarons are better? Lauder or Pierre Herme? Mystery is answered!

Macarons from Pierre Herme in Paris, go ahead and use this as a cell phone background!!

Now, time to answer the big question…
Which macarons are better, the ones from Pierre Herme or Laduree?
First of all, let’s talk about the shell: Pierre Herme bakes his macarons using the Italian method while Laduree uses the French method. This website explains the difference. The end result: both shells taste the same to me. Every macaron that I tasted from both macaron houses had perfectly made shells with perfect feet. They know how to make macarons. The difference comes with the flavors…

The flavors are definitely different at both places. Pierre Herme makes more intense unusual flavors like… olive oil and mandarin. As you’re eating Pierre Herme’s macarons, they have more notes to the flavor and are more complex. Laduree’s flavors tend to have one note to them… but that note is very good. But when comparing the same flavor, for instance, the salted caramel macaron, it was very good at both places. So, I would consider it a tie when comparing the same flavor. If you are looking for more interesting complex flavors, head to Pierre Herme. If you’re looking for more standard flavors, head to Laduree.

Now, I have to choose a winner. I really want to say it’s a tie. Because really, it feels like a tie. But that’d be lame. I hate ties. I must choose a winner… so I would say the winner is Laduree. And this is why I choose them: I thought to myself, if I could only choose one macaron to eat and could only go to one store on a very quick trip to Paris, which one would I choose? I would choose Laduree’s orange blossom macaron. It is just that good. But in reality, if I go to Paris again, I would head to both stores multiple times. However, the rose ispahan croissant at pierre herme is better than any of the macarons. so there.

HELPFUL HINT: I highly recommend bringing plastic utensils with you to Paris so that way you can enjoy your pastries in the park without making a huge mess.

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Angelina May 27, 2015 france

Laduree Paris – Tea Room, Macaron, and Pastry review!!

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

As you all know, I’ve been a little bit obsessed with Laduree’s macarons. One of my top priorities when visiting Paris was to visit the Laduree tea salon on the Champs Elysees.

Not only do I have their Sweets Recipe book, I had poured over numerous websites trying to decide what I was going to eat when I arrived! Now settle in, I have a lot to say about Laduree!

a review of Laduree Paris

We had made a reservation for breakfast at the Laduree’s tea salon on the Champs Elysees in the morning. We made it around 9am in the morning, which I guess according to how empty the salon was, it was *much* to early to eat breakfast. However, for these jet-lagged Americans, 9am was perfect timing. We made a reservation through this website.

We knew we had arrived when we spotted the pretty green metalwork outside. How cute!

Although Easter had already passed, they still had their Easter displays up complete with cute chocolate chickens. While we were there, they did change their displays to a Mikimoto display, which I forgot to take a picture of.

We bypassed the row of viennoisseries and patisseries and headed up the stairs to the tea salon.

We were seated next to this beautiful antique French clock.

I did not take too many pictures of the upstairs as I was trying to be discreet.

Below is a picture of the (free) bread they give you… and wrapped up in that pretty green package is not candy but… butter!

Now, deciding what to order was a bit difficult. The menu was pages and pages long. I *highly* recommend looking at the menu before you go. You can browse through the menu here.

The Tea Room Experience

We had both coffee (which was good) and the Melange Laduree tea. The Melange Laduree tea is the house signature tea which is a mix of black teas, rose petals, and essence of orange, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, bergamot, and black currant. If you like Earl Grey, you will like this tea! I loved it so much I bought some to bring home. (The tea is for sale downstairs)

To eat, we started off with some pastries. We had a little pastry with raisins, an apple turnover, and a chocolate croissant. They were yummy!

For breakfast, we had the plain French toast, raspberry French toast, and an omelette. The plain French toast was very good; it was a nice brioche with pure maple syrup. But then I tried the French toast that had fresh raspberries with raspberry coulis… oh boy, that was SUPER good. I highly recommend trying that. But, what I really loved was their omelette. It was perfectly cooked. It also was very thick but fluffy at the same time. It was the best omelette I’ve ever had! I think they probably use more yolk in their omelettes (With all of that macaron baking, they will have a plethora of extra yolks). I read some poor reviews about the omelette about it being cold and I feel sorry for those people because mine was delicious!

After the waiter allowed us to enjoy the salon for several hours, we headed downstairs. A note about dining in Paris – you must ask for the bill. They won’t present it to you automatically. It is considered rude to force someone out of their seat, so the waiters will wait for your signal. A lot of Americans think that the waiters are being rude and ignoring you, when in fact, they are being nice to you and not rushing you through the wonderful dining experience! Imagine it from their view: you are paying top dollar to dine in a fine tea salon on the most famous street in the world! No rushing here!

We headed downstairs after eating to the store. Enjoy some eye candy…

After staring for a while at all of the sweets, we eventually we were able to choose some macarons to take back and enjoy later. We arrived early in the day to the tea salon and store which I highly recommend! Later in the day, i.e. in the afternoon, there will be a VERY long line to get in to not just the tea salon but the store downstairs. We had no line. That was around 11am.

I highly recommend choosing a pretty box so you can take it open as a souvenir!

Laduree Paris Macarons

Macaron Tasting Reviews

For all of the macarons we tasted, they all had perfectly baked cookies with perfectly smooth tops and perfect feet. We did not have a single one that was bad. They are fragile and got beaten up a bit as I carried my loot around Paris all morning, but that’s okay.

Laduree salted caramel macaron

Salted Caramel Macaron – The salted caramel macaron as delicious. It was one of my favorites. I have nothing bad to say about it. You MUST try this one.

Laduree cherry blossom

Cherry Blossom Macaron – The cherry blossom macaron was very pleasant. It tasted, like, well, cherry blossoms! I didn’t know what cherry blossoms would taste like, but if I were to go and eat them I am guessing they would taste like this! This one is not a must-try.

Laduree pistachio macaron

Pistachio macaron – The pistachio macaron was very very good. The shell had pistachio in it to give the pastry more pistachio flavor. The pistachio cream inside was very pistachio tasting as well. Sometimes other places’ pistachio macarons do not have enough pistachio in them for my taste. This one was VERY good. Must get this one if you love pistachios!

Laduree orange blossom macaron

Orange Blossom Macaron– Onto my *favorite* macaron from Laduree… the orange blossom macaron! This is one of their original and signature flavors. It really does taste like an orange blossom. But it isn’t too floral. It is REALLY good. REALLY REALLY GOOD. You MUST try this one. You can also check out my blog post which features their recipe if you can’t wait ’til a trip to Paris.

Laduree lemon macaron

Lemon Macaron – The lemon macaron was okay. There wasn’t anything special about it. It wasn’t bad, but… there are other flavors that are more amazing that I recommend!

Laduree raspberry macaron

Raspberry Macaron – The raspberry macaron was really good. I love raspberry macarons. The tartness from the raspberries go really well with the almond shells. Can’t go wrong with this one.

Laduree Lily of the Valley macaron

Lily of the Valley Macaron – I was surprised at how much I loved the Lily of the Valley macaron. I bought it as a last-minute decision… and I ended up just loving it. It has a really nice refreshing taste. It does taste like the smell of lily of the valley. This flavor was just REALLY good. I’ve tried to find a recipe for it online and haven’t yet…. I guess I’ll have to make my own essence of lily of the valley. This is a must-try.

Laduree macarons

Other Flavors that we tried but I forgot to take pictures of because we ate them too fast…

Mikimoto Macaron – this is a rose lychee macaron and was okay. I don’t love rose nor lychee things, so I didn’t expect that I’d love it. However, Pierre Herme’s rose lychee ispahan croissant is to-die-for.

The Marie Antoinette Macaron – the blue one in the picture above. It tastes like an Earl Grey tea. If you like earl grey tea flavored desserts, than this one is for you. I just felt like they had other flavors that are worth your money and calories that you should try first.

Ice Cream Review – Yes, we tried their ice cream. I shouldn’t call it ice cream, it’s more like a sorbet. It got hot one day and naturally we had to try it. We tried both the raspberry and lemon flavors. They were REALLY good. The raspberry was very intense in raspberry flavor. The lemon was tart but sweet at the same time. I feel like their glaces do not get enough praise. If it is a hot day in Paris, it is worth getting some!

FINAL THOUGHTS – What is not to like about the perfectly packaged patisseries from Laduree? People have complained they are over-priced… um, yeah, duh. I wasn’t headed to Paris with bargains in mind. Are there other macaron bakers in Paris that are good? yeah, sure. But do they come in cute little boxes? No. Do they have an orange blossom macaron? No. I HIGHLY recommend going to Laduree on your trip to Paris. They have several tea salons throughout the city and then several macaron selling carts scattered about in popular areas… including one in the Louvre museum and another in the airport so you can pick some up to bring home to your friends (oops, then you eat it on the long 12 hour plane flight, sorry friends!) You don’t have to do dine in the tea salon to get the experience… it was just something special I wanted to do.

My 6 recommended macaron flavors to purchase for your perfectly packaged box are: salted caramel, orange blossom, lily of the valley, pistachio, raspberry, and oh, another orange blossom!

I’m reviewing Pierre Herme next and will also try to answer the burning question… Which macarons are better, ones from Pierre Herme or Laduree?

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Angelina April 8, 2015 france

Upcoming Trip Plans to Paris: Tour du Patisserie

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

I’m headed to Paris next week on what I’m calling my “Tour du Patisserie”. I’ve been to Paris a few times before, so I’ve “been there and done that” to some of the most famous attractions. My husband has never been, so we will be going to the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, but I have some other things in mind…

…It involves things like…

…This raspberry ispahan macaron creation from Pierre Herme…

picture source

Eating my *favorite* French cake… Le Fraisier! It is light sponge cake with yummy mousseline creme, with strawberries sandwiched inside… topped with a thin layer of marzipan and sometimes honey. It is so light and refreshing. My wedding cake was a frasier cake.

Fraisier Cake from Gerard Mulot, source

I want to try this rose ispahan croissant from Pierre Herme… I’ve read wonders about it… It is a buttery croissant glazed with rose-flavored almond cream, then drizzled with candied rose petals and filled with raspberry litchi pate. I’ve read even for those rose flavored dessert haters, this is like a bite of heaven!

Or perhaps trying this caramel eclair from Cafe Pouchkine…

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This caramel mille feuille (napoleon in English) from Hugo et Victor is mouthwatering… layers of crunchy caramelized pastry with a caramel creme in between.

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A tarte citron with a crunchy shell, smooth lemon curd, with meringue on top looks amazing from La Patisserie des Reves…

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And yes, of course, Laduree is on my list… I plan to visit more than once to try a bunch of different macaron flavors….

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Perhaps we’ll enjoy a sip of Chocolat Africain (aka the world’s best hot chocolate!) at Angelina’s… when my family and I first went to Paris years ago, we stumbled upon this shop which was just down the street from our hotel. We didn’t find out until years later that our local little pastry shop that we’d go to in the afternoons was world-famous! Ha!

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Maybe we will try a St. Honore from Arnaud Lehrer. The St Honore is a ring of puff pastry with pastry creme, then topped with pastry puffs that are filled with creme and dipped in either chocolate or sugar…

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I’ve never had a Paris Brest before, but it is supposed to be like nutella in a bite. It has praline cream layered in-between two crunchy but soft choux pastry sides with some chocolate in the center. Patisserie des Reves is supposed to make a fabulous one…

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I love the fresh fruit tarts… this tarte framboise pistache, aka raspberry pistachio tart from Pain du Sucre is supposed to be delicious…. It has fresh raspberries with a glaze, with a pistachio cake in the center.

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Alright, so I know, technically, that ice cream does not fall into the “patisserie” category. But I’m adding it to my “tour du patisserie” anyway. The three flavors below are supposed to be amazing. They are from world famous ice cream house, Berthillon, and I’m going to wait in line to try them!

Apparently the chocolat noir (dark chocolate) is amazing, but the caramel beurre sale (salted butter caramel) is to-die-for!

left, dark chocolate, right salted butter caramel source

What I’ve read though, is if the fresh wild strawberry (frais de bois) is in season, it is a must try. It is different than the regular strawberry flavor, it contains whole fresh strawberries and is apparently like no other ice cream.

fresh wild strawberry source

I also *love* croissants aux amandes (almond croissants)… even though most of them are made from day-old croissants. This one is from Laurent Duchene, and I don’t have a preference where I eat my croissants from! They are all delicious compared to the ones in America!

source

But let’s face it, my favorite favorite thing in Paris is just a plain ol’ croissant. I have been searching for croissants in the US that are similar to those in Paris and have only been let down. The perfect croissant is buttery, light and airy, but crisp on the outside. It has the perfect little crunch, but then it is soft in the inside. While I usually go for the plain croissant, the pain du chocolat (chocolate croissant) is always delicious. The shelf life of a croissant is 4 hours. Thus, we are to only eat croissants before 10am when they are still fresh…

source

Is there anything I should add to my “Tour du Patisserie” before I head off to Paris in 2 weeks??

Perhaps I need to add some pepcid and tums into my luggage, after seeing my list! I feel like a little piggy with this list, but I’ve read the best souvenir from Paris is the 5 pounds of pastry weight you gain. And as for the “diet”, I heard French women don’t diet, so I won’t either…

Images are not my own.

If you’ve missed a Paris trip post, catch them ALL RIGHT HERE !

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Angelina April 6, 2015 Beauty and Fashion

What to Pack for Vacation in Your Carry-On

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I travel frequently and I thought I would share my guide about what to pack in your carry-on luggage bag.

I find that keeping these items in your carry-on makes you flight much more pleasant! This guide works for both domestic and international trips.

Nº 1 // Noise canceling headphones – I *highly* recommend noise canceling headphones, especially for your 12 hour flights. I have them both. I like the earbuds because they are less bulky (and the case is smaller too) and don’t mess up my hair. The over-the-ear noise canceling headphones work better than the earbuds, have nicer sound quality and are nicer for longer flights. Either way, it is up to you and your preference!

Nº 2 // Hair brush – 12 hours is a long time for your hair to look bad, especially in the dry environment . You are guaranteed to get sleepyhead after trying to snooze sitting straight up.

Nº 3 // Camera – you need to put your camera in your carry-on so it does not get lost or stolen in your checked bag. I have a GoPro camera and I cannot sing enough praise about it for a travel camera especially if you like to hike/do adventurous things. It is waterproof, you can take it surfing, snorkeling, swimming, hiking, biking.

Nº 4 // Hand cream – It’s really dry in the airplane. You will be wanting hand cream.

Nº 5 // Lip Balm – Your lips will get dry on the airplane.

Nº 6 // a Pen – You will need to fill out some customs papers at some point. Bring a pen!

Nº 7 // Granola bar – This is nice to have because you never know when you’ll need some sustenance. I am loving the Kind bars right now.

Nº 8 // Water bottle – I usually just buy one in the airport, that way if I’m desperate for space on the way home I can toss it. However, you can also bring your own!

Nº 9 // iPad – The iPad has everything I need… books, movies, music, and a notepad to jot down thoughts. I read my travel books on this on the way to the location I’m headed to.

Nº 10 // Keys – Don’t forget your house and car keys! Get this bluetooth key finder keychain if you tend to lose your keys like me!

Nº 11 // Make up bag – Trust me, you’ll want to do some touching on before landing so keep your make up organized in a chic make up bag.

Nº 12 // Hand sanitizer – Airplanes are full of germs. You’ll feel better after using this, even if you washed your hands in the loo.

Nº 13 // Charging Essentials For your Electronics! – I recommend a portable power battery pack so that way your phone or smart device won’t die on long plane! Also, when you get to your hotel room you will probably only have about two plugs and so many things to charge. We use this USB multi port charger – it has two USB ports that charge faster, and is foldable and compact for travel and has UK and EU adapters as well! It is the best.

Nº 14 // Ear plugs – You will wish you had these when the screaming baby or chatty neighbor sits behind you on your twelve hour flight!

Nº 15 // Mint gum – Gum helps your ears pop in ascent/descent and gives you some fresh breath!

Nº 16 // Munchies – You will need something to munch on, as I’m sure you’ll either get hungry or bored. I like to bring dried fruit or popcorn as they fill the munchie need but don’t fill you with tons of extra calories.

Nº 17 // Blanket scarf – The temperature of the airplane varies too much. A blanket scarf is nice for those temperature fluctuations.

Nº 18 // Evian water spray – This Evian water spray is so nice and refreshing during a long flight!!

Nº 19 // Passport and wallet – If there’s one thing you *must* bring on international travel it is your passport. If you’re traveling overseas, you will want an anti RFID theft one because apparently over there in crowded spaces/subways/buses they will use little scanners and steal your credit card information from your chip credit card.

Nº 20 // Travel size perfume – You’ll want to reapply your perfume just before you get off of your flight.

Nº 21 // Travel bag – You need a bag big enough to fit all of this stuff in that fits under the seat in front of you! My FAVORITE bag is this expandable longchamp bag – I have both sizes this larger one and this smaller one. However I LOVE this non-expandable version too and actually will use it as my purse on travel!

Nº 22 // Eye mask – You will want this for when the person next to you leaves their reading light on the whole flight. I like this silk one or my favorite one here.

Nº 23 // Toothbrush and toothpaste – So, 10 hours into your international flight, it is now suddenly morning time where you land and you realized you haven’t brushed your teeth in approx 24 hours. You’ll be glad you brought this!

Nº 24 // Slipper socks – I always take off my shoes while sitting in my chair on international travel and put slipper socks on over my regular socks. It keeps my toes warm… just make sure you put on your shoes before you start walking around the plane. You could take these foldable ballet flats which are super comfy and then you can wear them on your trip. They are so nice because they fold up perfectly into your carry on!

Nº 25 // Carry-on Suitcase – I personally travel an older version of this Tumi International Bag. My Father used to travel all of the time (seriously, 500k miles!) and the Tumi bag has survived! I seriously cannot sing enough praise about Tumi bags. They are expensive but worth the money. If you are mainly a domestic traveler, then this Tumi Domestic Carry On bag is GREAT as well ( have that one too!). The Rimowa Bags are extremely popular as well, but I don’t use them so I can’t give a review. Don’t know the difference between International and Domestic Bags? The international bags are slightly smaller and fit within the regulations of the European airlines!

Nº 26 // Jet Lag Mask – Since I’ve created this list, a brand new beauty mask came out this year and I cannot sing enough praises about it! It’s called the Jet Lag Mask and it is seriously FANTASTIC. Like if you had to buy one beauty thing to travel with it is this mask! It makes your dehydrated sorry looking airplane skin look amazing! It seriously did wonders to my face. The great part is you don’t have to rinse it off – you just wipe off the excess after 10 minutes.

Nº 27 // A Travel Pillow – On a really long flight it is nice to have an extra pillow besides the one they give you. There is this one that has 3000 reviews on Amazon, this one that is more like a scarf/wrap/pillow. My most recent trip I got these blocks that blow up – they seemed stupid at first but I LOVED them so much I am never going on an international flight again without them.

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Miss any of my Paris Posts?? Check them out here!

Headed to Paris or London? Check out my What to Pack to Paris and London post here.

What to Pack for your Vacation in Your Carry-On

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Angelina March 12, 2015 Beauty and Fashion

Packing List: What to Pack to Paris

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

I travel to Paris and London frequently and I am sharing with you a guide about what to wear to these cities.

I usually go to Paris and London in the Spring or Fall, but I have been there in the Summer too.

With that in mind, I have shared some of my favorite pieces that you can layer easily.

I always fit all of my clothes onto a carry-on bag. I’ve heard horror stories of lost checked bags on international trips – especially stories of this happening in Paris because France frequently goes on strike!

Imagine going to the most fashionable city without clothes! The horror!

Tops and Tees

Nº 1 // A Breton Striped Tee– You have to wear a striped tee in France!

Nº 2 //A white and grey t-shirt – A white tee and grey tee go with everything.

Nº 3 // A Nice Blouse – You need a blouse that you can wear to a nice restaurant.

Nº 4 // Chambray Shirt – I like this shirt because it goes with everything and is fashionable.

Nº 5 // Sleeveless Shirt – It is nice to pack a sleeveless shirt or tank top because that way you are prepared for unexpected (or expected!) warm weather! Sometimes the museum can become very hot too.

Outerwear and Dresses

Nº 6 // A Black Blazer – This is essential as you can dress this blazer up or down.

Nº 7 // Long Sweater Cardigan – A long sweater cardigan is great for layering and on the airplane and for cooler days.

Nº 8 // A Little Black Dress – A LBD is a wardrobe staple and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.

Nº 9 // The Trench Coat – You need a trench coat that will keep you dry in Europe! It frequently rains there for all seasons, except the middle of Summer.

Jeans and Pants

Nº 10 // Jeans – The Europeans love skinny jeans.

Nº 11 // Black Skinny Jeans– You can’t go wrong with a pair of black skinny jeans. They are nice because you can dress then up or down as well.

Shoes

Nº 12 // Ballerina Flat – The ballerina flat is a must-wear in Paris.

Nº 13 // Black Booties – Black booties and boots never go out of style, especially in Europe!

Nº 14 // Mules and Loafers- If you are going to London or Paris in the warmer months, I suggest wearing some slip on mules or loafers instead of bringing booties.

Nº 15 // Retro Cool Sneaker – I have been wearing these Converse Chuck Taylors to Europe for years and every time I go, Europeans ask me where I got my shoes. *smirk, they think I’m cool*

Accessories

Nº 16 // A Scarf – You must bring one scarf with you for the plane and then buy all other scarves in Paris.

Nº 17 // A Cross bodybag – A small cross body shoulder bag is perfect for your slim camera, passport, wallet, travel umbrella, and lip gloss. Honestly though, buy a bag in Paris when you’re there.

Nº 18 // a Necklace– Accessorize your outfit with a necklace. I recommend a simple necklace as the big bold necklaces are not fashionable there. The scarf instead is worn as a statement necklace.

Nº 19 // Travel Umbrella – Who knows when it’s going to rain.

Nº 20 // A watch – I find that when I go to Europe I wear a watch compared to when I am back in the US. I usually use my cell phone in the USA, but as I frequently don’t carry my phone there, I actually wear a watch to tell the time.

Nº 21 // Sunglasses – I always wear a pair of chic sunglasses to Europe. You will find yourself walking around outside a lot (8-10 miles per day!) and you will find some sunglasses very helpful!

Shop my picks here:

What to Pack to Paris 2015 2016 by Peonies and Orange Blossoms.

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Angelina November 8, 2014 france

Dreaming of E Dehillerin in Paris

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

As I start to think about all of the holiday baking that lies ahead, I find myself daydreaming about my trip to Paris next Spring.

Yes! I’m headed to Paris! Yippeeeeeeeeeeeee!! I am so very excited to head to my favorite city in the whole world. The last time I was there was in 2003. Practically pre-internet days, especially in Europe. This time though, I am armed with the knowledge of the internet and have added many little shops to my to do list that I previously didn’t know about!

One store I’m particularly excited to go to is E. Dehillerin in Paris. It’s a store that famously sold Julia Child her copper pans. The name is pronounced “Uh-duh-il’rin”

*the* store pic source

The shop is the oldest cooking shop in Paris… over 200 years old! They are famous for their large bounty of products from Mauviel copper to knives to pans to every type of mold ever needed!

They have things like… a butter curler! TSA doesn’t approve but I do!

I think I will be picking up a madeleine pan here so that I may start my madeleine baking journey next year. I think I’ve mastered the macaron. On to something new…

madeleine pan from France j’adore… source

Don’t you just want to take all of this home?

love this copper Coq source
A copper tatin mold for the perfect tarte tatin

from their website

I will also need to pick up a few of these little pans so that I can bake the remaining recipes in Laduree’s Sweet book…

tart molds, loaf pans, financier molds! source

Maybe some silicone molds… At least I know these could go on the plane!

Source

E. Dehillerin is at 18 rue Coquillère, 75001 Paris … which is only a 10 minute walk from where we’ll be staying. How convenient!

I thought this blog post here had a nice tour of the store.

Have you been to E. Dehillerin in Paris? What did you buy?! Leave me a comment, I have some planning to do!

If you’ve missed a Paris post, catch them ALL RIGHT HERE on my new Paris Trip Round-Up!

Written at http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com

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Angelina March 15, 2014 france

Europain… aka a whole expo in Paris on baking!

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

Due to my insomnia one night… I got sucked into the internet planning my future trip to Paris and ran into EUROPAIN.

What is Europain? It is a world bakery, pastry, ice cream, chocolate and confectionery trade show. Aka, something I need to go to. NOW. This event took place from March 8-12 this year.

Why do I want to go? Because… this.

and this…

The whole industry shows up. And shows off.

This is *the* place they hold all of those competitions. I had no idea it was a whole expo too!

ooh laa laaa

And they make things like these, I don’t know what they are put appear to be full of lemony chocolately berry goodness!

How CUTE are these chocolates?! Or are they cakes?! Who cares they are cute!

this may be the cutest confection I’ve ever seen.

In addition to the competitions, bakeries show off new things with SAMPLES!

Here is hall 5. That means there are at least FOUR OTHER HALLS in this place!

See, it’s an expo! I NEED a pass!!! Je voudrais un billet a Europain! Bustin’ out the French! (I never actually took French, this is just what I’ve picked up over the years, Je voudrais un billet a metro is a phrase I had to learn!)

It is an expo, so we can learn about the 7 trends for 2014 for this industry. One of them includes breaking down the barriers between baking/pastry making and the consumer. The consumer wants to watch it be made and then eat it all at the same time!

apparently this is what future bakeries should look like!

They also have industrial equipment. This one is making lots of caramel. I always get mesmerized watching these machines work.

This one imprints chocolate.

This one makes all different shapes of edible goodies! WHOA!

They also have new products. Like praline powder… so desserts with praline chocolate will be more accessible. GOOD! I loooove praline!

And, I had to include this picture. It’s a cow made of bread.

So, in summary, Europain looks AWESOME! It is in Paris every year in March.

But how do we get tickets?! Ummmm, well, sorry to disappoint. You have to be a member of the industry. Or a student at a baking school. Yet ANOTHER reason why I am trying to convince my Husband and Dad to take French baking classes with me in San Francisco!

For more information, visit their official website

To drool over more photos, VISIT THEIR FLICKR!

The photos in this post were taken from Europain’s facebook page.

I’ve linked up with The Scoop!, Tablescape Thursday, Wow us Wednesdays!, Open House Party, Feathered Nest Fridays, Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been, life of the party, the style sisters, Favorite Things Blog Hop, and What’s it Wednesdays. Be sure to check out all of these fabulous blogging parties! A big thank you to all of the wonderful hosts!

Written by Orange Blossom at http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com

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What to Pack for Vacation in Your Carry-On

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Dreaming of E Dehillerin in Paris

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Europain… aka a whole expo in Paris on baking!

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