Pâtisseries

My stay in Paris has taken an unexpected turn that I have to see as a blessing and that which has effected the project ... in a good way.

Over the past two weeks, I have continued tasting pastries and traditional french meals, visiting gardens and museums, making mini-pilgrimages to churches, making pastries, and encountering very interesting personalities.

One of my main goals while here is to become familiar with the tastes of traditional pâtisseries like la tarte citron and l'eclair chocolat. This was probably my most favorite l'eclair chocolat from Le Fournil St. Lambert (the St. Lambert's Bakehouse). This was the best I had eaten while in Paris!


My favorite line of pâtisseries has been Sadaharu Aoki. There have been few times where I've said, "Uh, I want to be you ..." in life, and tasting Sadaharu Aoki's pâtisseries made me believe anything was possible.


His genius is taking traditional pâtisserie concepts with taste and presentation while integrating Asian ingredients. You can taste a little of his vision in each of his desserts, which are all very distinct in their creativity. Super cutting edge, I was happy to have experienced his pastries and now know what With Mercy and Justice's pâtisseries can aspire to.

I decided to revisit the Marais and visited La Paroisse Saint-Paul Saint-Louis. Afterwards I wrote in Places des Vosges -- a lovely park.


I have never been surrounded by so many couples! I think I was the only one not cuddling with someone. How good it would be to do our apostolate on healthy relationships in Paris! :) City of lights ... and l'amour!

A trip to Mora's was necessary, as I needed some utensils in practicing recipes. I am in love ... but it is with the whisk. And I love the one I just bought by Matfer because the grip is substantial. The evening was celebrated with another one of Sadaharu Aoki's delicacies.


Friday I took my class with Lenôtre on chocolate and learned several recipes from Fondant au Chocolat to a mousse to meringue nut cookies - yum!


One of my joys on this trip was to meet another aspiring pâtissier from Japan -- Jungko! I came up to her after our course was over and told her she looked like my roommate from college. From that point on, we decided to grab a bite and turns out we have similar aspirations for taking our love of baking to the next level. Prior to our trip, we both had already prepared which pâtisseries and chocolateries we wanted to visit. I was impressed to see her list, and we exchanged resources of where to buy cookware and good pâtisseries/chocolateries to visit. She was even willing to go outside of Paris to a town, Avignon, to taste their gateaux and pâtisseries! Likewise, one of the reasons I am going to Belgium, in addition to the history there with the Liturgical Movement, is because they are known for their pâtisseries! Oui, la Belgique.

My night ended walking down le Champs-Elysées and l'Arc de Triomphe.


Sunday I treated myself to exploring the area around du Louvre and enjoyed Sunday brunch at a Bistro.


On a very exciting note, this was a tarte citron I tried. It was very delicious and presentation beautiful, but my good news is that the tartes I had made a couple weeks ago ... were far superior. Over the past couple weeks, I had tried other tarte citrons (not pictured here), and I realized the recipe I have is (tear...) worthy of being sold to support our apostolate. Woo hoo, praised be Jesus Christ!


Monday evening I met up again with Jungko after she returned from Avignon to celebrate her last day in Paris. We ate ... of course, dessert (!) at le Café Marly by le Pyramide près du Louvre.


She also brought me some cookies to try from Avignon highly recommending that I visit there if possible given their reputation for pâtisseries and gateaux. These cookies pictured above were like butter cookies but had cinnamon and another sweet spice -- it was delicious! Our evening ended with sushi ... kind of hilarious being in Paris but even I missed rice ...

Dessert when I got home was un macaron pistache aux framboises (pistachio macaroon with raspberries). This was maybe one of the best macaron pistache I had eaten in Paris from Gosselin by du Louvre.


Some people have asked me if I am eating -- that being, beyond sweets. I think the answer is: I'm working on it. Food is expensive in Paris, so my student budget tends to kick in on a daily basis. It isn't common for me to eat out. But I can't budget when it comes to pâtisseries. The reality is you can taste the quality of the pâtisserie through its ingredients and often there is a price to pay for what is fresh, creative, and well made. But it is worth it to me because the knowledge from tasting the pâtisseries and attempting to make them will go directly towards benefitting With Mercy and Justice.

Breakfast the following day was coffee and un éclair violet. Very creative and delicious. I was weirded out that my eclair was purple, but it was very good. Also, you can only buy the sugared violet pieces in Paris (pictured to the right and atop of the eclair). I had been hoping so much to try one and am happy to have found a place that actually decorates their pâtisseries with these little jewels.


This day I also went out to try to ask pâtisseries/boulangeries if it would be possible to only watch, or "seulement regarder" their morning operation. I knew it would be impossible to volunteer anywhere and to learn in this manner because I didn't have the proper paperwork to do so. So, this was the next best option, and I am currently waiting on the verdict of two pâtisseries. I decided to write and eat my lunch at La Tour Eiffel.

THUS FAR, THIS IS MY FAVORITE PHOTO!

The following morning I had coffee with un pain du chocolat (bread with chocolate).


Dinner was made for me Thursday evening, and I was taught how to make crepes. It was a thoughtfully prepared meal, one of the happiest times I've had while on my trip. It was so simple ... I will be practicing this week! I was very impressed with my crepe teacher's cookware ... very professional. Indeed, it is hard to make what you want if you lack the proper tools. I am finding this out as I experiment with various recipes.


On an aside, the weather here has been unusually cold, and I have only prepared for summer dress. Thankfully, the search for warm clothes and scarves has led me to new territory ... which means more ground for pastries! I bought this raspberry tarte because I have acquired a recipe, and I want to compare the taste. This was very good, but there was no creme underneath the fruit, so I was disappointed.


Well, God is good and full of surprises. It turns out that my landlady cooks very well. She doesn't have the greatest cooking tools but with what she does have, she makes really impressive meals. She cooks a lot of traditional French food from the North of France and also is very good at desserts :) Here is a dish she made. I was embarrassed I could only contribute macaroni and cheese, but she said she loved it. I think she was just being nice ...


For breakfast Saturday I had a layered coffee meringue dessert.


Later, the middle of the day I came across very disappointing news. The Lord was kind and always provides; and he sent me three hardcore angels from the Italian community: the Apostles of the Interior Life.

Apostles to the Rescue! Who knew? (God, maybe?! Yes!)

Without intending to, the Sisters provided their apostolate of spiritual direction when I needed it. Pictured here are Sister Titziana (left) and Sister Sabina (right). They gave me good insight and left me with a similar message my spiritual director from home had given me: to enjoy the rest of the trip, to not worry, and to live my life.

Today I walked around le Pyramide, le Jardin du Tuileries, and was able to visit le Musée de l'Orangerie.


I think after le Musée Picasso, this would have to be my second favorite. This was my first time in this museum, which is primarily dedicated to the works of Impressionists: Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, etc. Here Monet's famous collection of Water Lilies are the centerpiece of the museum. Rightfully so, it is spectacular and the first time I had ever experienced art outside of a church that made me go into contemplative mode. In the second room of the Water Lily canvasses, you actually feel transported into nature.



I have already had the opportunity to strictly observe, or just "regarder," the morning operation at a pâtisserie. I was not allowed to work for the reasons I've already stated, so I just watched. But just by observing ... I learned so much and am hoping for the same opportunity with the bakeries I have already asked.

Une tarte crème de citron

7:21pm, Kitchen, Paris

This afternoon I have been working on une tarte crème de citron or lemon cream tart. In this whole process, what I have enjoyed the most is my lemon cream and the sifter I used for it, which basically cleaned up the mess I had made in the cream to produce something smooth. It is an amazing tool! As of now, my favorite tool is a Chinese sifter. The last batch of tarts are baking now, but I will upload pictures of the process. It's been a good day.



8:37pm
I made a major mistake on my tarts, but this is my first time, so the learning curve is high.

12:06am
This is my first time making une tarte of any kind, so I'm happy with this first attempt. I hope to improve on the presentation. Bon appétit!


Something I have thought about consistently while visiting the grocery stores, is how I will find the same or at least similar ingredients I use here back in the States. For example, we don't have coing, which is a type of fruit, in the States. It looks kind of similar to a pear, but it's distinct, so hopefully I will be able to find something similar when I return.


12:32am

I just bit into the tarte and I was actually nervous. I don't know what I was expecting ... I guess something that would be mildly edible. But despite the mistake I made in the tart ... it's kind of awesome - praise be Jesus Christ!

Isaiah 30:1-18

12:22pm, room
Paris

Today I am headed to a free art showing and then will make my way to le Jardin du Luxembourg. I was inspired by the First Reading in today's Office of Readings that talks about a rebellious children whereupon the Lord is just waiting to give favors if only they would find rest in him.

"By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies." Throughout this trip, I feel as if I have been trying to 'make things happen' and they have not happened or I end up being frustrated. However, when I am not planning anything but praying and trusting, everything just falls into place. This is a constant struggle. It's hard when you've organized in the past to not have plans or to not have things set or if it's just your personality to be like this, but God just works in ways otherwise.

11pm, Paris

Today I tried to buy a copy of La Maison-Dieu's Le Mouvement liturgique; but apparently despite that I had ordered it from La Procure and was told to come in, they are actually not selling this anymore. I'm fairly confident there was a serious miscommunication. It's fine though as copies from this particular issue were emailed to me today! And of all days when I was disappointed and had been waiting weeks ... the USML library's scanner was finally fixed - praise be Jesus Christ! I was able to get next month's Magnificat though, so no trip was wasted!

I then went to see a free art exhibition of paintings looking at people who had experienced suffering and hope through tradgedy. The exhibition had about 30 paintings of the faces of children, women, and men and the artist's name is Antonio Veronesse. It was a compelling range of emotions and a emphasized specifically with the artist's use of the colors red, white, organge, and black.

The rest of the day I read up on readings within the Liturgical Movement in le Jardin du Luxembourg to prepare me for when I visit the monasteries. Woo hoo ... the details for preparing this are becoming refined with each day. Mass was at L'Église Étienne du Mont.

Unexpected but part of His plan

This weekend I had hoped to visit Solemes and the great Abbaye, but these plans have fallen through and it looks like it will be Paris for the weekend. It's, of course, not a bad thing ... as it's been raining consistently over the past couple days. The forecast for this weekend is 80's and sun.

We never know what God will bring into our paths or where we are going or what lies ahead, and there's only so much planning we can do. In my case, I am very particular with my time but working on God's time can throw you for a loop. My challenge for tonight is to embrace the unexpected and to just trust.

I will praise God for one thing tonight and that is my wonderful flatmate, Emilie. She is a real girl and a good friend I just feel I am so lucky to have while on this trip. She has helped me process stuff as it comes, helped my french, been a great roommate, and been a good pal to laugh about random things while in Paris. God sends us angels all the time. We are lucky when we are able to have them as friends. As she reminded me today, I am here as I should be and everything is happening as it is supposed to.

Celebrate avec du vin

I celebrated the evening making my meal a mix of french and filipino. You could never take the rice out of me! Today was a good day; and due of celebration, so I celebrated with my first purchase of inexpensive (and still delicious!) bottle of du vin rouge (red wine). In a short amount of time, I was able to accomplish much ... so I guess in some ways, no matter where you go ... your personality just stays the same. Today I went shopping for hours looking at the prices at Bovida and Mora for professional cookware. Once everything was sufficient, I went to Darty to purchase an electric product. Then, off to a pâtisserie. Dropped off things at my flat and called various financial institutions. Then, off to Mass at Saint-Lambert's. Finally, what I couldn't find at Edy's, I went to another grocery store where the cashier was so entertaining - very refreshing for a long day! What I loved was the employee helped me find the ingredients I needed! Tomorrow tools in hand and ingredients ready ... I plan on creating something.

So, it turns out the laws in France are such that if you want to work and even volunteer to work at any French business, you need the necessary paperwork and there needs to be some form of declaration. I did not know that! And what I have been aiming for - that is, volunteering - is simply not possible given the laws here. It's cool, and that's how it goes. I finally understood why today when someone explained to me in french and slowly what was required. Onto plan 2: it's onto taking courses in des pâtisseries with the cuisine classes or schools that cater to short stays! It will just be a lot of practice at home...

Vive la confiance et l'amour du Christ!

Friday I finally visited le Musée national du Moyen-Âge (The National Museum of the Middle Ages), which is an impressive collection of liturgical art, tapestries, paintings, sculptures, and church artifacts from the early to late Middle Ages. If you love Catholicism or just have an appreciation for the Middle Ages, this is the museum for you. I spent the whole day there and when I finished, I wanted to go through everything over again. They have preserved a lot of altar pieces for display, and the intricate carvings (in the marble or wood) is so detailed - you have an appreciation for the craftsmanship that took place for something sacred to take place.


Also, the tapestries were amazing. The story and movement within each tapestry was impressive, but my favorite was definitely La Dame à la licorne (the Woman and the Unicorn). There are 6 pieces that look at the 5 human senses (taste, touch, sound, hear, and smell) with the final one called Mon Seul Désir, or My Only Desire. In this last tapestry, the woman revokes her material goods for ... and there are many theories: 1.) For Love or 2.)For Love and Christ. I obviously favor the second theory. It was so beautifully crafted and detailed; I think I spent an hour just looking at the tapestries in this room.

It was also equally impressive to see how churches had evolved over so many years. Sculptures, arches, and columns from churches (Notre Dame, Saint-Denis, and others) were on display and had been removed to make room for either new construction within each church or new sculptures.

After the museum, I went into a bookstore and found myself in front of the Sociology of Gender section. I was very curious of who was writing about Gender in France since the previous bookstore lacked selection. This definitely was outside of pop culture and seemed more thorough, and there was a good selection of past to contemporary writers (based on the copyright). Most of these writers were new to me, so I was very curious as to what they were writing about.


I walked over and spent the rest of the late afternoon at my favorite garden, le Jardin du Luxembourg.



The layout of the flowers and ambience are a good way to end the day, with Mass at L'Église Étienne du Mont.

Saturday was spent enjoying the work of Auguste Rodin. I feel like my appreciation for sculptures and the sculpturer grew exponentially while I visited le Musée Rodin (the Rodin Museum). During the rain, I stayed in the l'Hôtel part of the museum. This section is good because it's shows a lot of Rodin's work prior to his final pieces that are displayed in the garden. It helps prepare you for his work and to see the process that is involved. The fact that his initial models were all fashioned by his own hands and then the caster poured over allows you to see his brilliance. My favorite sculpture of his was the first work he did, which was actually rejected. In making the piece, he made a mistake and the only part that was salvaged in the headpiece (or bust as it is called) was the face, which is practically a mask. Nevertheless, he had a deadline, so he submitted it; and sure enough, it was rejected. Later he would comment that this was his best work because it influenced all sculptures to follow. My favorite sculpture to pose next to :) was le Penseur (the Thinker).




Before I knew it, the museum was closed and I was stressing out because I really wanted to go to confession before the Feast of the Assumption; but I knew I wouldn't make it if I headed back to Saint-Lambert's de Vaugirard. What's so awesome about Paris, however, is that each arrondissement has a number of churches available. So I knew that if I could find one in the area, then it would be possible to go. The security at the museum directed me to L'Église Saint-François-Xavier. Just my luck, confessions were to start not too far from when I arrived.


L'Église Saint-François-Xavier is stunning.


There are mini-chapels along the side dedicated to the Saints. The dome is covered in gold with the 12 Apostles painted and the sacrificial Lamb in the center. Christ is at the center when you look at the front of the church with vines coming from him. The mosaics are also designed as flowers throughout the church and the names of prophets from the Old Testament adorn the ceiling. When the lights are turned on, the entire altar lights up in gold.



So this was my first time to have confession completely in French. I was nervous because I was afraid I would say something that wasn't what I intended to say and was worried I wouldn't understand what my penance was. So beforehand, I had already written down the Act of Contrition in French. My worrying was silly and confession is really the last place you should be worried. Confession is the place for grace, restoration, and healing ... not anxiety! It was such a gift to be able to go to confession; I hope that as I get older, I never take it for granted.

He followed the rubrics as I had studied them from my class on reconciliation and anointing, which doesn't always happen when I've gone but he did. I don't know who this priest was; but he was awesome, and I could tell from what he was saying during my confession that he was prayerful. He spoke to me in French normal, listened attentively, and I understood what he was saying. And he ended with, "Vive la confiance et l'amour du Christ!" (Live the trust and the love of Christ!). I was so inspired that I ended up attending Mass that he presided at, and he was just as passionate during the homily. What a treat - praised be Jesus Christ!

I lingered around taking pictures in the church until I got kicked out ... oopsy! The hours on the schedule were right, but they were closing early. I bought a delicious pâtisserie to end the evening: une tarte citron meringuée. It was a nice twist to a classic tarte - that is, the meringue part of the tart.


Monday was spent looking for a café to just have coffee and organize my notes and planning.





I feel like I'm balancing a lot, and I'm alright with that. I'm tired when I get home, but it's a joy to organize and also do the tourists things, eat pâtisseries, and visit so many beautiful churches. Emilie, my flatmate, asked me if I missed Chicago or if I felt alone as I was on this trip. And my response to her was that my home is Christ. I am reserved for him alone. And where I walk, he walks alongside me, so I never feel alone. My joy and consolation when I get discouraged is Christ. Indeed, I also get angry ... and I get mad at him, too; but ultimately, it tends to be my fault...