February 16, 2012 by Tory Hoen
Here at HiP, we’re always up for a good expat adventure tale, particularly one in which desserts play a starring role. In her new book, Paris, My Sweet, food writer (and regular HiP Paris contributor!) Amy Thomas regales us with stories from her two-year stint in Paris, where she wrote advertising copy for Louis Vuitton by day and scoured the city for sweets in her spare time.
All in all, it sounds like a pretty ideal existence, but like all expats in Paris, Amy faced a typical series of ups and downs. It’s no surprise that she fell hard for the city upon arrival; and it’s also no surprise that, once the initial Parisian shine wore off, Amy ultimately came to see the city’s not-quite-so-sweet side. It’s at this point that the story really starts to ring true for those of us who have been expats in Paris: you’re simultaneously charmed and alienated, comforted and challenged, energized and exhausted.
As Amy weathered the highs and lows of expat life, she also covered serious ground in the dessert department, hitting all of Paris’ confectionary hotspots and sampling the city’s most decadent delights. This book is not only an account of her time in Paris, but also a goldmine of bonnes addresses (in both Paris and New York) for dessert lovers. This woman knows her way around a pâtisserie, and serious sugar-high seekers would do well to heed Amy’s recommendations.
Paris, My Sweet is a guidebook of sorts, but it’s also just a fun and decadent read—I devoured it in less than 48 hours, pausing only to scrounge up some chocolate now and again. In addition to making me hungry, Amy’s writing transported me back to Paris, a trip I am ever-eager to make, if only vicariously.
Below, I caught up with the author to talk Paris, pastries, and ultimately picking her favorite city. Continue Reading »
Posted in Events, Food, Parisian Living, Travel | 13 Comments »
March 30, 2011 by Amy Thomas
Doughnuts American style (Honey + Jam)
It’s an affliction. This I know after living in Paris for nearly two years. I used to think that, in New York, it was natural and inevitable that I was such a Sweet Freak. Everywhere I looked, there were seductive displays of oozing chocolaty chip cookies, obscenely large sticky buns and towering three-layer red velvet cakes. Irresistible!
But in Paris, I was just as big a leche-vitrine—maybe more so, drawn as I was to the rows of pristine gateaux, Technicolor macarons and perfect dark chocolate pavés. Having spent significant amounts of time and invested gazillions of glorious calories in both cities, it’s still a question I find difficult answering: who has the best sweets, New York or Paris? A transatlantic smackdown might tell.
Brownies v. Moelleux au Chocolat
A pastry Neanderthal might say: what’s the difference? They’re two brown chocolaty-cakey treats. But the pastry connoisseur understands the difference between dense and molten. Between fudgy and finessed. Between a snack that can be dunked in milk with your fingers and an haute dessert that oozes into a pool of uber-rich ganache on your dessert plate.
Verdict? A brownie is comfort and joy; moelleux is hedonism and bliss. They’re both worthy and delicious. But as good as a dense, fudgy brownie is, anything with molten chocolate wins, n’est-ce pas?
Winner: Moelleux. Continue Reading »
Posted in Food | 10 Comments »
December 12, 2009 by Haven in Paris
Our friend Kim Petyt, fabulous Paris wedding planner and writer of Parisian Party, shares with us the traditional French Christmas dessert – the bûche de Noël, otherwise known to us as a Yule log. Check out her post below, featuring some beautiful designer takes on the traditional cake.
Photo cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com
Text by Kim Petyt
The holiday season is in full swing, and all across Paris cries can be heard to Bring on Les Bûches! No French holiday meal would be complete without the grand finale, the Bûche de Noël! Paris is especially known for its vast selection of couture bûches – most are available in limited quantities and for a limited time. So if you plan to get your bûche on at this year’s holiday party, you’d better hurry and reserve yours now. Here are some highlights from this season’s cake collections. Continue Reading »
Posted in Food, Shopping | 1 Comment »
Lindsey Tramuta
Paris, My Sweet; Takashi
Evocateur 