La patisserie des reves

I stumbled upon something I know you'd like to see. It's a very aptly named pastry shop "La patisserie des reves"*, or "The pastry shop of dreams". We were on our way to visit our dear friends and hosts here in Paris. They live in the elegant 16th arrondissement, and I wanted to take a sweet little something for our dinner date. Look at what I discovered on rue de Longchamp:

A palette of pastel colors, shiny and new. Each dessert, or should I say creation, is exhibited in its own glass case. Actually, that's exactly what it felt like - a museum exhibit that showcases only the most perfect and original works of art. The sales lady walked me through the displays, explaining what each of the masterpieces were. It was almost impossible to choose only one of these desserts, but the tarte au citron de saison called to me. Of course, it was a hit at our dinner party. The merengue was perfection, the lemon filling tart but not overwhelming, and the crust was an extremely special crumbly goodness.

tarte au citron de saison

Next time, I'll try this one. Chocolate glory with a funky sugar-steel contraption on top:

chocolate gateau

The pastry shop also has a "salon de the" and so I'll be sure to return and try their tea selection.


I have only been in this city a few days, and already I am in awe of the creativity that chefs bring to their shops. A millefeuille, for example, such a classic, can look completely different in two of Paris' best pastry shops, but still keep its basic feel. These chefs have mastered the classics and made them their own. 

millefeuille with a twist - it's only made on sundays and they make it right in front of you

This shop also offers courses for those of you who are not satisfied with only eating these treasures, but would also like to learn how to make them.


*Apologies for the lack of accents - I don't know how to add them on this blog program. If anyone uses blogger and can tell me how to add accents, I'd greatly appreciate the information.

Gerard Mulot

A Gerard Mulot patisserie, which is considered the best in Paris, happens to be very conveniently around the corner from my flat. Please do yourself a favor and feast your eyes on their website. Just looking through the window, your heart skips a beat in about the same way as when you see the love of your life. 

The window displays almost brought me to tears. This is the good stuff, ladies and gentlemen. This is artistry. This is sugar manipulation at its best - a perfected art form that I appreciate at an almost spiritual level. I mean, just look at this stuff:

What did I choose, you ask? Well, it was almost impossible to do so. I'm glad I live around the corner because it may just take me eight months to try everything in the store. Today, I took A-L's advice and ordered the crunchy orange tart, which had the right kind of tang and the right kind of sweet. I also chose the dark chocolate tart, an opera, and a millefeuille, a classic that never gets old. The best part about these little bits of pastry goodness were sharing them with friends. We visited a friend of mine who I haven't seen in about ten years. She now has a toddler son as well, and he and my son hit it off immediately - they'll be best friends living large in St Germain - eating pastries and frolicking in the Jardin du Luxembourg fields - what a tough life.