la patisserie des reves

Just like the name suggests, this “new” patisserie does look like a dream.  Located in the seventh arrondissement on Rue de Bac, La Patisserie des Reves in Paris, created by Philippe Conticini looks unbelievable.   The chef and author of book Sensations Nutella, has given every consumer touch point from the store interior, the display shelves, the website, the exterior, and last but not least the product a hearty helping of interior design.  His chosen colour palette of white, pink, orange and yellow reminds me of something right out of the Martha Stewart Weddings magazine.  I can’t tell what is more eye catching, the interiors and glass displays or the desserts themselves.   While this is not Philippe’s first Patisserie in the city, it is most eye-catching.  It seems that each bakery that opens (specifically in Paris) out does the next.  I guess you have to be pretty innovative as an entrepreneur and chef if you want to compete and stay in business in a city that is full of bakeries.   Here is a video of Philippe talking about his bakery and pastries.  I can’t wait to get to Paris to visit La Patisserie des Reves.  

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premiere pression provence

Look at the neat packaging from French olive oil company, Premiere Pression Provence.  Olivier Baussan, the man behind L’Occitane has diverted his creative talents to the olive.  The result, a hip new Parisian outpost dedicated to celebrating the craft, culture and creation of all things olive.  The oils, dressings and spreads  in his sleek chain of (3) boutiques around Pairs highlight olive products originating from lesser known regions around the country.    The oils are organized in three categories based on the ripeness of the olive and the website offers a wealth of knowledge on the product, the region, the terroir and some great recipes.  More packaging pictures available on blog, the dieline, here.

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In doubt of a colour palette? Laduree for inspiration

The start of the wedding season is soon upon us.  Brides, grooms and their wedding planners will be frantically making last minute decisions to ensure every charger is laid straight on the table, every petal is in full bloom and every favour is standing ready in its basket. 

For those of you who are commencing the planning process and have some time on your hands to sit back and digest all the upcoming decisions over your breakfast tea, I urge you to check out Laduree’s (Paris) website for colour palette inspiration.  If you read this blog regularly, you know I have a thing for macarons.  Laduree’s products are so stunning that they cross over from afternoon treat to event palette inspiration.  That’s right, I said that a dessert can inspire an entire event.

Here are some of my favourite colour combinations:

Pink and brown with an accent of lime green

Laduree Macarons (photo from Tartine Gourmande)

 Peach, creme with an accent of turquoise/bright blue

Laduree Macarons (photo from Such Pretty Things)

Earth Tones: Green, brown with an accent of orange

Laduree Macarons (photo from WenDaLicious)

For more posts on Laduree, the store, the macarons, the colours, the flavours and everything else wonderful about the Parisian brand click here, here and here for inspiration.

A very cool bakery website: Poilane

When I think of bakeries, the last thing on my mind is finding a high tech, navigation friendly e-commerce site.  Actually, bakeries and technological innovation almost never go hand in hand in my mind.  In Toronto, it is lucky to find a bakery with a website.  I just assume that start up capital is allocated elsewhere than building an online presence.  

All my doubts vanished when I discovered Parisian boulangerie, Piolane.  I was blown away by their website.  Not only is the Poilane site interactive (you get to go into the store and select breads from the shelf and place it in your virtual basket), it is also filled with games, information, quotes, a reading list and it is easy to navigate.  There are several mainstream retail e-commerce sites that are not even this good.   The only question that is left is do they ship to Canada?

Keeping on the topic of Poilane, with a bit more digging online, I found a Poilane butter cookie recipe that was posted on  Dorie Greenspan’s blog.  The cookies look tasty and I am going to try out the recipe this weekend. 

Here is a picture of the cookies, called Punishment Cookies.  Go to the Poilane website to see why- an endearing little story behind the name.

Poilane punishment cookies (from Dorie Greenspan)

Les Macarons- not to be confused with Macaroons

Pronounciation differences have been the brunt of many jokes and the source of much amusement- potato/potato/tomato/tomato.  However, there is one pronounciation difference that I would like to clear up for event entertaining and design purposes- the difference between macaron and macaroons.  Macaron and macaroon are not the same thing.

Macaroon: North American coconut macaroons are dense, moist, sweet, and often dipped in chocolate. They are piped out onto a baking sheet with a star tip to create a Hershey Kiss type shape.  Today, coconut macaroons are most commonly associated with the Jewish holiday, Passover, and has convoluted multi-cultural roots (Italian/French) dating back to the 16th century. Very yummy, sweet, good with tea and I limit myself to eating them once a year.

Here is a picture of a Macaroon: 

Macaron:  Traditional french pastry made of egg whites, ground almonds and icing sugar dating back to the 18th century France.  Macaon are colourful, round, sandwich pastries often filled with chocolate ganache, flavoured buttercream or fruit puree.  They are delicious, creative, little treats that can beatifully enhance an event.

Here are a few pictures of macaron:

Now for the creative element- whether you are hosting an afternoon tea, bridal shower, product launch, wedding or any themed event, macaron can be flavoured or coloured to accentuate any party.  Think of accessorizing a room with pillows to give a certain feel/warmth to a space, macaron can do the same for a party.  Only, they are tastier than pillows.

Here are some beautiful event usages and ideas for macaron.

from Martha Stewart Weddings magazine

Where to find macaron around the world (some of my favourites):

Le Gouter Bernardaud (Hong Kong), Paulette (Beverley Hills), Miette (San Francisco), Pierre Herme (Paris), Laduree (Paris), La Bamboche Patisserie (Toronto)