Seattle: Parchment Bakery Pop Up

I am floored that one person can create such diversity with flour, butter and sugar. As I explore life in Seattle, I clip articles about people and places I am interested in and Laura Pyles of Parchment has been on my radar. I am my own Rick Steves.  

I read a lot about Laura Pyles' mad skills with pastry and heard that she had gone the "Pop Up" route to get her product into the public's hands. Her incarnation Parchment (a wonderful name for a bakery!) sells pastries during the Ballard farmers market on Sunday inside the beautifully stocked cooking store, Culinary Essentials, where she also teaches classes.

Earlier this year, we went to the Ballard Farmers Market and tracked down Laura. We chose a rhubarb pinwheel and a blueberry hand pie for our late breakfast and then on impulse, I added one of her famous cannolis when I saw that she had a few left. She was pleased that I had heard about them and said that she's probably the only pastry chef on earth who still fries her own cannoli shells. We could tell - it was delicious. 


Dan and I traded bites of the pastries back and forth and couldn't decide between them. Yum and crunch and tart and yes. That 's how I would describe them.

Good luck to you, Laura! May the life of a Pop Up Baker treat you well.

Piroshky Piroshky is Delicious Delicious

I finally made it to Piroshky Piroshky for a savory Russian pastry and found a future cigar box purse along the way.

You can't browse a Visit Seattle guide without being directed to Pike Place Market, an indoor marketplace with floral vendors, fresh fish, spices, pasta and independent artists selling their designs. 

The overall feel of Pike Place is pride - experts in their field promoting their offerings in a bustling atmosphere.  After you read about the fish throwing mayhem at Pike Place Fish, the guides generally branch out and include specialty restaurants nearby.

Piroshky Piroshky is a popular Russian bakery that actually has to have crowd management on weekends. A young staffer hands out menus and allows customers into the space in front of the glass case, just a few at a time. There are ropes out front just like Disney World, to mange the throngs of tourists hungry for an endorsed snack.

The bakery is tiny, but it does offer a a few stools and a long ledge to allow for on site eating. Dan and I were lucky to secure a spot, which is where I took the photo of my delicious ham, cheese and spinach piroshky (tender pastry, rich filling - the perfect cozy meal!) along with my newest cigar box. 

I found a cigar shop along one of the back alleyways across from the main Pike Place Market and I could not resist it's shape or color. Someday someone will have a fabulous handbag, compliments of this rainy morning of exploring Seattle. If you need a red cigar box purse now, I have two in stock. Please browse my Etsy shop for more information.

Belle Epicurean: Afternoon Treat

A pear almond brioche, an apricot pastry and lots caffeine. Sometimes this is all you need to save an afternoon. Thank you, Belle Epicurean.

Caramel Coated Cream Puffs: A Croquembouche Deconstructed

I ate. I swooned. I asked where I could get more cream puffs.  

Last fall, my friend showed up at my door with the top tier of a croquembouche. Have you ever seen a croquembouche? The name comes from the French phrase that means to crunch in the mouth. A croquembouche is a glorious tower of cream puffs dipped in a hard caramel shell. 

My first exposure to croquembouche was watching a Martha Stewart Christmas VHS tape when I was in high school. Yes, it was way back when. The video was compelling and I have never forgotten how Martha made it look easy to waft spun sugar onto the tower of cream puffs. You can watch a portion of it here - the construction of the dessert begins at time marker 4:20.

Until last fall, I had never had the opportunity to taste a croquembouche and the "cream puffs" I had tried were merely puff pastry shells with flavored whipped cream inside. Meh.

Then my friend stopped by and told me that she had brought me a treat from a party the night before. Her friend had ordered an enormous croquembouche from Le Petit Prince for the centerpiece of a buffet and it had been treated more like art than dessert. She sent the entire top of the tower home with my friend. French pastries wait for no man and you have to eat them while they are fresh. Twist my arm.

When I reached to pull a puff from the tower, I had no idea that I would think back to this dessert time and again. Rum spiked cream inside a tender puff coated in a crunchy caramel shell. Oh me, oh my. No wonder Martha Stewart took the time to make this for her video, it is delicious! Here is a recipe from Saveur magazine if you want to try it.

So the other day I broke down and called Le Petit Prince in Birmingham Michigan to ask about that glorious croquembouche. Is there anything similar that they make and sell separately?  I told them that I didn't have an event worthy of an entire tower, but that I really wanted to eat a puff again! If I'm thinking about a dessert 6 months later, I've got to have it again. I was thrilled to hear that the puffs are sold individually and I ordered a dozen on the spot. Happy Valentine's Day to us.

It may seem outrageous to order a dozen French pastries on a whim, but I'll tell you why I did it. 

#1 A business that makes labor intensive dessert needs support. 
#2 If I'm going to ask them to make a special order, the order need to be worth      their while. A dozen made sense.  
#3 Life is for living.

 Remember, it's the 12 Days of Valentine's Day and everything counts

9 Bean Rows Pastries are a 10

It was the right thing to do.  When my dad and I stopped into the new 9 Bean Rows location in Lake Leelanau and saw their bakery case full of homemade French pastries, he said he thought that we should sit at a table and enjoy one right then. Amen.  

I had an apricot pinwheel and this sticky-chewy-buttery masterpiece got us talking about how it would be easier to turn down other pastries in the future, now that we have had the best. 

Did you notice the green magazine cover called "Edible Grand Traverse" in my photo (above)? I love this free foodie magazine that is printed by region (I found Edible Seattle in Washington) and spotlights the best and brightest in food and farms. Look for one in your area.

There are a lot of croissants and pastries in the world and I give you my word, the pastries at 9 Bean Rows rival the best I have ever had.

I also wanted you to see baker Jen's beloved baking books.  This is the well worn library of a master.  The most tattered cover belongs to The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo Friberg.  If you want to learn the craft, I would start here.

Waterlogue: An Artist's Dream App

Would you believe that this is a computer-generated watercolor of one of my photographs? I am giddy as I think of all the possibilities.  I just purchased the $5 iPad app called "Waterlogue," because I have never seen any computer-effect that looks as fluid and convincing. My original photo is below.

The app is so easy to use - I simply uploaded/opened a photo from my iPad in Waterlogue and selected the "natural" effect. A minute later I had this original watercolor to share with you! Since the image can be saved "to your camera roll," it is a JPEG and therefore able to be sent to an online photo printer to make enlargements.  I want to make a few watercolors from my trip to England and then have them printed in 8x10.  I can frame them and hang these original pieces of art as if I water colored them myself - it is nothing short of revolutionary.  

Yes, real watercolors are incredible and I will still "paint for fun" in the garden, but my skills are far from stellar. I love being able to enjoy an "image" as I captured it with my camera...but in the whisper soft medium of watercolor paint.  Waterlogue, you are my hero!

A Pastry on Your Time

When I see a pastry like this and know that the baker must have been up late the night before baking them, I have a hard time resisting.  Blueberries were in season and this simple shortbread crust masterpiece had to be mine.  It was made by Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery in Traverse City and sold at the Sara Hardy Farmers Market.

What's funny is that while I took this beautiful photo to show you, I actually ate it "on the fly" over two days.  A bite when I passed by it on the way to do laundry; another bite as I headed back to take a shower.  Then I covered it and put it in the fridge.  The next day it was much of the same.  A bite here and there until it was finished and I enjoyed every bit of it.  

It became like a box of 6 chocolates, that I ate over time. Do you know what I mean?  Sometimes when you each a gorgeous dessert stem-to-stern, you talk and chew and miss how delicious it is.  Every time I took a bite and moved on, I was happy that I had splurged on a blueberry tart.  You don't always need embroidered napkins and monogrammed silver to eat something this beautiful. Enjoy it in a way that works for you. 

I made the immediate gratification of a French pastry last.  That is delight!

Las Vegas: Jean Philippe Patisserie

Oh me, oh my!  When I arrived at The Bellagio in Las Vegas, I made a beeline for the Jean Philippe Patisserie, which is to the left of the conservatory not far from the lobby.  You know, just to make sure it was still there and that I could go ahead with my "travel plans" of having a pastry a day.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but a girl has to dream, doesn't she?  In truth, I have been here 3 days and have actually spread my sugar consumption around.  

Day One: a multitude of mini-pastries at The Buffet at The Bellagio (it was our travel day and we hadn't had lunch or dinner, so a buffet was a fun way to go.) 

Day Two: a red velvet cupcake at Jean Philippe.  The cake was delicious - dense and moist.  The frosting encased in this glorious red lacquer was sweet, fluffy and satisfying.  Would I order this again - absolutely! 

Day Three: I ordered myself a small cup of gelato at Cafe Gelato, which is inside The Bellagio, next to the Fine Art Gallery.  I had Bailey's and Dark Chocolate side-by-side and I have never been happier.  I was able to eat it outside on the terrace that overlooks the pool.  I stood in the sun (it was about 62 and sunny today) and enjoyed the fresh air and sweet treat.

I still have two days left on this trip, so there are more pastries in my future.  

Paper Pastries

The Japanese shop girl had no faith in me at all.  That makes my paper pastry triumph all the more sweet.  

You know by now that I love things made of paper.  I have constructed paper houses.  I made a paper clock for my office.  To me, paper is as wonderful as fabric. It holds the same limitless possibility for color and texture, just in a difference medium.  

I have a few Japanese paper scenes that I love.  So when I was scouting for treasures at the Japanese department store, Shirokiya, in Honolulu last year, I had high hopes of finding something neat made of paper.  And I did!  

My heart stopped when I saw a packet of essentially origami pastries. Can you stand it?  I had to have them.  The packet contained a stack of printed papers and instructions in Japanese. 

There were 3 sets ($5 each) - two of the themes were dessert and one was sushi.  I was really happy as a swooshed up to the register.  When I asked the sales girl what she knew about these projects she was was very discouraging.  She said they were hard and that I would be okay if I already practiced origami or if knew how to read Japanese- blah, blah, blah. 

Well I won't say that it was easy or that I avoided tape in the final steps, but the paper pastries I have made are above and I couldn't be happier.  A cup of green tea, anyone? 

Coffee and Croissants by 9 Bean Rows

Nope, it's not an egg yolk...it's an apricot!  It was Fourth of July weekend and we wanted to get out of the house and spend the morning at the farmer's market, but not before some coffee!

The luck was that there were still "9 Bean Rows" apricot pinwheels left at The Pedaling Beans coffeehouse in Lake Leelanau.  Yum yum yum yum yum.  I recently watched a baking show on making croissants from scratch and I can honestly say that it's never gonna happen.  Baking these kind of pastries from scratch is just too labor-intensive for me, so I will leave it to the experts!

All summer long, the 9 Bean Rows bakery drops off fresh croissants on certain days of the week (Weds, Fri, Sat?).  If you want to make sure that you get one, you can call and place your order ahead of time.  When the shipment comes in, they dole out the pastries into the pre-order bags.  That's why I felt lucky that there were some left when we came in on this particular Saturday!  

On other days I have placed an order, and there is something wonderful about walking up to the counter and seeing a bag that says, "Anne Reeves" on it.  It just makes me feel smart...and still pretty lucky.

A hot latte and a fresh apricot pinwheel...this is a moment of delight.

Pastries in Paris

I've written a gorgeous 120-page book on Paris with a photo and story on every page.  Because of my book, people always ask me: "What's your favorite thing about Paris?"  Since the list of what I love about Paris is long, I usually tell them favorites from a couple different categories: 

• Favorite Pastry
• Favorite Time of Day
• Favorite Spot in a Museum
• Favorite Garden
• Favorite Gift to bring friends

This approach gives them something to think about, has them look at Paris in different way and often ends in a sale of my book because they realize that there is simply too much to remember - which is why I needed to put it all in a book in the first place! A very fun cycle, don't you think?

All of this has me thinking about Paris even more, so today I am spotlighting my favorite pastries in Paris - where and how to eat them.

• Favorite Formal Pastry - the pink Ispahan (far left) at Laduree.  Dine indoors on a pale green paper-covered table on the Champs-Elysee.  The ispahan is pink, you get to eat a real rose petal, the meringue is crunchy sweet and the cream center and fresh raspberries are divine.

•  Favorite Macaroon - a 6-piece assortment from Pierre Herme.  Eat them on a nearby bench at Place St Sulpice.

• Favorite Millefeuille - at a table with friends at Angelina's on Rue de Rivoli

• Favorite Treat to eat out of a bag while you walk: Financier from Laduree - a small rectangular or almond shaped (2 bite) cake that holds it's shape, as a resiliant sponge texture and a delicate almond flavor

• Favorite Cookie: a box of Punitions from Poilane bakery is full of tiny fluted butter cookies that are perfect with tea in the courtyard of your hotel.

French Pastries

Do you love it?  I have placed some "Sweet Treats" decals by Graphique de France in my kitchen and it looks like I have spent the day putting my pastry skills to work!

I happen to have a 2-tier hot pink glass cake plate (doesn't everyone?) that I loaded with apples, lemons and clementines to extend the look into reality.  Neat, eh?  It really makes you stop and look when you walk into the kitchen.

Love it!  And since the red-wine poached pears looks so tempting, I want to direct you to a quick and easy poached pear recipe from Martha Stewart Everyday Food - they are delicous.

Angelina's in Paris

Was I having a good day or what? This is a little something I ordered (and inhaled!) at Angelina's in Paris. My favorite pastry is "Millefeuille" (often called a "Napoleon" in America) and I ate them all over Paris in the name of research. In my opinion, Angelina's on Rue de Rivoli has the best!

Julie and Julia

Julie & Julia and French pastries on an open air patio. Don't you think that is the perfect birthday evening for me? Last night my dear friends, Phyllis & Helen, brought me along to their book club's movie night.

You just took a cooking class in Paris, they said.
You've seen Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian, they said.
You have a blog, they said.

When I told them that I had read both books that the movie was based on ("My Life In France" and "Julie & Julia"), it was clinched.  I was "crashing" their book club on my birthday.

And what fun I had. The movie was darling and made every girl in the theater want to try cooking Boeuf Bourguignon. What struck me the most was that it showcased passion in a way that you never see it in the movies.

Passion for cooking.
Passion for one's spouse.
Passion for a project that no one understands.

Bravo. We ended the evening on an open air patio talking about a book I wanted to write on Paris  (And I did! Click the link) and eating cream puff swan. I assure you, nothing could be better than that.

Paris: Laduree

I think it is important to have goals. So in my swagger of preparation, I announced that I was going to eat a pastry at Laduree every afternoon while I was in Paris.

As you might suspect, there are always too many pastries and not enough time. However, I was able to spend a lovely afternoon at Laduree with my church friend, Margaret and her sister, Sue. The two sisters were vacationing in Paris together (what memories!) and I was able to join them for tea and a little shopping.

This magnificent dessert is called Ispahan and is described as "rose petal cream on a rose-flavored macaroon biscuit with fresh raspberries and lychee."
As a photographer, I chose it strictly on looks (who wouldn't want a pink dessert?) and it was delicious. Yes, that is a real rose petal on top and when grown properly, they are edible. Yum!

Paris: Gerard Mulot

Did you gasp too? I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this pretty little cake in the window of Gerard Mulot.

We were walking along rue de Seine in the 6th arrondissement, when I saw this cake on display in Gerard Mulot's shop window and gasped.

The strawberries, the doily, the pink satin ribbon - it looked like a little girl dressed for a party.

All I can say is, "Let them eat cake!"

Laduree

Why haven't I posted any dessert or candy recipes lately? I am saving myself for Paris! Nothing compares to the pastries and sweets made the City of Light and I am gearing up to try one of everything! This beauty is an Eclair a la Pistache at Laduree.

Now do you see what I mean?

Joyeux Anniversaire!

My doorbell rang and as I glanced out the window, I saw a blur of children running from my house. On my doorstep was this box of French pastries! The box had a window showcasing these beauties and "Joyeux anniversaire, Ann!" was written in beautiful script around the outside. This is the work of my beloved neighbor and her garden club girls. They brought Paris to me! I am systematically eating my way through this box and I assure you, they are a delight!

Friends & Pastries

Have you met a friend for coffee & a pastry lately? Get out your calendar, call her and make it happen. Then put a sticker on the day to denote the upcoming fun. I load my calender with stickers for everything from book club to the farmers market. It makes the paper month look so much prettier and lets the special occasions "pop." Organizing your life is so more than just writing things down.