Impracticality

I’ve been craving choquettes like whoa for some reason. And, for some reason, they’re actually not very easy to find. All I’m asking for is an unfilled cream puff sprinkled with pearl sugar! I don’t want the ones from Paul, I feel it’s a cop-out to get them from a chain. I want to find a bakery where they aren’t completely hollow on the inside but somewhat dough-y and egg-y still (yes, I know I don’t like eggs, but this is different). I wandered over the La Grande Epicerie today where I gawked at things and had to restrain myself from picking between 10 different kinds of fleur de sel for €10 each (granted, they were quite hefty pots, and they looked gorgeous) by being practical. “Nads, this will not fit in your suitcase. Why do you need this in NYC when you’re going to leave and come back here again? You can get some when you have an apt in Paris.” So that €10 pot of fleur de sel with piment d’espelette is an expense for the near future. It would look beautiful sprinkled on a piece of baked white fish…

Regardless, I managed to pick up some caramels pomme au beurre and some maldon smoked salt (ok fine, maldon salt is british but whatevs). I also picked a log of chocolate flavored with pimente d’espelette, fleur de sel and violette but then put it down because I tried to be practical again. And then in the bakery portion I spied choquettes. And then I decided the line was too long and the guy I got the chocolate from would notice that I didn’t have it anymore and felt bad. Plus I figured I could get some at Bread & Roses, my next stop. So I continued to wander around the store being fascinated and trying as many samples as I could.

After avoiding les pompiers trying to sell their Christmas calendars outside Le Bon Marche, getting somewhat lost, thinking Christian Constant was where I was going (it wasn’t, lets save that for another trip) I found Bread & Roses. Alas, I was foiled and there were no choquettes. I wasn’t really feeling buying anything, but I always feel awkward going into a small store or a bakery and not getting anything. So I decided to get the pur seigle noir aux raisins de corinthe (rye bread with currants). Don’t think of it as jewish rye bread (I really don’t like jewish rye), but its like a moist sourdough studded with plump raisins and a super crispy exterior. Good choice Nads, good choice.

And yes, there is only half a loaf left. I wish I had some really good butter to put on this...fattie Nads, again. The quest for choquettes will continue when I am back in January! Pan de queso will have to do in Brazil. I have a feeling that will be a very, very bad idea