Tuesday was a great day. It started out with a behind the scenes look at the boulangerie/patisserie in Chevry. Chevry is the place I used to get lost driving to all the time. Well, I don't get lost AT ALL anymore! The tour of the bakery was organized by the French Conversation group of AVF (Accueil des Villes Francais), sort of the French Welcome Wagon. There were about a dozen of us and we got to hang out in the back of the bakery for over an hour, watching everything!
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| this is the boulangerie/patisserie in chevry |
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| this is the nice man who gave us our tour |
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| this is the bread guy |
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| les baguettes |
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| hot out of the oven |
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| hot bread (HB) |
In addition to a variety of other breads, each boulangerie sells a plain baguette and their signature loaf. In Centre Ville, the two dueling specialty loaves are the Croquise (Magda's favorite) and the Giffoise (Christopher's favorite). At the bakery in Chevry, their specialty loaf is called the La Festive. One day soon, we are going to have a Baguette-Off to decide which specialty loaf is the best. When my Mom & Bric visited over Thanksgiving, we had a similar baguette-off. That one was to decide which was better, the expensive baguette or the cheap one. Of course, I can't remember the outcome of that contest, so we'll have to do that one again too!
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| first baguette-off of many |
Also owned by the bakery is the tiny little chocolate shop next door. Many of the chocolates are bought directly from artisans, but they also make some candies on site, too. The candies are made in a very tiny, almost closet-like room, hidden in the back of the kitchen. They keep this space separate from the rest, maintaining a cool temperature to prevent all the chocolates from melting!
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| not bon bons, but bon |
One of the things I learned at French Conversation is that not all candies are "bon bons." I think only the hard candies that you suck on are called bon bons. In all honesty, I wasn't very excited by the chocolate making. But I was totally fascinated by the pastries!
When I saw these, I felt like some people must feel when they look through the nursery window at newborn babies. Look! When these grow up, they will be cream puffs!
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| profiteroles |
Looking at these cake pans was just as exciting as looking in the window of a jewelry store. Oh là là!
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| beautiful cake rounds |
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| éclaires in the oven |
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| pain au chocolate et croissant |
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| ready for the oven |
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| newborn éclaires |
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| where the magic happens |
This is the part of the bakery where they make palmiers and tarts. We sat here for about 15 minutes watching this guy work with the dough. After about 10 minutes, I happened to take a look a the calendar on the wall. (double click on the photo to see what I'm talking about.)
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| new meaning to "food porn" |
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| that's a lot of dough |
This guy was great. He has worked in this bakery for 18 years and he loves his job. It was a real pleasure watching him work.
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| really and truly behind the scenes at the bakery |
After the bakery tour, we were all invited to Mireille, the animatrice's house for lunch. (The animatrice is the person who facilitates the French Conversation meetings.) She made the most delicious boeuf bourguignon for lunch. The nicest part is that she said that Gaius was also welcome!
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| gaius at the head of the table |
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| best lunch EVER |
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| love that face |
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| twinkies |
Overall, a very memorable day!
à bientôt!
4 comments:
Did you get a sense that Heather was EXCITED and in 7th heaven while touring the bakery? For those of you who don't know, Heather is a terrific chef (and baker) and makes delicious magic in her kitchen almost daily. Lucky me, she's invited me to her home many times!
P.S. to Gaius: do your remember your promise to Mommy about your face? :) :) Ditto from Lola
Heather, you're making me hungry! All that stuff looks fabulous!
I can't believe I wrote "THE La Festive." Duh.
Did they have macaroons? Or flan, which is my personal French favorite. It must smell so good in there. When Dennis and I went to Paris a few years ago, we would literally eat our way to whatever site seeing place we were headed. There's a boulangerie in every corner, so we would start at our hotel and by the time we got to our destination, we stopped at 5-6 different bakeries. Yum!
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