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Chocolate, Macarons and Patissiers in Paris |
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My
favorite chocolate factory is "à la Petite Fabrique"
à la Petite Fabrique
is located at 12, rue Saint Sabin in the Bastille area (Metro Bastille
or Bréget-Sabin)
Open Tuesday - Saturday 11:00 am - 7:30 pm, closed Sunday - Monday,
It is mentioned
along my walk No. 3 (Bastille). The chocolate is home made
and you can actually see them make it !
During December, the factory is open the three Sundays before
Christmas from 9:30 a.m. until 8 p.m.
À la Petite Fabrique have tablet-style chocolate -
not bars of chocolate and
season specialities.
They
provide gift wrapping as well.
- my personal favorite
chocolate bars: "Orange Fondant", "Praline Noir", "Amer"(bitter) "Amer noisette"
- hazelnuts.
- Tablets
- lait (milk chocolate) 1,68€, praliné 2,26 euros, amer 2,29 euros, fondant noisettes
(hazelnuts) 2,24 euros (prices may change)
Preparing "ganache" - chocolate pieces filled with
different flavors and covered in chocolate
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Bruno putting on
the coffee beans |
coffee beans |
Covering the
ganache with liquid chocolate |
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Jean-Claude
working at a
fast pace |
Fresh off the
assembly line |
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Made in Paris
Jadis et Gourmande
While walking past their window, we had to back up because it was the first time
that I had seen a box of chocolates say "Paris" and beckon me within.
When not preparing for the holidays, Easter and Christmas, you will probably
find cute little gifts to take back home or give as gifts while staying in
Paris.
Their pencil box or reed containers, bottles or large crayons can be filled with
balls of chocolate candy . Or you can find them already made up.
The Jadis et Gourmande print
shop is located behind the desk and the staff speak English. If you would like
something spelled out in English, beware! The "w" and "y" letters are more rare
since they are are not as widely used as in French.
The letters are composed of Gianduja Ivoire (Ivory Coast) chocolate (72%),
grilled and crushed hazelnuts and praline (a mix of hazelnuts and almonds,
caramelized sugar and chocolate).
During the Easter holidays, the worded souvenirs are largely displaced by the
bells, chickens and eggs -- no bunnies. If you wish to have a souvenir during
this period, make a "command" (place an order) which allows them
to prepare it for you within 24 hours.
It is a fun and busy shop -- be sure to "die and go to heaven" with the
ganache nature (chocolate covered chocolate).
Jadis et Gourmande
39 rue des Archives, 75004 Paris
Metro: Hôtel de Ville
Open: Monday 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday to Friday: 10 a.m. to to 7:30 p.m.;
Saturday: 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and soon Sunday: 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Telephone: 01 48 04 08 03
Additional Jadis et Gourmande
are located at:
88 boulevard Port-Royal 75005 Paris
49 bis avenue Franklin Roosevelt 75008
27 rue Boissy d'Anglas 75008 |
Eiffel Tower
"The printing press"
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L'Atelier du Chocolat Bayonne
Bouquets de Chocolats
109, rue Saint-Antoine 75004 near Metro Saint-Paul
Their bouquets are sold by weight: 220 grams for example is
11,40 euros; 1 kilo (kg) or 2 pounds is 51,85 euros.
The bouquets come already assembled or you can pick and choose.
My experience shows that the first time an already-assembled provides a taste of
everything; but if you have specific tastes, choose your own.
The slabs of chocolate are made at their shop.
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Websites about
chocolate
The
Chocolatiers & Confiseurs de France has a website that lists a select number
of shops around France and their specialties (in French).
For further
information such as an address, website, e-mail address, what their activity is
and their specialties, click on the phrase "en savoir plus".
Marquise de Sévigné has been
around since 1898. In October 2005 at the Salon du Chocolat 2005, this company
won first prize in the category Praliné (sugared almond taste) along with
8 other awards for their their chocolat fourré pur ganache, chocolat fourré
praliné, chocolat alliance and tablette de chocolat.
The Marquise de
Sévigné factory and museum
is located just south of Strasbourg. In Paris their shops are at 62, rue de
Seine in the 6th arrondissement and at Bon Marché.
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Other chocolate places:
Everywhere you turn, there seem to be chocolate shops in
Paris. Make sure that they are not industrial and are made of butter (beurre).
La Fontaine
201, rue Saint-Honoré 75001
(Catherine Cluizel)
Learned about la Fontaine at the Salon du
Chocolat, visited their shop. Truffles made on site, the rest
manufactured outside Paris. The assortment
is 8,30€/100g. Chocolate bars in different percentages of cocoa. I like their dark chocolate from
Santo Domingo.
Charles Chocolatier
17,
rue Montorgueil, On the north side of Les
Halles (Metro Les Halles), along my walk from
Montorgueil to Notre Dame.
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Macarons
Gérard Mulot
Magasin Saint-Germain
76 rue de Seine
75006
Metro: Odéon or
Mabillon
Open: 6:45 a.m. to 8
p.m. Thursday through Tuesday
Closed: Wednesday, ten
days in April and 4 weeks in August
Telephone 01 43 26 85 77
Magasin La Glacière
93 rue de la Glacière
75013
Metro: Glacière
Open: Tuesday through
Sunday 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Closed: four weeks in
August
Telephone 01 45 81 39
09
Macarons are found
everywhere in Paris. Trying to decide which is the best is as challenging as
finding the best chocolate factory (okay, that was relatively easy) or the best
bar of chocolate.
I suggest Gérard
Mulot.
The store at rue de
Seine is larger and has a wider range of products. La Glacière is more
neighborhood intimate and handles the regular and seasonal macarons and
chocolates.
The
New York Times carried an article on the Gérard Mulot's attractions.
Gregory Renard
Cacao and Macarons
120 rue Saint-Dominque
75007
Metro: Ecole Militaire
Telephone 01 47 05 19
17
Francesca suggests
Gregory Renard Cacao and Macarons.
"To be honest, I have
never eaten the chocolates in his shop, but I have become a macron maven and I
think his are the best I have tasted so far. I especially love the Pommes et
Cannelle (apple and cinnamon)."
If you haven't tried them and you
like macarons, stop by. He's on rue Saint Dominique in the 7th.
The
Washington Post carried an article on Mr. Renard's shop.
Pierre Hermé Francesca wrote an
interesting commentary comparing Gregory Renard and Pierre Hermé macarons that I
would like to share with you:
"Just an update on the macaron situation. Since my last email to you, I have
been to Pierre Hermé twice and, while I still prefer the pomme et cannelle chez
Gregory RENARD, I must say that the macarons I had at Hermé were divine and they
are definitely more original and varied than any place that I have been so far.
The first time I went there I took my Parisian landlady, Helene, who,
surprisingly, didn't know of this place, even though she knows every nook and
cranny in the city. We both had the caramel which will probably be the taste
tester since everyone seems to have that one. In Helene's opinion it was the
best she had ever eaten. The next day she insisted we go back since she had
dreamed of macarons all night and when it comes to things sucreé, I'm easy. She
bought another caramel and I bought a selection of four of the tiny ones. They
were original and sublime and, I might add, expensive. Four of tiny ones cost
over 6€.
It is easy to find the shop near Saint Sulpice on Rue Bonaparte because there is
a line that goes out the door and down the block. You wonder if it will be worth
it. When you finally get in the door, you can't see the selections very well
because there is always someone in front of the case and they take your order
before you actually get to that section. So, from a distance, I just pointed to
the ones that looked the prettiest. I couldn't tell you what they were. On both
occasions it was worth the wait and ordinarily I don't wait in line for
anything." -- Francesca 2007
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Watching a television
show on the TV channel M6 in Paris, it followed three of the best pastry chefs (pâtissiers).
Plaza Athenée, Grand
Hôtel and Fauchon |
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May 2008