0 French Girl's Books

 I sent a desperate email to French Girl in Shanghai,

'WHERE R THE COOKIES?'

 Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees.

The COOKIES were in French Girl's book case (still full) holding up her books.

 U R what U read.

French Girl reads many cookbooks including Jill Colonna's Mad About Macarons.

 I asked her about this one -
The Principle of the little penguin.

It's a book to calm you down.

Oh :O

 Fr Girl is a big fan of cookbook author, Sophie Dudemaine.

So is chef Marthe!

 Elle Magazine is every French girl's bible no matter her age.

Never ever throw one away!

R U kidding?

 French girls in general LURVE these aroma bougies/candles.

 Diptyque ('Baies' is Fr Girl's personal flavor).

 Diptyque bougies serve many purposes.

Wall decor for one. Along with Repetto bags.

No wonder Fr Girl had a fit when I tried to throw mine out.

 When the candle burns down it makes a perfect brush holder. I bet FG has enough of these empties to have a big drinks soiree...

 By the way, just in case you think I'm nuts for noticing ladybugs/coccinelle (bringers of happiness) everywhere in Paris, please note FG has one doing happiness duty here.

 Everyone things French Girls have so much confidence. That certain ineffable something or other, that je ne sait quoi and a load of other bla bla bla.

Guess what?

French girls read self-help books too.

Who knew?

 This one illustrated by Soledad Bravi tells you what positive words to tell yourself bla bla bla

 It's also useful to cut up and add to the decor of your apartment...

 French girls do seem very gifted at home decor.

Some people are not major clutterers
like some other people :(

 I think the French are more crazy for tea than the British.

I brought FG this artisanal tea tin from Tay Teas

Tea title:'Better Than Sex'
Ha!

 My London assignment - bring back FG a tin of Fortnum and Mason's Earl Grey Classic. Useful too as book ends.

 I'm sending French Lulu to Fortnum and Masons window for her birthday. That's a switch.

Store Windows #17

 French Girl has her own book out in fact!

 She shoots Paris windows one evening a week et voila!

All French Girls admire FAB icon, Ines de la Fressange. They need to know about Parisian Chic just as much as we do :O

Go figure...

0 Kindle Your Friendships

Photo by Flora Rocco

My friend Sardi gave me this photo because she thinks I'm consumed with pastry... I really should put it in a frame... Instead of sticking it on top of my stacks of book...

I have more books than you could shake a stick at. That's what I'm consumed with is BOOKS!

Books support me in so many ways. They even support my laptop... But though books are my best friends, I'm not nice to them. I chopp them up like coleslaw. I blow them up at the copy shop. I write in them with yellow markers. I have to. As an artist/illustrator, I'm constantly researching pictures of whatever I'm painting at the moment and my dear friends, books, hold the answers.

I'm not alone in this act of battering books you know. The NY Public Library used to do it. You could visit The Picture Collection to search for reference shots. You would see all your other illustrator friends pouring over mounted pictures (some ripped out of the finest books). It was a social event to go look at torn-out pictures. But that's changed. The NY Picture Collection is online, so no more chit chat with fellow artist. Quelle dommage. And there's Google bien sur. I needed pictures of a Roasted Shallot Tart Tatin yesterday et voila! Easy as pie/tarte.

I'm working on Maison Blanc's Fall Menu and I needed tarte au citron reference too.

That was a whole lot easier to solve than the shallot tarte. I just headed down to Payard Bakery. Course if I was in Paris I'd be falling over tarte citrons on every corner. They're common as lamposts...

If I was in Paris I wouldn't have to bring my own supply of lemon zest for the shot either. Just head over to M. Pierre Herme for super zesty lemon tarts. Back to my dear friends books. I'm wondering if I should break down and finally get a reader..?

I've been flirting with one for quite some time.

Do you LOVE your Kindle?

Wasn't it clever of Amazon to call it the 'Kindle' like you're curling up at a friendly, homey hearth? If I had a Kindle I could curl up too...

Along with not having a Kindle, I don't have an iPhone either. Shhh, I don't even have a cell/portable(!!!)

I'm probably the only one on the planet, but after seeing David Lebovitz post on iPhone Paris Apps I'm rethinking. Could I get an iPhone just for Apps? I'm in love with the Paris Metro App. It could be my new best friend, and I promise to be really, really nice. No chopping or blowing up or two-timing I swear.

Should I or shouldn't I??

Do tell all PBers. Do you have one? Do you love it?

Bonjour Post-Earthquake!

0 Sarabeth's Bakery

Yesterday I went to Sarabeth's Chelsea bakery to see her new book...
This is her new much adored baby, Sarabeth's Bakery, From my hands to yours.
First I stopped in the bakery to grab a few shots...
Miam-miam!
Everything in Sarabeth's Bakery and served in her restaurants, all the recipes are in this book so you can make them too.

We shared fresh-from-the-oven to-die-for chocolate chubbies...
The photos were shot onsite on this very table - they look like you could reach out and take a bite or brush off the flour...
The book is exquisitely designed by Louise Fili - everything is laid out crystal clear and detailed. Even an idiot non-baker like moi could figure these out...
There are tons of step-by-step photos...
This is Sarabeth's ONE copy.
The book does not come out until October 19th but you can pre-order it.
It was all I could do to wrest the book from her hands to grab a few shots...
Everything is classy and classic about this book - the design, the recipes - many are from aunts, mother-in-laws, friends.

And the flavors are classic - vanilla, chocolate, strawberry.
Sarabeth proudly showed me her steeping vanilla beans, soaking in what looked like primordial ooze. She says it's only rum...
Sarabeth demos her industrial mixer...eek
Here sporting the same apron Meryl Streep wore in the movie...
'It's Complicated'
All the baking scenes...
Were shot at Sarabeth's Bakery...
Naturellement my mind turned to the jams I'd seen lined up like soldiers in the shop...
Maybe I could make jam...
Sarabeth and I both studied calligraphy with the queen of Copperplate, Elinor Winters, though I never reached this level of expertise...

I thought of doing a watercolor of this mini jam and golden palmier but my appetite got there first. These babies are gone gone gone.

Sarabeth can usually be found in her Chelsea Market Bakery on 75 Ninth Avenue & 15th street.

Her book is as accessible and friendly as she is. Sarabeth wanted it to be 'no frills'. As if you're in the kitchen together sharing baking tips...

Sarabeth's Bakery will be launched at William Sonoma on October 19th so come by for a taste and a demo.

~

BONJOUR SARABETH!