Pastries & Playgrounds

On Saturday after lunch we headed out for a walk.  We walked through the heart of St. Germain down to Gerard Mulot.  A favorite patisserie for Chris and I, when we visited Paris in 2009.  Chris describes the experience of walking into the bakery a little like the old cartoons when something delicious comes floating through the air & the smell is so amazing it lifts you off the ground and floats you in the direction of the treat.  

These were pictures Chris & I took in 2009 of the Gerard Mulot bakery.  

                        Ryan's cake was very similar to the medium chocolate one in the center.

We were going to get a handful of petit pastries for everyone to try in the Luxembourg Gardens after playing for awhile.  How does one choose when the selection is so vast.  Each kid pointed in the direction of a treat they wanted to try and we went from there.  We also let Ryan choose a big dessert for his belated birthday cake because we never really had one the  day we went to Mont St. Michel.  He chose a chocolate mousse cake that was absolutely beautiful!  The way they can put designs on chocolate is baffling and inspiring.  

With a bag of treats in hand, we continued down the road towards Luxembourg Gardens.  Big pots of colorful flowers, not sure what type, but something similar to daisies lined the walkway.  We went up to a big fountain that was from the Medici family in Italy.  We had gone to the Medici Palace in Florence so it was fun to see something connected to their family here.  We continued on our way, past a big event with families and lots of colorful balloons.  We made it to the Luxembourg playground.  Something to note is a lot of the playgrounds cost for you to play on them.  This was one of those parks & was worth every euro.  The kids had a blast!
Halle had her own little kid playground full of slides, ropes to climb, and bridges to cross.  We rotated who helped Halle & who wanted to tackle the big kid things with Ryan, Rebekah & Jacob.  They ended up spending most of their time at a rotating rope swing.  You would start up on a platform and then hop off the platform where you would swing around until returning back to the platform. 

After a good hour of playing, we took a pastry break!  And yes it was every bit as special as that sounds.  We had a chocolate cake, pistachio cream cookie w/ raspberries, meringue chantilly (absolute favorite for everyone), baba rhum (least favorite for everyone), strawberry tart, & maybe one more - I'm just blanking on what it would be.  We'll have to wait for the pictures to find out.  Here is a recipe I found online for Meringue Chantilly.  It doesn't look quite like the one we had on Saturday - but I'm up for any replica at home when the craving for one comes.  :)  Everyone got a fork & we rotated taking bites of whatever sounded good to try in the moment.  Delicious!!!!!

 

Meringues Chantilly

from Paris Sweets based on a recipe from Pâtisserie Mulot

Meringues

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 c sugar
1 c confectioners’s sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting

Chantilly
2 c chilled whipping cream (NOT ultra-pasteurized)
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 c confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Make the Meringues
Put a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put a 1/2 inch piping tip on a large pastry bag.

Beat the egg whites at medium low speed. When they thicken, increase speed to high. Add granulated sugar when the egg whites start to form peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the powdered sugar being careful not to deflate the mixture. (I added the powdered sugar using a sieve.)

Put the meringue into the pastry bag and pipe out 12 plump ovals, each about 3 in. long by 2 in. wide and 1/2 in. high. Dust with more confectioners’ sugar and let them rest for about 10 minutes until the sugar begins to form little beads.

Put the baking sheet into the oven, using the handle of a wooden spoon to keep the door ajar. Bake for 2 hours, until they are lightly caramel colored. Turn off the heat, close the door, and allow the meringues to dry in the oven for 4 hours or overnight. Transfer the meringues and their parchment to a rack to cool to room temperature. When completely cool, use a thin knife or spatula to separate the meringues from the paper. (These can be made up to 5 days ahead. Keep them covered, cool and dry.)

Make the Chantilly
Get the pastry bag ready by fitting with a 1/2 in. open star tip. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the mixer bowl into the freezer for half an hour if you have time.

Whip the cream and vanilla extract at medium speed. When soft peaks form, add the confectioners’ sugar. Increase speed to high and whip until it holds firm peaks.

Assemble
Spoon the whipped cream into the pastry bags and pipe a twist onto the flat side of one meringue. Place a second meringue's flat side to this one. Place the sandwich on its side onto the baking sheet. Pipe another twist of cream down the center of the pastry. Continue finishing the other meringues. Chill until ready to be eaten. 

After the playground & pastries we walked past the miniture Statue of Liberty in the park & snapped a few pictures.  

Back at home, we made a big bowl of Patricia Well's Winterberry Soup.  A great soup with just lentils, rice & veggies.  Very tasty & a good alternative if not wanting a really heavy soup.  We also had a baguette with cheese & sausage for a side treat with our meal.  Afterwards, we had Ryan's birthday cake & found exactly 11 candles in the kitchen drawer.  The cake he chose was very tasty.  

We all snuggled in for a night of rest & ready to attend the American Church in Paris on Sunday morning.   :)