After a decent sleep-in, I woke up, ate some cold remnants of my leftover pizza, got dressed, and hit the streets. First on my to-do list for the day: groceries. The whole week when Lindsay was here we seemed to find either fancy epiceries or those strange French equivalents of bodegas. More than once I found myself wishing that we would happen upon a regular old grocery store where I could buy some fruit and some juice and some snacks.
Well, for this stay in the city I am armed with the knowledge of Biocoop, a French chain of organic markets. I discovered them in Perigeuex (along with horsemilk). They had a little booklet with recipes by the checkout stand that had a complete listing of all of their locations in France, and wouldn't you know it, there's one about 15 minutes away from my apartment by foot! So, with my re-usable shopping bag in hand, I skipped along the streets into Biocoop to buy yummy things for my belly. What I love about this store is that things are locally sourced when possible, and all of the produce has a sign indicating where it is from. Since it's mostly local, it also means that you do not see things here that are out of season ie. no fresh tomatoes in December! 40 Euros poorer, I skipped home to make a lovely brunch of congee (not very French, I know).
After my brunch, I bundled up and headed out to start Christmas shopping. Gifts for my sister were top priority, and I found myself in BHV (Bazaar De L'Hotel De Ville), one of Paris' historic department stores. This place has pretty much anything you could ever want to buy, from electronics and tools, to jewelry, kitchen gadgets, home furnishings, and fashion. I could have spend hours and hours here just browsing, but I was on a bit of a mission. Two hours later, I emerged. I was hungry again, so I started making my way towards Angelina's, one of Paris' tearooms, for "lunch".
Angelina's was established in 1903, by an Austrian man who named it for his daughter in-law. It's definitely a fashionable spot to go, and is famous for its hot chocolate L'Africain, and for its Mont Blanc. I ordered them both, expecting extreme decadence. I have to say, I wasn't really prepared for what I got, which was extreme decadence^8 + 49 x 2.724 (gotta love equations).
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| Hot Chocolate L'Africain |
The hot chocolate L'Africain is an old fashioned hot chocolate, served in a small pitcher with a bowl of whipped heavy cream that you mix together in your cup according to your personal preference. It also comes with a rather large pitcher of cold water. I was a little puzzled by this until I tasted my hot chocolate. My first sip was straight up, no heavy cream to sully my experience, oh no. But oh my god! This was pure bliss. Descriptions fall short, surely. It was basically like drinking a liquified bar of dark chocolate, or maybe like sipping on ganache when it's still hot. So rich I needed to chase it wish a little water. I added some whipped cream to my chocolate, thinking that it might cut the richness a bit. Clearly the sugar was already affecting my ability to think, because why would the addition of fat make something less rich? Three sips in I decided to embrace the richness and just go with it. Warm and happy, with liquid chocolate flowing through my veins, I made the decision that if I ever have to be put to death by drowning, I would choose Angelina's hot chocolate as the liquid.
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| Mont Blanc |
The Mont Blanc is a pastry which combines meringue, chantilly, and chestnut cream. At roughly the size of an average cupcake, its humble appearance is entirely deceiving as this little guy packs a punch. This was super rich as well, yet somehow, despite the meringue and the fact that I was washing it down with chocolate, it managed to avoid being too sweet. The chestnut cream was the most prominent flavor and texture. I've said before that chestnuts remind me of baked beans in flavor and texture... I take it back.
Anyhow, my incredible sugar high was followed by an equally incredible sugar crash, so I made my way home to the apartment for a quiet night in.
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