Dessert

When in France, eat!   You can get good meals in little local restaurants as well as in five-star establishments.  But my eyes, and stomach, are drawn to pâtisseries and boulangeries once the meal is over or when exploring towns.  The former specializes in pastries, cakes, and the like, while the latter sells various sorts of bread.  If you’re fortunate, you may find the two in one spot, a combination I love.

We found one such combination while in Luxeuil.  After taking in all the history we could get, we were ready for refreshment and people-watching, so we stopped for a coffee (cappuccino for me).  Afterwards, I ducked into a shop to pick up these tasty raspberry tarts for dessert after our dinner at home.  Not too sweet, in the style of most European pastries, they came in a wonderful box that was elegant, but with a riff of the 60’s, at least to me.  And the taste (of the tarts, not the box)?  Divine!

Succulent Saturday

A divine marriage, that of a croissant and chocolate; their child, the delicious pain au chocolat.
Easy to enjoy if you live near a great bakery or in France.
However, there’s a more-than-just-good alternative if you have a Trader Joe’s near you.
If so, with a bit of pre-planning, you can make your own pain au chocolat to go with tea, coffee, hot chocolate or the tipple of your choice.