I got back home tonight at 7 exhausted, angry, revolted, depressed from a f…$%*€$$%…g working day having got pressured by my workmates. I heated my vegetable soup in the microwave (pumpkin, home made … delicious), and drunk my bowl of milk reading my preferred blogs Mode Personnelle (hilarious), Just Jared (shouldn’t but so nice to gossip), Cafe Mode (educated from a French fashion journalist). Feeling still harassed, I tuned in to My Yoga Online to find some excruciating class. Started one and stopped at 30 min as I was lying face down on my mat my jaw in my hand gazing at the guy. Off to shower (10 minutes boiling water on my back …. oh god so good), got back to my computer and thought ‘If I write a post, I have million of notes and ideas on hold.’

La Galette des Rois marks epiphany and we celebrate  on the first Sunday after new year. It’s a kind of pie stuffed with an almond frangipane (almond + sugar). If you find the ‘feve’ (tiny piece of porcelain), you’re crowned the king/ queen. It’s an extended family fest, you gather with the kids and watch them adults alike pat the galette to find the feve before choosing their slice. It’s hilarious.

But … I live in London for now … no galette around (I haven’t searched hard). Not big a deal for my super boyfriend though who got one for me from Pierre Herme (the best of best), back from a business trip in Paris. Instead of frangipane, it is made of chocolate. From any other pastry, I would scream ‘Sacrilege’ but look! it’s Pierre Herme.

I do not (very politely) agree with anyone proclaming Laduree is the Parisian best chicest pastry. Upon my buds, the macaron bossman in Paris is Pierre Herme.

I heard that Herme worked for Ladurée when he started his career. I don’t know whether he introduced the macaron at Ladurée or just improved the existing one, but his macarons are by far yummier. The biscuit shell is delicately crunchy. It doesn’t get stick to your teeth. The heart is … creamier. The flavors are insane. Herme’s the yoda of salty raw material used to make sweet macarons. The olive oil-hazelnut, foie gras-chololate or white truffle flavors are just some example of how genius the guy is.

I have no photo of the macarons as I used to buy a couple of them and enjoy right away with my espresso leaned on the bar of a nearby bistro. I should be in Paris in 2 months. I’ll update the pics. I promise.

I booked a Sunday brunch at the London’s Blue Elephant the very day the 2012 Olympic cycle race was testing. Several roads closed to cars and pedestrians alike to free the pavement to the bikers. I stepped outside the tube station, and got stuck on the wrong side of the road by volunteers barring the streets with fences. I and my unfortunate new mates weren’t allowed to cross before 30 minutes. My reservation was in just 10 minutes. My brunch, which I starved myself for since the evening before, was the street-wide away from me. And no bikers approaching! sigh! my brunch! Suddenly (ta ta ta you hear the trumpets?) a hero (6 ft tall – 200 lbs – pink tee – very Le Stade Français the national French rugby team) pushed the fence at the other roadside and walked on through that damned street. See! See! Why he can? And I can’t? The volunteer gave me a desperate, depressed, disappointed look, pulled the fence off and left me leak out. I suppose that all patrons got stuck as I had the restaurant all for myself to take pictures. One of the waiters even asked me whether I was planning to eat ha ha ha. ‘Yes my dear! but let me enjoy it first with my eyes! ‘

The front door of the Blue Elephant of London is just as regular as any restaurant. But when you step inside, it’s a total shock. After the dark lobby, you get in a tropical garden of flowers, a built in fountain and fish ponds underneath wooden bridges. It’s awesome!

All ingredients are of the finest quality and the choice of meals and desserts is just huge. The waiters are the friendliest and most hospitable folks you can meet in London. I went once to the Parisian branch which is as yummy but a bit less spicy.

The sunday brunch is on special offer during summer: £30 only per person. You are informed from now!

Blue Elephant , 3-6 Fulham Broadway, London SW6 1AA

On my way out to Guiana last week, I stopped one day in Paris to have my hair cut and shop beauty products to refill my bathroom cabinet. I am loyal to my Sisley products, which are cheaper in France, and nothing is as good as the beauty products I’ve been purchasing in French pharmacies for years. Among my favorites, Klorane’s shower gels smell really good and are still gentle to my dehydrated skin.They are available in tens of fresh to floral fragrances. I stocked my Bioderma cleanser as well.  It’s a non rinse soothing lotion that’s liquid like a toner but that you can use alone, no prior milk needed. I wet a cotton pad and wipe my face. All dirt and make up are gone. It leaves my skin fresh, and doesn’t dry it. Dexeryl is a hydrating cream intended for really dry skin that I mix with Melvita 100% Organic Argan Oil to moisturize my thirsty body skin. Dexeryl costs close to nothing in France. It’s really thick, but it moisturizes really well.

France is the worldwide capital of the best bakeries and pastries ever. And it’s not because I’m French I’m claiming it loud. Ok I might be a tad self-centered. But, honestly! I don’t think any pastry is as fine as Pierre Herme’s. Though (there’s always a but), there’s still a couple of delicacies French pastry chefs still need to master: the cookies and the carrot cake. I benchmarked a couple of pastry bakeries last week end: Ottolenghi at Kensington and the Hummingbird Bakery on old Brompton road, both in Central London.

Both carrot cakes are equally yummy. The Hummingbird’s icing feels more like like a meringue on the tongue (which I like more) while Ottolenghi’s tastes more like a chantilly cream.

Out of competition in the slideshow is a self-called clafoutis. No so- … because it’s nothing like a clafoutis. The dough is more genoise alike like clafoutis texture is a hydrid of cake and cream. But it tastes good anyway. Go for it. It’s a win!

Serve with a hot cafe latte

100 g/ 3.5 oz butter. 2 large eggs. 160 g/ 5.6 oz floor. baking soda. 80 g/ 2.8 oz brown sugar. 2 bananas, 400 g/14 oz blueberries, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger (grated or powder). 1 tbsp of rum

Mix the butter and sugar together.  Whip the eggs and pour them onto the sugar and butter and mix well .

In a second bowl, mix the cinnamon, ginger, floor and baking soda together. Put the blueberries in (to keep them from sinking in the bottom of the cake) and pour the 2nd bowl in the 1st. Mix well. Take care to not explode the blueberries. Pour the rum in.

Leave it for 30 minutes.

Cut the bananas in two long halves. Preheat the oven 200 °C/390°F.

Pour one quarter of the dough in a mould. Put 1 half of banana, and then pour 2nd quarter of the dough and so on. Take care to have the banana and blueberry evenly distributed in the dough.

Put in the oven for 45 minutes.