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.

The Nowness Fantastic Food contest is opened to everyone who likes good food and taking good photos to share them thru. Pics submission is yet closed, but votes continue until Jan 6th, 2011.

The 10 favorites will be included in a nowness guide on foodspotiing.com and the winner picked up by a panel of venerable judges will a Nowness contributors … which I’d love to!

I had fun taking on the competition as I like good food, and I like photography. I shot this Pierre Hermé 2000 feuilles pastry on purpose for the contest. It’s one of my so guilty pleasures I avoid to indulge too often. It’s at least 10 000 kcal right in my buttock. Then, after having posted it, I noticed this link to post more… oh oh oh. My lightroom library is full of food pics. My friends don’t invite me anywhere anymore as I keep them from eating until I take a good pic of their plates (I’m kidding… I have no friends. ha ha ha). I browse it all to find the delicious things I wanted to share.

1000 feuilles is a common pate feuilletée based French pastry. Pierre Hermé made it its own stuffing it with grossly squashed almond butter in between brick leafs. The brick leafs tastes less butter-like than the pate feuilletée. That makes almonds taste stronger. It’s called 2000 feuilles.

Those giant pomegranates are from my November trip in Roma. It was the mushrooms I wanted to shoot at first. They were displayed in the streets of Roma at the front door of several restaurants. Eventually, after developing the pics on my monitor, it’s the red of the pomegranates that caught my eyes.

I had a slice of this delicious brioche at the 144 faubourg’s brunch, the restaurant of the Bristol resort, a few yards walking from Elysée Palace.

Yakisoba noddles from Happa Tei.

Croissants and pains au chocolat are guessed about in the foreground while focus is made on the jams behind at a Plaza Athénée breakfast. It looks even more desirable than having the pastry on focus.

A typical saturday lunch at home. I never have lunch home during the week. Then, when saturday comes, I like to keep it easy and have some meal that tastes healthy. No useless fat, no overcaloric carbohydrates, lean proteins and vegetables. This is pasta sprinkled with parmigiano, shrimps, steamed spinach and mashed carrots.

I like that the Internet gives chance to any Miss Do to enter a worldwide competition.
Come on! Vote. It’s fun!
My pics are page 11/22 of Fantastic Food.

Nespresso didn’t bother innovate new flavors this year for Xmas. They reedited the same caramel, vanilla, almond trio flavors into a Livanto grand cru.  My favorite is vanilla

May I advise a Vanilla espresso together with the Vanilla tart of Pierre Hermé? Hmmmm Yummy!

I have been invited a few weeks ago to (pay) a luncheon at Caviar Prunier house at Place de la Madeleine, Paris. You bet I booked at the second I received the invitation. It’s been a while that I wanted to attend one of these evenings.

For $50 for sampling all of their products: salmon different fashion, sturgeon  and … caviar. Let me say it was the icing of he cake. Actually, I never tasted such a delicious caviar. I guess that each time I tasted caviar before that experience, it was like I was sucking the sturgeon’s teats. You see what I mean? A strong taste and smell from inside my mouth of iodine or tide.