Prada Candy

Oh, how do I love Wes Anderson, let me count the ways. Oh, how do I love Prada, let me count some more. Wes Anderson + Prada? Be still my heart! Yes, it's true, Wes Anderson and collaborator  Roman Coopola have co-directed three short films for Prada's new fragrance titled Candy. The films, which run just over a minute long, take place in Paris and are are filled with Anderson's trademark quirky coolness. French model and actress Léa Seydoux stars as the title character, Candy, a young woman torn between the love of two men, Julius and Gene (who frankly look like twins). I couldn't help thinking of Francois Truffaut's 1952 film Jules et Jim while watching it and Sydoux actually mentions that film in the behind the scenes footage. Whatever the inspiration, Anderson and Coopola have given us some seriously fun eye candy (no pun intended). The films are delightful and utterly French. There's also plenty of dessert action, including a birthday celebration and a scene in a cafe. Oh, yes, and then there's the fragrance itself, which is described as "sweetly addictive," a mix of winter musk, benzoin, and caramel. Check out Prada's website for more info. ~Erin

How to Visit a French Bakery

Ahhh, France. The Louvre, the countryside…the pastries! It’s hard for me to think about France without thinking about the food. I’ve never been to France, but I definitely have this sort of idealized notion of french cuisine, especially french sweets! This video titled How to Visit a French Bakery perfectly captures all of my french bakery fantasies. Created as a collaboration between Ben and Gabrielle Blair (Olive Us) and filmmakers Tiger in a Jar, the video features three of Ben and Gabrielle’s six kids visiting a bakery in France, where they recently moved. Apparently, the Blair clan packed up and moved to France last year and are currently living in a farmhouse in the french countryside (sigh…).The video itself is beautifully shot and reminds me a bit of a Wes Anderson film. It’s fun and cute and the children are lovely and so well-behaved. If you’re like me and you daydream about visiting a charming little french bakery and eating croissants and macarons, you’re bound to like this video. For more Olive Us videos, click here. ~Erin

A la Mère de Famille's Ice Cream on a Stick

As the summer of the heat dome comes to a close, I couldn't resist one last summer treat, and these fancy schmancy ice cream bars are the perfect way to say goodbye to summer. Created by Paris' oldest sweet shop, A la Mère de Famille (founded in 1761!), these sticks of frozen loveliness start out with homemade ice cream (chocolate-caramel, pistachio, vanilla, raspberry, mango-passion), which is then rolled-up in chocolate, and layered with with nuts (pistachios, almonds, or hazelnuts). Such beautiful, crunchy goodness. Click here for locations throughout Paris.

Patrick Roger: Chocolate Feathers

Patrick Roger, one of the most creative chocolatiers in France, has just released his spring 2011 line, and it includes an Easter collection of beautifully rendered chocolate fowl, hens, and cockerels. Like everything he does, Roger created these lovelies with both humor and skill. I love all the feather details and the hen with the necklace is fantastic! You can purchase your very own chocolate bird by visiting one of Roger's Paris shops, prices begin at 49 euros. Click here for locations. If you'd like to try Roger's sweets on a much smaller scale, his boxed candies are available for international delivery via his Web site, right here.

Salon du Chocolat Fashion Show

The world famous Salon du Chocolat took place in Paris last weekend, the latest stop in the festival's year long jaunt around the globe. Chocolatiers, chocolate producers, and chocolate fans descended upon the city for five days of exhibitions, demonstrations, and oh, yeah, chocolate . . . as far as the eye can see. Oh, course, my favorite part of Salon du Chocolat, whether it's in Paris, Madrid, or Tokyo, is the chocolate fashion show! That's when you get to see models strut their stuff wearing oodles and oodles of chocolate jewelry, hats, and clothing. Seriously, it’s fashion and chocolate. What’s not to love?? My favorite outfit by far was the dress by chocolatier Patrice Chapon (see below). Totally breathtaking!

The Salon du Chocolat fashion shows, are held in major cities throughout the year. The U.S. version takes place in New York November 11-14. You can find more info right here.

If your interested in seeing pastry chefs creating fashion out of chocolate, check out the Edible Fashion episode of Bravo's Top Chef: Just Desserts. A recent challenge featured the chefs creating chocolate outfits and I was super impressed with the results! For more info, click here.

{Photos courtesy of the Salon du Chocolat}

La Pâtisserie des Rêves

First of all, I can't believe that I have written anything about Philippe Conticini's La Pâtisserie des Rêves yet! I've been meaning to do a post on this pastry shop since it opened last year in Paris, but, alas, like many things, it just kept slipping out of my memory. Anyway, I am in love with this shop! Not only are the desserts gorgeous (and I've heard tasty), but it's the way that the food is displayed that really gets me. At La Pâtisserie des Rêves each delicious pastry is treated like a work of art or, perhaps, a science experiment, and displayed beneath a bell jar. Each of the jars is temperature controlled based on the sweet contained inside, while a pulley system attached to the ceiling allows the jars to be raised and lowered. What fun! It's also a much easier way to view the desserts than having all the customers crowd around a display case at the counter. It really is a unique and creative shop, a fact that is not all that surprising when you consider that in 2005 pastry chef and owner Philippe Conticini wrote a cookbook titled Sensations Nutella, which is devoted entirely to, you guessed it, Nutella. For more info on La Pâtisserie des Rêves, click here.

Chocolate Cloud from Et toque

Happy Friday, everyone! I've spent the last week dealing with a very persistent leaky roof/window issue that I've had for the past oh, I don't know, three years or so, and I was feeling a little down in the dumps about, well, the dump that I call my home, when I got an e-mail from Clementine Derodit about her new cookbook that instantly cheered me up! I can't think of better cure for an annoying water drip then looking at the delicious food and sweet illustrations that fill the pages of Clementine cute book, Et togue! Based in France, illustrator Clementine has created a wonderful recipe book for children that is filled with a cast of adorable characters and includes intriguing recipe titles like "pirate's soup" and "tyrannosaurus poo." Personally, I'm loving the page for "Risotto bicolore." Risotto has never looked more fun!

The text of Et togue is in French, but Clementine graciously agreed to translate the Chocolate Cloud recipe for us, which you can find below. You can also watch a cute little video about the book, which is in French with English subtitles. Even if you don't understand French it's still fun to watch. Everything sounds better in French! :-)



You can order a copy of the book right here and check out the Et togue Web site right here. To see more of Clementine's work click here. Thanks, Clementine!

Julie & Julia Trailer

Julie Powell, author of the blog/book Julie & Julia and hero to food bloggers everywhere, hits the big screen in August, in the film adaptation of her book. Well, more accurately, the adorable Amy Adams hits the big screen, playing Powell, while the planet's greatest living actress, Meryl Streep, tackles the part of Julia Child. Oh, and then there's Stanley Tucci and that strangely attractive guy who played Claire's boyfriend/husband on Six Feet Under as their spouses. I never read Powell's book and, yes, this is a Nora Ephron movie, so there is a definite possibility that it will break records in cheesiness, no pun intended, but I'm still excited to see it. I mean, it's an entire movie about food!! How bad could it be?? Okay, so it could be terrible, but what can I say, I'm trying to stay positive, at least for the time being. In the meantime, check out the trailer and the great poster below.


In an unrelated note, I've noticed lately that I've been getting a lot of hits from StumbleUpon, so I thought I'd make it easier for everyone by posting the SU button. Thanks to everyone who has already Stumbled something from my little site!! I'm always thrilled to see that someone liked a post enough to Stumble it. What can I say?? I'm a dork!!

Foie Gras Eclairs, Anyone?

Here's another article that I saw in The New York Times over the holidays and am just now getting around to posting! Fancy food shop Fauchon, makers of some of the world's most unusual éclairs, introduced a new flavor just in time for Christmas last December. Foie gras. Yep, that's right, goose liver, a goose liver éclair covered with hazelnut frosting! Gross! I'm sorry, but this sounds disgusting. On the other hand, I've never eaten foie gras or liver, so I have no idea how it tastes and will admit that I'm basing this opinion on virtually nothing. An expert pastry chef, in this case Fauchon's Christoph Adam, and an unhealthy dose of sugar can probably make anything taste good, probably. If you prefer a little less meat with your frosting, Fauchon has other savory éclairs to choose from, like those stuffed with peas, mushrooms, or curry. Of course, for the less adventurous, there are the sweeter and more traditional chocolate and fruit-filled varieties. To find a Fauchon store near you, click here, and you can check out the New York Times story right here. Quick, do it before the Times and all other newspaper cease to exist.

*On a side note, I love the Mitchell Feinberg photo (above) that appeared in the Times. It makes up for the nauseous feeling I had after reading the text!

photo courtesy of Claire Meneely