je ne veux pas travailler

Je ne veux pas travailler

Je ne veux pas déjeuner

Je veux seulement oublier

Et puis je fume

-Pink Martini

watercolor copyright and courtesy of Carol Gillot

So I'm sitting there last night minding my own business and I stumble upon Carol Gillott's blog Paris Breakfasts. Finally someone more obsessed with the Laduree macaron than me. I was planning on getting stuff done, but instead I spent two hours reading her blog. Looking at pictures of Paris, reading about her obsessive hunt for the perfect macaron and how they are made. Her posts on what French women are wearing, and the subtle "non non's" that shout AMERICAN TOURIST are great. Apparently she travels to Paris from NY several times a year, and I'm thoroughly jealous of her hop on a plane distance from heaven. 

I've tried my hand at making the macaron at home. Last year I got the Paris issue of Gourmet magazine (RIP) and they had a recipe for chocolate macarons with a bergamot ganache filling. They tasted amazing, but they weren't even close to perfect in terms of looks. You have to be very scientific, and know how to measure things by the microgram to make perfect French macarons, and I am more of the pinch of this dash of that kind of cook. It's also very hard to get blanched almond flour here. I used regular almond flour from Surfas which contains the brown hull so they aren't as pretty and it probably also changes the flavor somewhat. I wonder if I bought blanched almonds if I could get them to a fine enough consistency in my cuisinart to make the flour. A new project!!!

Ms. Paris Breakfasts also has an etsy shop where she sells her watercolors of Paris scenes. In my favorite one she will paint your dog, or cat, or I'm guessing if you really want, your goldfish Momo into the scene in front of Laduree. Genius. I'm smitten! I think I'm going to need to commission one of her paintings for the new Laduree themed office/craft room. I wonder if she could paint my shoe collection in front of Laduree? Those are kind of like pets...

watercolor copyright and courtesy of Carol Gillot