Afternoon tartes at Gontran Cherrier

When I read about the “sexy French baker” Gontran Cherrier on I Heart Paris, naturally I had to go. It’s taken me six months to have the opportunity but my eyes, and belly, were not disappointed.

The Montmartre space is clean, comfortable and modern, sitting on a corner and getting light from two sides. It’s perfect for the display of true artisanal baking.


The rustic breads…

many layered vienoisserie…


…the beautiful tartes…



and, well, bagels!

My Italian plum tarte was indeed tart.

But sweet too.

Simply. Delicious.

A fine day for Mary

Even though it was Jean Neuhaus who invented the praliné 99 years ago and, therefore, stands to define Belgian chocolate, the first stop on a Brussels chocolate tour should be Mary.

The 92-year-old chocolatier has its own history and pedigree, supplying bonbons to the royal family for decades. Their rue Royale boutique, the one Sarah, Jo and I visited last year, is undergoing renovations. So I visited their new boutique in the Galerie de la Reine for this year’s fix.



Les vendeuses at Mary are lovely. “If you need anything, just ask. We are here to inform you,” is how the one girl responded to my appreciation, after having asked her about 100 questions about the chocolates.


But from the caramels and marzipan fillings to the chocolate mousse, ganache and creams, plus the truffles and pralines, I needed some guidance in choosing my bonbons.




In the end, I decided to try something a little different: a raspberry teacake.

It’s a fresh cream filling flavored with raspberry (other varieties include mocha, vanilla or chocolate mousse), topped with a walnut, and then coated in sugar icing.


Sweet is an understatement.

Sweet and pretty cakes

Remember this lovely patisserie from last year?

I couldn't ever forget Debailleul. I had to go back, though it was strictly a "just looking" visit...

Some girls sigh and blush over lacy lingerie and snakeskin handbags.


Moi? I just can't get enough of pretty little cakes.

Pierre takes on Pierre

I’ve been a fan of Pierre Marcolini’s chocolates for many years.

But, clearly, I need to get my hands on some of his cakes.


Is it just me?

(Or are you also thinking of our other Pierre, Pierre Hermé?)

A little teaser...

I'm going to be eating a lot of chocolate in Brussels this week.

And this chocolate cafe in the Amsterdam airport at which you just grab a hunk of chocolate as big as your appetite gave a nice little prelude to what's in my dietary future.



Ready or not...

Nope, ready; always ready.

Is there one best chocolate chip cookie in New York?

It’s almost embarrassing how many great chocolate chip cookies there are in Manhattan. When you go to other towns and cities, bakery cookies are often hard and crunchy and lack imagination and strong flavor. Here in New York, there are infinite delicious options. I’ve always been torn between three top contenders:

City Bakery

Levain

And Momofuku

How does one make a choice between these three?

City Bakery’s lovely, dreamy, crunchy, creamy, soft and sugary saucer-sized beauties have it all: crispy edges, melty middles, and a buttery-gritty texture that’s balanced by giant hunks of smooth dark chocolate. They have just a hint of caramel flavor. They’re real cookie monsters.


Levain’s are six-ounce mounds of cakey, chocolate-studded, slightly undercooked heaven, with savory toasted walnuts mixed in. If City Bakery’s are cookie monsters, Levain’s are cookie monsters on potent steroids.


And Momofuku’s cornflake-marshmallow-chocolate chip cookie is sticky, chewy and crunchy; sweet and chocolaty; the bottom side rimmed in caramelized beauty.


I’ve always found it difficult to decide which I love most. So I put the test to a few willing guinea pigs. Guess what?

One went for City Bakery.

One for Levain.

And one for Momofuku.

What's your favorite chocolate chip cookie in the city?