France; Pierre Hermé. In Paris...

...we ate sweets, all day and all night. Early morning wake up in the cool air, and a jaunt to nearby Pierre Hermé where even Monsieur P's jaded eyes were won over by colorful rows of macarons, chocolates and picture perfect Ispahans and mille-feuilles.

Croissants were on the agenda, both a fine original and a decadent Ispahan croissant, the latter donning a glazed exterior flecked in crushed rose petals, and an interior filled with rose marzipan and raspberry and lychee gelée.

With goodies in hand, it's only a block away to Café de la Mairie, where they gladly allow you to devour the pastries with a daily café express.

But don't you forget, man cannot live by croissant alone! That's why there is canelé! At Pierre Hermé they were thoughtfully arranged next to the croissants (and to the left of gingerbread brioche, which will get to later ;), like little soldiers, each one a vision of perfection. Dark, caramelized crusts, and a creamy, custardy interior dotted in vanilla beans. I deeply regret not tucking away a dozen in my suitcase for the return trip to NYC.

Would you like to see the interior? Apologies, it's somewhat ragged looking and doesn't do the canelé justice. Monsieur P had bite, I had a bite, and only then did I think to take an interior photo!

And here is the brioche! Gorgeous, no? Not simply any old brioche, but one with a finish of crunchy chocolate pearls, and paired with a gingerbread and banana-kissed marzipan.

Almost, to beautiful to eat.

That, for us, was Pierre Hermé in the mornings. Pierre Hermé in the afternoons were a completely different affair. After lunch and lots and lots of shopping, we'd duck back into the comforting arms of the patisserie for our afternoon goûter.

For what in particular? Macarons, of course! The Olive Oil + Vanilla Macaron was the unanimous favourite, and featured a sliver of salty green olive at the very center...

...my love affair however, was surprisingly not with macarons, but the Deux Mille Feuilles, which translates to "2000 Feuilles" and is truly a magical creation. Layers upon layers of caramelized puff pastry, with a trio of fillings. At the bottom, luxe chocolate cream, rich enough to border on ganache and studded with hazelnuts, then a thin layer of praline right above and finally, whipped hazelnut praline cream closest to the top. Yes, swoon.

I'm about thisclose to successfully convincing Monsieur P that perhaps we need to/should/would love to return to Paris again this winter. After all, we've utterly failed to find a remotely comparable mille feuille (much less deux mille feuilles!) in NYC. Wouldn't you agree that's reason enough?

Pierre Hermé
72, rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
+33 (1) 43 54 47 77