Chocolate 🍫 Christmas 🎄

 

Yesterday was my ‘get out of jail free’ day

After mailing 📮 out the Croissant 🥐 letters,

Smelling Paris

 

Did you see DROPS OF GOD 🍷 on AppleTV? It got me thinking 🤔

If you’ve been to Paris recently, can you recall and describe what it smelled like?

Chocolate is good for you, Salon du Chocolat

 

I went back to the Salon du Chocolat on Monday to see what I had missed opening night like this giant sculpture by Francois Daubinet. Is it really made of chocolate? The Answer: OUI from M. Daubinet 👏

There were many chocolate sculptures. Animals are always a favorite. So far no one had taken a bite.  

Paris’ Little Chocolate Boxes

 

Little boxes, little boxes..who doesn’t love❤️Little boxes 

Filled with deluxe Parisian chocolates like these from Patrick Roger.

A Suitable...Bunny

Apologies to readers of the eminent Indian novel, A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth...

Last week in the midst of a wifi blackout and a looming visa appointment, I went in mad pursuit of a suitable chocolate bunny to draw for the March Sketch letter.

You would think in Paris, abound in chocolate bunnies at this time of the year, this would be an easy task.

You would be wrong. Many of Paris' witty bunnies are unsuitable for painting, decked out in only skivvies.

This Bon Marché bunny had possibilities.

But the ears were disproportionately enormous in my opinion to fit into my tea time still life.

These Bunny ears were too askew in my opinion.

Bunny ears sans bod would never do.

There were many suitable rabbits in London, probably dressed by Savile Row,

The Fortnum Masons bun was a dream come true, perfect for my still life setup. I wish I'd taken more pictures.

Another pretty British bunny. Evidently the English are not so inclined to go off the deep end when it comes to creating Easter bunnies as the French. Quelle surprise!

I went looking in children's shops on rue Cherche-Midi.

At last a suitable bunny even if not chocolate in Marie Puce at #60.

But my bunny light sketches were not pleasing sadly :((

Finally I gave up on the bunny idea and decided to go with a macaron watercolor that only required re-doing since I couldn't find the original. The original art naturally turned up once the re-do was done and printed out. Isn't that how it always goes. You can see the March print on ETSY.

Want to see more Paris Easter windows?

 Let us know.

Someone came out of the mad bunny pursuit best pleased.

Jean-Paul Hevin Chocolate Bar(re)

I was looking through old watercolors for the Holiday Bazaar at The British School. I found this one painted in 2006 when I stayed on rue Vavin for 3 weeks. Jean-Paul Hevin's chocolate shop was down the street. It became a daily source for still life subject matter.

The chocolat framboise is still on the menu I'm happy to say.

Too many patisseries change their selection too often and old favorites disappear forever but not at Hevin.

Last night was the opening of J-P Hevin's 4th shop, CHOCOLATE BAR(RE) in the upper Marais at 42 rue de Bretagne 75003, with one door opening right into the Marché des Enfants Rouge! It's 25 meters in size which makes me think I could make my 21 meter studio into a watercolor shop perhaps..?

Looking through a glass darkly chocolate. These are Hevin's classic cigars of rolled cookie and chocolate ganache. Expect a witty take on many traditional sweets like his dusty (chocolate) potatoes (pomme de terre) seen above.

Wit aside, the quality of his chocolates are the best in Paris.

All this after eating Thanksgiving dinner too. My host was disappointed I didn't eat more. Shhhh...I was saving myself.

Chocolate lollipops cleverly boxed.

Bouché - an extra large chocolate that can substitute for eating lunch.

And of course beautiful macarons in many shades of chocolate. Last night's were made with Peruvian chocolate I think...

I took Solli along for more research.

We both loved the chocolat chaud served in specially designed corrugated cups. So chic!

Hot chocolate made on-the-spot

By patissiere Fabian, a 3-year veteran of JPH, who is also a fan of ParisBreakfasts!

I've bought these tubes for the witty packaging but in no time  the delicious contents were gone, gone, gone.

Hevin's signature colors are terrific. In a town with too many BROWN boxes of chocolates, Hevin adds an electric blue, almost Yves Klein blue, to brighten things up. Super chic.

His range of buche de Noel are enticing. This is what we would call a 'Baked Alaska' enrobed in meringue. Miam miam

This buche with the stamps (timbre) has my name on it. I've mailed out half the December Sketch Letters. Hooray!

Here a very happy Monsieur Hevin goofing around with a milk chocolate mustache. 

If you LOVE CHOCOLATE in any form Jean-Paul Hevin is a Must visit in Paris. And so chic. Don't forget to get one of his classy shopping bags by the way.

Musee Gourmand du Chocolat

You don't have to be painting French chocolates to pay a visit to the musee Gourmand du Chocolat (Choc-Story) in Paris.

28, bd Bonne Novelle 75010 Metro:Bonne Nouvelle
Open every day 10 - 6

If you're a chocolate nut you really should know a bit more than which is your favorite ganache or Parisian chocolatier.
 

Lots of people may be clueless when they see a colorful cocoa pod/cabosse like this ahem.
 

Same with the pod's interior, but in France you'll find chocolate pods hither and thither. Some are solid chocolate. Others open up and are full of your usual squares of lush ganache.
 

I certainly didn't know till I visited the museum that monkeys were key imagery related to chocolates. They conveniently opened the pods, ate the surrounding material and spit out the cocoa seeds onto the ground, thus saving the farmer a lot of trouble by 'planting' the seeds and increasing their growth. Who knew?!
 

Astex codex include the cocoa bean and it's various and sundry processes.

Beautiful moulinet for grinding roasted beans. La Maison du Chocolat uses one as a symbol for their brand. I wish Hershey would do likewise...hmmm
 

Videos of South American chocolate making.
 

You can even buy a nice authentic la chocolatière in the museum's shop.

As well as chips of chocolate from just about everywhere in the world at different percentages and at a good price.
 

As part of my research in painting chocolate I felt the need to visit a few shops along with the museum. Dimanche A Paris smells wonderfully chocolaty. The aromas hit you on entry.
 

Naturally since it's Fall, the French champignon turns up in chocolate form

Over and over.
 

Or simply as window décor at Frederic Cassel Fontainebleau
 

I have yet to try one of these chocolate chataignes/chestnuts but my 12-year old watercolor student let out a big MIAM when she saw this picture. Her taste buds are way more sophisticated than mine it seems.
 

Back to painting chocolates.
 

I was lucky to find this cocoa bean/cabosse at the musee du chocolat - the perfect container for my still life. By the way if you are familiar with cocoa beans do give a shout out and I'll stop the hectoring I promise.

I was trying to remember the color combinations to make chocolate browns. I called Ali in NYC in desperation. She reminded me teacher David Dewey had us all get this terrific little watercolor mixing guide - THE WATERCOLOR PAINTER'S POCKET PALETTE.

I suggest you get it in English. The French versions is a tad beyond me. What was I thinking?!