Over the past couple days I've done quiet a bit of sightseeing; I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, visited Sacre Coeur, saw the Catacombs, tried out the "best" macaroons in Paris at Laduree and made choux pastry!
I went up the Eiffel tower on Friday, where you have an amazing view of all of Paris, and then the next day went to Sacre Couer, the church constructed on the late 1800's, it was great to have the contrasting views of Paris back to back. On Tuesday the chef made a variety of creations using choux pastry and different creams and flavorings. I am excited to make my own variations when I have an oven again. After the demonstration I went to the catacombs, where Parisians buried their dead in the late 1700's. The bodies were dumped in a former mine, and later reorganized to make them presentable. The remains are a little creepy, but it is amazing to see remains and structures so old.
Today I went to Laduree with a friend to see if they really had the best macaroons in Paris. They did have interesting flavors, I tried violet-blackcurrant, vanilla, salted caramel, and a mint flavor off the seasonal menu. The flavor of each macaroon really, popped, but they are definitely not the best in Paris, from my experience those at La Grande Epicerie were better by far!
In practical class today we made choux pastry. Using the same dough we made chocolate eclairs, and smaller puffs coated in large sugar crystals.My chocolate eclairs tasted delicious but I definitely need to work on my pipping, and coating skills.