Monday dawned wet and drippy, but not enough to stop our plan: an eating tour of the 6th Arrondissement following tips culled from bloggers from David Lebovitz to Dorie Greenspan. Even the concierge’s soggy attitude when he pointed out the way didn’t bring us down. We set out on foot from Montparnasse with maps and shop names in hand.

Jamon Iberico de Bellota @ da Rosa

First stop: Gerard Mulot, where we split a baguette, scarfed down an apple turnover and a croissant, and squirreled away a macaron for later. Brushing the crumbs from our clothing we set off from our first success in search of Rue de Seine. The neighborhood right around St-Germain was charming, and we strolled through admiring some of the stores, but really only stopping at the food ones. We peered in the window at da Rosa coveting the Jamón Ibérico de Bellota…but couldn’t actually figure out whether (or how) to buy a few grams to decorate the remainder of our baguette. And the fromagerie next door, despite the sign still seemingly in place over the door, was clearly undergoing renovations.

We continued down the street instead to Pierre Marcolini where although we didn’t find any chocolate covered marshmallows (perhaps we should have asked?) we did pick up a beautiful box of chocolates. That was the first chocolate stop of our tour, which also included ducking into Patrick Roger (and she gave us a free piece of chocolate each! I think it was marzipan). I couldn’t help getting a box of pralines a bag of mixed caramels (now that I have had some though I would stick with the natural ones next time) and a bag of chocolate-caramelized-hazelnuts.

Pastry from Pierre Hermé

We walked out way over to Ladurée on rue Bonaparte where we bought a box of macarons (they had so many flavors!) and heard them snap at a lady who tried to take photos. Thank god I had not pulled mine out of my bag… but sad too. So pretty! After that I was so intimidated I didn’t take pictures in any stores at all. And then for contrast we headed over to Pierre Hermé where we also got a box of mixed macarons, with interesting flavors (including one with wasabi – which was much subtler and more enticing than it sounds). In our later taste test — the Pierre Hermé ones slightly deflated either due to a difference in the baking or some trauma they suffered during our walk home, Gus bit into the Pierre Hermé one — “yum!”– but right afterwards he had a Ladurée macaron and instantly said, “Ooh that one is so much better.” I think I prefer the PH ones, to me more delicate and airy with layered, complex flavors. Either way, heavenly, with a crispy outer “skin” and a chewier center… I still have more to eat so the comparison goes on! (I also picked up at PH what looked to be a caramel creme millefieulle several inches tall and may I just say that was heavenly.)

Croque Monsiuer @ Le Mabillon

Lunch was an open-faced croque monsieur at Le Mabillon…a thin layer of ham covered with a layer of cheese roughly the same thickness… and a pile of crunchy pommes frites. The sandwich was good, with balanced flavors, and the bread was solid, not soggy. I like a little more gooey meltiness in hot sandwiches, but over all this held up well. We followed that up with a walk over to the Odeon areawhere we got crepes (butter and sugar for Gus, creme the marron for me) at Yves Camdeborde’s creperie (it’s a good thing Dorie Greenspan mentioned the next-door bistro, Le Comptoir, in her post or we might have missed it)… So fun! Wrapped up to be held in your hand, they were a bit floppy, and maybe a bit chewier than I expected, but delicious and consumed quickly.

On the way back to the hotel, we ducked into Jean-Charles Rochoux for yet more chocolates (?!) and emerged with a small mixed box and a bog of chocolate covered hazelnuts. And this lovely lady not only gave us a small taste (omg rich and luscious and so… mouth-meltingly…) she also tucked a few extra bits (chocolate covered ginger and orange peel) into our box. Who knew chocolate store people could be so nice! Lovely contrast between shopping at Patrick Roger and Rochoux (generous and friendly, if a bit stiff) versus Ladurée (snippy and snotty).

Pictures From Our Walk through Paris 6

The Detailed Bits

Some of these places have multiple locations but here you’ll find only the ones we actually visited.

• Gerard Mulot (76 rue de Seine, Paris 6)
• da Rosa (62, rue de Seine, Paris 6, Tel: 33 (0)1 45 21 41 30)
• Pierre Marcolini (89 Rue de Seine, Paris 6, Tel: 01 44 07 39 07)
• Patrick Roger (108, Boulevard St. Germain, Paris, Tel: 01 43 29 38 42)
• Lauderée (21 rue Bonaparte, Paris 6)
• Pierre Hermé (62 rue Bonaparte, Paris 6)
• Le Mabillon (164 boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris 6)
• Yves Camdeborde’s creperie (9 carrefour de l’Odeon, Paris 6)
• Jean-Charles Rochoux (16, rue d’Assas, Paris 6, Tel: 01 42 84 29 45)

Related Posts

• Paris Trip Part 1: Dinner at Jean-Georges’ Market – consumableJoy
• The Paris Ten: Must-Tastes – Dorie Greenspan
• 10 Insanely Delicious Things You Shouldn’t Miss in Paris – David Lebovitz
• Paris Favorites: Eating, Drinking, Shopping – David Lebovitz

I think I’m in love. Yes, in love with an ice cream. It’s rich and creamy and just a touch bitter… and maybe a little too sweet. And when I eat a spoonful, I think, ooh, that’s enough, it’s too rich and too sweet, that’s all I need. Until I find myself dipping my spoon back into the container for another spoonful. And another. And it’s almost gone. I might have to make another batch soon. Or another one of David Lebovitz’s awesome recipes. Because this one is just a teaser for all the others. Or is it the culmination? Or perhaps it’s that every time I make one of these recipes it tastes so dreamy? (except for the frozen yogurt, which I didn’t really like and is still actually living in my freezer).

I had no idea when I decided to make this ice cream yesterday that it would be such an unqualified success. I just wanted to make something nice and caramel-y to go with the crisp apple tart I was also baking up for a dinner we hosted last night for Gus’s graduate students. A trip through A Perfect Scoop didn’t reveal the recipe I was looking for but a quick search of David’s website revealed the secret (and a story about why it didn’t appear in the book): Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream.

It’s a little intimidating, because making caramel can be kind of scary, all those stories about it seizing up, getting grainy, burning… but this method (dry caramel) was actually so easy, I think I am now past all caramel fear. My advice? Don’t use a thermometer for the caramel… learn to follow the color and the smell, just past the smoke point when the color has turned a lovely dark rich brown. I was scared at first, but I was actually able to smell the smoke and pull the caramel off the heat and throw in the butter, right at the right moment. And since the recipe has you do it twice, once for the ice cream and once for the praline crunch, I got practice and the second time was even easier.

I’m going to send you over to David’s site to read the recipe rather than recreate it here. Suffice to say, it’s a dreamy mixture (how many times have I used the word “dreamy” in this post?) of homemade caramel, top-quality salt (make sure it’s a good one), salted butter, cream, and whole milk. Not to mention the five egg yolks that turn the whole thing into a custard. And for the custard phase, just like the caramel stage, I love that no thermometer is necessary… just cook and stir until the mixture thickens enough that a line drawn through the liquid on the back of a spoon stays put. And if you’re like me, lick it off your finger just to “check on the flavors.” Ahem.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the fridge. I recommend making up the mixture the day before so it really has time to chill, otherwise you may be stuck like me trying to figure out how to get it cold enough. I split time between the fridge and the freezer. After chilling, churn the mixture in your ice cream machine.

When it’s done, mix in the crumbled up caramel praline pieces  if you want to. The praline gives it a little more salt and a little crunch and texture in the overall silky richness. It was great. But next time I think I’ll try it without. Either way, yum.

Remove from the machine and put into a storage container and then freeze to set up. Enjoy.